My Injury sheds light on disabled or aging golfers

[SAGolfLuvr]

Fellow golf fanatics, 1 month ago, I had a spill on my mountain bike that almost dislocated my left shoulder and gave me a sizeable scrape on my left forearm. Since then, I can't swing a golf club without pain (I have a bad right shoulder too). When I look at my swing now, I realize that it looks like people trying their best but not being able to get to the positions they want because their body is denying them. As I slowly heal, sometimes I feel like a disabled person when I try to get to the full backswing and full extension (very painful) and sometimes I feel like a senior (limited turn to reduce the pain). I thought I had a respect for both disabled folks and seniors (who regularly kick my butt with no penalties and an excellent short game) but now I have a much healthier respect by experiencing a little of what it can be like for both. I am in my 40s and I know how blessed I am that this is temporary compared to everyday life for them and now I look at life much differently.

[SavvySwede]

A couple months back I was playing a par 3 course with an older gentleman who had cataracts that blocked most of his central field of vision. He had to play with his head turned mostly toward the target and look out of the corner of his eye. He was able to play bogey golf amazingly enough. Short and straight, and chip on to the green and two putts on almost every hole. Never underestimate those senior golfers.

[dennyjones]

Everyone can aspire to be a senior.   It beats the alternative.  Life is short.

[windlaker]

Growing old is NOT for the faint of heart.

[dave s]

It seems when we reach that 40 year mark, the nicks, hacks, bruises and scrapes don't seem to heal up as quickly as they used to.  Glad you mentioned your age, because I certainly noticed the same issue of not being able to rebound quickly after simply 'overdoing it' or from any other self-induced injury.

Several years back, I hit an unseen tree root with an iron during a shot.  Felt the bones in the back of my left hand jar, bend and nearly break. Went for an x-ray.  Good news, nothing was broken--just badly bruised. The bad news is that I had to put up with nagging pain for about 18 months while I 'played through' an injury.

Sucks gettin' old but considering the alternative, I think we'd ALL take the bumps, bruises aches and pains that begin to creep into our aging bodies while still being able to answer the bell when it rings.

Wishing you a full recovery on the bike incident.  Hang in there!

dave

[DrvFrShow]

Wish you well in your recovery.

I've been fighting a rotator cuff injury in my right shoulder. My left shoulder started to act up yesterday, and I couldn't hit my 8 iron over 100 yds. That told me to quit. I think I had gotten through about 40 balls in my jumbo bucket. I think the mats at the range are just wearing on the joints much more than grass, and it doesn't matter how good they are.

So a few days to rest the joint, and then strengthen the shoulders. I think strong shoulders are extremely important for this game. If you don't have strong shoulder muscles you're doomed.

In the meantime I'll keep up leg, core, and cardio work.

And if I see any tree roots or rocks in the ground near my ball on the course afterward, my ball is getting moved.

[MouseyMouse]

Good luck with the recovery - it's a good thing you didn't hurt yourself any worse. I used to work at a resort where they had biking, and looking at the people that came off the runs, it's made me wary of participating in that sport.

With that being said, shoulder-back-knee problems with golfers is very common (whether or not a bike helped facilitate the injury). It's really important to keep all of your muscles strong, all of the time... because that is what helps to prevent injury and the dastardly re-injury.

I find it funny, especially with my injuries - even the slightest bit of inflammation and the main is amplified, I have found much relief with cold therapy as opposed to pain relievers and other modalities. Grab a nice rigid cold pack and apply it to your shoulder, and I think you'll be very surprised at where you stand in terms of mobility with the shoulder injury.