Right Flank Pain?

[Dave2512]

Felt something pop golfing 1/27/16. Ended up a storm blew us off the course one hole after the pop so I didn't think much about it. We had snow on the ground well into Feb so I didn't play again for a few weeks. Next time out by the 3rd hole every swing felt like getting punched in the kidneys. Couple times it was enough it had me gasping for air.

I made an appt. and the MD prescribed rest. Couple weeks pass I feel fine no pain, stretching and taking practice swings on the mat and all seems good. I get to the course and again within a few holes knee buckling pain in the kidney area. Go back to the MD he rules out intercostal strain due to the area of the pain yet finds no source.

I rest a couple weeks, hit a few balls here and there and feel good. Get to the course yesterday and bam pain returns. I've Googled it can't find much on golf related flank injury. Only golf aggravates it every other movement is fine all my daily exercise is fine. I do resistance band and free weight moves with twisting and nothing causes pain.

[Lihu]

Ouch, I hope you figure out the source of the pain?

Sounds like a pulled muscle, very strange.

[Big Lex]

It is still likely musculoskeletal pain....unfortunately it can take quite a while to completely heal. But there are other things it could be, and if the pain persists at some point you will have to have a CT scan or MRI of your abdomen to make sure there is nothing inside causing the pain.

[Dave2512]

No clue hence the thread but concerned it could derail all of 2016 for me. I have tried to play 4 times since it happened. Twice I finished 6 holes before it was too much, once I made it to 9 and yesterday I pushed it to 18 because other than swinging I felt good, getting in and out of the cart, bending to pickup clubs and balls all good.

But when I got home I had spasms with as little as hitting a bump in the car on the way to dinner. Today I wake up and it's gone but just a couple swings would bring it back. Trying to explain it to the doctor and him poking me and it not causing any pain is getting me nowhere. Unfortunately with the way insurance works getting from the PCP to someone like a exercise physiologist is a long process.

[JxQx]

It may be worth going to a good sports therapist/physical therapist to have it checked out. I know when I went to a MD about back pain they said I just needed to rest it but it didn't really help at all. I finally decided to go to a chiropractor/sports therapist and he uncovered some muscle imbalances that were causing my issues also getting my back adjusted also helped.

[Dave2512]

19 minutes ago, Big Lex said:

It is still likely musculoskeletal pain....unfortunately it can take quite a while to completely heal. But there are other things it could be, and if the pain persists at some point you will have to have a CT scan or MRI of your abdomen to make sure there is nothing inside causing the pain.

Agree in fact I thought it may be a kidney infection or something but it comes and goes with golf. It's strange that's why I am hoping to get ideas to share with the doctor not looking for a cure. He seems as puzzled as I am and while I value my health and would love to get back to regular golf my bronze plan is an expensive way to throw darts. I've twice paid the $50 co-pay to come away with an RX for rest.

[Lihu]

44 minutes ago, Dave2512 said:

Agree in fact I thought it may be a kidney infection or something but it comes and goes with golf. It's strange that's why I am hoping to get ideas to share with the doctor not looking for a cure. He seems as puzzled as I am and while I value my health and would love to get back to regular golf my bronze plan is an expensive way to throw darts. I've twice paid the $50 co-pay to come away with an RX for rest.

A PT can help isolate the exact source of the pain. Paying a doctor for physical therapy is not very productive, but they probably cleared you from other things like kidney infections and such?

[Dave2512]

He ruled it out just with a symptoms quiz and with golf being the only cause his suggestion was the test on my dime was a waste. He suggested it may be worth trying dry needle therapy. Part of the problem is I switched insurance this year and left my previous doctor for Kaiser because the only HMO bronze plan my doctor accepts was crazy expensive, he didn't accept my previous EPO plan either and despite paying it for a year my visits to him were 100% out of pocket.

So my first visit to a new doctor was this unspecific pain caused by golf. I am guessing he's not a golfer with his be patient and rest advice basically if golf hurts don't do it. We've had a string of 70's weather so it's been tough. I've played just 43 holes of golf since before Thanksgiving and I am usually a 100 rounds a year guy.

We're in handicap season and I haven't practiced in 4+ months. Besides the pain it's not great for my game my shots are all over the place. It hits in the DS right before and through impact. Couple times it's brought me to the ground a-la Tiger not fun.

[Lihu]

Best thing is to go to a PT on your HMO. Just don't mention to a GP that it's golf specific, since it probably isn't as you've had it for 4+ months.

