Pain right side chest.

[Wesley]

Recently started experiencing pain in my right side chest midway through a round. I am assuming its something I started doing wrong in my swing but cant figure it out. Not getting any more poor shots than normal and not taking any larger divots than normal. Help please!

[TourSpoon]

Usually that only happens when I three putt!

Seriously, you probably are having a minor muscle spasm (assuming you have reasonable health and are not going cardiac arrest on us).

[KARR2001]

It depends where you are having your pain on the right side. You probably strained a muscle and need to rest it for a little while. If you keep having those symptoms though I would talk to your doctor since there are many causes of right sided chest pain.

[Stretch]

Does it still hurt (or at least feel tender) the day after, or is it only when you're actually swinging a club?

Most likely it's a muscle strain or cartilage damage somewhere on the chest wall, injuries that are quite common in rotational sports like golf, tennis, baseball etc. Be careful, as these can turn into tears/separations if you keep aggravating them and those take a frustratingly long time to rehab. I had a problem last year in the intercostal/rib area and couldn't make a full swing for about three months. My advice would be to start off by icing the affected area every time after you practice and play to reduce inflammation (get one of those blue gel cold packs from a pharmacy and keep it in the freezer) and to go and see a physiotherapist with experience in sports injuries if the discomfort persists.

Good luck.

[12iron]

Any suggestions on preventing this strain? Is it a question of flexibility or warming up or rotational core strength exercises? (Probably all three, of course...)

-12i

[MrElculver2424]

Most likely just a pulled muscle. I pulled a muscle a few years ago right around my heart area doing physical activities, and it still has not completely healed to this day. It bothers me when I do a lot of physical things. When I went out last week for an 18-hole round, it started hurting on the back nine and I actually sat out the 15th and 16th holes because it was so bad; I couldn't even swing without having stabbing and terrible pain. I went to my doctor and had an EKG and X-Ray done just to make sure it wasn't my heart, and my heart is fine, so it must be a muscle around my heart. Doctor told me surgery is not necessary unless it bothers me 24/7, but it doesn't...only when I do a physical activity.

Try icing it if it continues to bother you. I've also applied heat as well. An article I read said to apply ice one night, and heat the next, and keep rotating. Don't know if that'll work, but if you keep having this pain, give it a try. If you have a pulled muscle, it can help heal it.

[Wesley]

Thanks for all the input. It must have been a pulled muscle. Perhaps an extra large divot did some damage. I took about 2 weeks off and it's fine now. 18 holes and no pain.