Left forearm muscle ache / pain after newly "release" practice

[Sai-Jin]

So I normally release rather later after my follow through and recently I started to practice my follow through / release

in my golf swing.

I almost immediately start to feel ache in my forearm, but just my left arm.

I can feel the top of my forearm being stiff when I twist it.

Is this normal for a golfer who just started to focus on learning how to release properly by having crossed hands?

I hope this is just one of those "never" used muscle that suddenly is being used.

[deronsizemore]

Sounds like "golfer's elbow" to me, which is just tendinitis.

[BuckeyeNut]

Originally Posted by deronsizemore

Sounds like "golfer's elbow" to me, which is just tendinitis.

Yea...that's what I was thinking.  Is the pain up on top near the elbow?  I have a mild case too, but nothing a couple pre-round advil doesn't cure.  You know you're getting old when Advil is a golf bag staple.....Hahaha

[Sai-Jin]

Hmm it's not on the elbow, rather on my forearm muscle. I feel it when my left forearm rotates 180 degress.

IE: if you stretch your arm out knuckles pointing up and elbow poiting left, the ache or soreness is on the top "bigger" muscle

[Spyder]

Sounds to me like it's just sore as it's not used to being worked in that way, or being stretched in such a way. Sounds funny, but you do use muscles in Golf that you do not normally use every day (unless you're an avid Gym-goer that does a full body workout). Bowling is also similar in that a lot of people who do not work out regularly will feel pain in the upper-middle back and forearms after the first few weeks of league.

Give it some time and it will strengthen. A really good exercise for your forearms is taking a bar from a bench (bench press bar) and sitting on the end of a bench. The bar usually weighs 35-45 pounds (45 is Olympic). Hold the bar in your lap and grab it with your hands shoulder-width apart - palms down. Take the bar and dangle your wrists over your knees and roll your wrists up flush with your thighs and then take the bar back down to the toes. Repeat this with palms up as well. You will really feel the burn doing this but you will build incredible forearm strength after just a week or 2 of this routine.

Edit: Even people who are avid gym-goers feel pain after Golfing with a different technique. It's a unique game with a unique set of movements. Just watch how you feel after a while and if something does not feel right, definitely see a Doc. At the very least you'll have peace of mind knowing it's normal and you'll be told to use a heating pad with Advil.

[Sai-Jin]

I hope you are right. I don't work on my grip strength much and when I do it's the same place I feel tension when I'm in the gym.

I played 9 after 4 days not doing anything, It felt better, but it's not gone completely yet.

Thanks!

[deronsizemore]

Originally Posted by Sai-Jin

Hmm it's not on the elbow, rather on my forearm muscle. I feel it when my left forearm rotates 180 degress.

IE: if you stretch your arm out knuckles pointing up and elbow poiting left, the ache or soreness is on the top "bigger" muscle

Yeah, that's what golfer's elbow is. Even though the pain isn't right on the elbow, it's still dealing with the tendons of the elbow. If the pain where on the opposite side of your arm, as in underneath rather than on top, that's called "tennis elbow." Just different tendons in the arm that are strained. If you can play with the pain, go for it. If not, take a week break and see how it feels. May require longer than a week depending on severity.

[Sai-Jin]

ugh... it will go away right? It's just an inflamed tendon and it'll heal?

[deronsizemore]

Originally Posted by Sai-Jin

ugh... it will go away right? It's just an inflamed tendon and it'll heal?

Yeah, it will go away with rest. Usually requires no activity that could aggravate it for a few weeks (maybe less, maybe more). I've been playing with tendinitis in my right elbow for a couple years now. Goes away over the winter and seems to come back through the golf months from hitting so many balls. It hurts, but once I've hit a couple balls I don't feel it after that. I guess everyone is different. If it's hurting enough that you can't play, then I'd take a couple weeks off and re-assess how it feels. If it still hurts, take another couple weeks off.

One thing is for sure though, if you continue to golf (or whatever activity aggravates it) it's not going to heal.

[ghalfaire]

It might be as simple as you are gripping the club too tightly with your left hand.  This will cause the forearm muscles to tighten also.

[Sai-Jin]

So I went and actually hit tons of balls on Saturday, a lot more than I'm used to.

well, the ache is gone, it feels just a tad stiffer at the end of the day, but looks like it's going away now.

Maybe I should stop practicing like I did and just get my techniques to show up naturally as a by product of a good swing.