[chspeed]

4 hours ago, Dave2512 said:

Felt something pop golfing 1/27/16

I've had a few strange things like this in the past. Definitely sounds muscular or cartilage-related. I think your doctor is right, but that you have different ideas of rest.

If two weeks didn't do it (twice), my advice is that you put the clubs away for four weeks. No practice swings. Putting and chipping only if you must. Then slowly build it up again, don't just go out and swing hard. This has worked for me.

I know that sucks, but it's better to be back to golf by end of April then to keep re-injuring this all summer!

Edited March 22, 2016 by chspeed

[natureboy]

8 hours ago, Dave2512 said:

Felt something pop golfing 1/27/16. Ended up a storm blew us off the course one hole after the pop so I didn't think much about it. We had snow on the ground well into Feb so I didn't play again for a few weeks. Next time out by the 3rd hole every swing felt like getting punched in the kidneys. Couple times it was enough it had me gasping for air.

I made an appt. and the MD prescribed rest. Couple weeks pass I feel fine no pain, stretching and taking practice swings on the mat and all seems good. I get to the course and again within a few holes knee buckling pain in the kidney area. Go back to the MD he rules out intercostal strain due to the area of the pain yet finds no source.

I rest a couple weeks, hit a few balls here and there and feel good. Get to the course yesterday and bam pain returns. I've Googled it can't find much on golf related flank injury. Only golf aggravates it every other movement is fine all my daily exercise is fine. I do resistance band and free weight moves with twisting and nothing causes pain.

Free weights with twisting likely don't also involve lateral side bend. I'd back off the golf and go see some specialists as it sounds to me like pinched nerve - hopefully as @Lihu suggested from a muscle pull / spasm rather than disk damage.

6 hours ago, Dave2512 said:

Couple times it's brought me to the ground a-la Tiger not fun.

I've had hot searing nerve pain like that from sciatica running down the leg. Not fun. Did improve over time. Hopefully yours will improve too, but get the possibility of a real back / spine injury ruled out before you do significant long-term damage!

Edited March 23, 2016 by natureboy

[Dave2512]

I have had low back issues for a long time this is different. That is why I asked can't find anything about golf related side injury. I have to see a CMT couple times a year for spine work when that flares up it is constant discomfort. Just wondering if anyone has experienced it or heard about it so I can better explain it. Tough to describe and demonstrate what isn't symptomatic during my visit. 

Goes something like this. Do you feel pain now, no. Did you feel pain with pressure applied, no. Actually I haven't felt any pain besides golfing. To which he says don't golf until it doesn't hurt.  I've played sports since grade school have had many strains, sprains, bruises, you name it never something that comes and goes. Usually it is obvious.

[natureboy]

4 minutes ago, Dave2512 said:

I have had low back issues for a long time this is different. That is why I asked can't find anything about golf related side injury. I have to see a CMT couple times a year for spine work when that flares up it is constant discomfort. Just wondering if anyone has experienced it or heard about it so I can better explain it. Tough to describe and demonstrate what isn't symptomatic during my visit. 

Goes something like this. Do you feel pain now, no. Did you feel pain with pressure applied, no. Actually I haven't felt any pain besides golfing. To which he says don't golf until it doesn't hurt.  I've played sports since grade school have had many strains, sprains, bruises, you name it never something that comes and goes. Usually it is obvious.

The fact that it's radiating internally such that you feel it in your kidney makes me think nerve. I've had cracked ribs and strained intracostal muscles and the pain / discomfort for both was on the surface / local not deep in the thoracic cavity. Is the pain one-sided or equal on both sides? Another possibility...are you of the age for kidney stones? The lateral side bend might exacerbate that problem.

If I were you I would not golf at all and get the possibility of a nerve issue checked out pronto.

Quote

Sensory input from the kidney travels to the T10-11 levels of the spinal cord and is sensed in the corresponding dermatome.[10] Thus, pain in the flank region may be referred from corresponding kidney.[10]

Best of luck. Hope my 'worst case' concerns are unfounded.

[Dave2512]

One side (right). 

[Dave2512]

I'm done. Tried to play today feels like someone cut me in half with a sword on the right side.

[natureboy]

3 hours ago, Dave2512 said:

I'm done. Tried to play today feels like someone cut me in half with a sword on the right side.

No golf, Doctor, MRI pronto!

Edited April 3, 2016 by natureboy

[bste]

4 minutes ago, natureboy said:

No golf, Doctor, MRI pronto!

Definitely, the back is not something you should put off.

[Patch]

Don't be surprised if it turns out to be some damaged soft tissues around your kidney.