Golfer's elbow issues

[coastrat]

Hello y'all.

My last round was on Black Friday. On about hole fourteen (14), a ball was above my feet, and I really got into the earth. My arm became a little tight at that point. Flash forward a few days and my arm is swollen and badly bruised. My arm was stiff, and I had some pain in the middle of my elbow. The bruise covers the entire inside of my elbow and is on my bicep and forearm. Actually, the bruise has spread to my mid-forearm as of earlier this week.

My brother, a doctor, diagnosed me with golfer's elbow. I took his advice and stayed off of the course this weekend, which wasn't a terrible decision, since it was rainy and I had to attend a wedding. 

There is still some residual pain, short, achy little bursts of pain, but I attribute that, at least in part, to the cool and damp weather invading my hometown. Overall, however, I haven't been in a ton of pain with this injury. The bruising is horrendous, however. My elbow looks like I was shot with some sort of shotgun using rubber pellet shells.

Basically, how long should I wait to get back on the links? 

I've been stretching my arm a lot (utilizing various stretching positions) and I've rested it well. Your thoughts as to if I should hit some balls at the range Friday and then play Saturday? I'd like to avoid future issues, so I can continue playing and improving my game.

Thanks in advance.

Edited December 4, 2016 by coastrat

[woodzie264]

The plain and simple answer is that without actually laying eyes on you and doing a proper physical exam, no one here can give you an intelligent answer. 

From your description, it's possible to have a partial vs complete tear of the forearm flexor tendon (traumatic golfers elbow) or  a partial vs complete tear of the distal bicep tendon. From your description, it's unlikely you've sustained a complete tear of either, but certainly not impossible.

Assuming your injury appears to be worse than it really is, in general, anywhere from 4-8 weeks would be normal for adequate soft tissue healing. However, that said, pending your exam, an MRI would be indicated to evaluate for a sizable partial tear of the biceps tendon as it may require surgical repair before completing the tearing it in a less predictable manner. Obviously this is speculation without the necessary exam. You most definitely, based on your history, should be formally evaluated by an orthopedist before returning to full swings wherein you might hit another fat shot. Keeping the differentials in mind, I wouldn't have an issue with you chipping and putting in the interim, but NOT full swings. 

[Hatchman]

Sorry to hear about your injury coastrat.   Yep, that impact into the ground with great force hurts.  Glad you have a doctor in the family to advise you and do follow his advice.  I did, or I think I did, and still wound up having surgery.  My doctor put me on rest after exam and x-ray only not checking soft tissue of the elbow and shoulder until around 9 months later after increase in pain.  Specialist found major tears on MRI.  Shortly after primary care and without restriction I continued playing up until that Ortho time unfortunately.  Hopefully, you only have a strain and no tears, but do get it checked out by a specialist if needed.