Golfer's Elbow?

[Eracer]

They aren't doctors, but they did stay at a Holiday Inn Express, :biglol:

I know Xamilo is. Not sure about RCI. If he isn't, then he sure has learned a lot about elbow anatomy.

 

[DaveE]

After you decide you can't wait any more get one of these. I had to wear one for a month but I was able to play without much pain.

 

[mddubya]

After you decide you can't wait any more get one of these. I had to wear one for a month but I was able to play without much pain.

thanks DaveE, I'll have to try that next. It was entirely too pretty today so I attempted a quick 9 holes. Ughhhhh, Once I knocked the rust off from not picking up a club since a week ago the elbow started hurting. I couldn't complete my wrist rotation so I was blocking EVERYTHING out to the right. Needless to say I won't be playing in the tournament tommorrow.

This really sucks, I was finally feeling like I was turning the corner on my game, making some great strides on my ball striking and seeing my scores start to stabilize and drop and this happens, :unhappy:

 

[xamilo]

After you decide you can't wait any more get one of these. I had to wear one for a month but I was able to play without much pain.

An elbow brace is a good idea in the recuperation process if you indeed need to "move it", but I second the comment about resting. Its better to have a week off than fight with pain for months....

 

[mddubya]

An elbow brace is a good idea in the recuperation process if you indeed need to "move it", but I second the comment about resting. Its better to have a week off than fight with pain for months....

Hey Xamilo, being a Doctor should I give it a week or 2 off, or get it checked out 1st and go from there?

 

[xamilo]

I think the best idea is to "measure yourself". You would know how much rest you need. Of course my advice would be to get it checked since the diagnosis given here is just on what you've said rather than what one could see or find in a complete physical, but it shouldn't be a big issue though if you don't. Give it at least the week of rest, and see what happens then. If you feel the minimum discomfort go for the second week, but try a second anti-inflammatory cycle as well. If for any chance pain persists, a check up would be the way; he/she would know if you need physiotherapy, longer rest or a look by the specialist.

 

[mddubya]

I think the best idea is to "measure yourself". You would know how much rest you need. Of course my advice would be to get it checked since the diagnosis given here is just on what you've said rather than what one could see or find in a complete physical, but it shouldn't be a big issue though if you don't. Give it at least the week of rest, and see what happens then. If you feel the minimum discomfort go for the second week, but try a second anti-inflammatory cycle as well. If for any chance pain persists, a check up would be the way; he/she would know if you need physiotherapy, longer rest or a look by the specialist.

Thanks Doctor X, I'll give it another weeks rest and anti-inflammatory and see how it feels then.

 

[RCI]

Ha ha... I am a doctor actually, but not of medicine. (I was trained as a chemical physicist.)

If it counts, I actually had a couple of MD's who used to work for me. Local medical doctors and surgeons used to call me about tennis and golfer elbow patients just because they knew I had a lengthy and serious bout of difficulty followed by radical surgery. They knew I had researched the medical literature extensively. But none of that really matters -- I am not a medical doctor, but have stayed in a Holiday Inn a few times. Based on the way I played today, I'm not much of a golfer either.

What is really important is to not ignore pain -- everything else is just clutter because we are all different and specific injuries can be quite different and respond differently to various treatments.

I hope this all makes sense...

 

[Slingblade61]

Even the doctors are in the dark ages.....

I had it, twice. once in each elbow and this gadget works like a charm!

Brace-it.com - Ankle, Knee, Wrist, Foot, Elbow

It isolates the tendon and helps it heal. Granted, I kept it on for two weeks (even slept with it on) but I was able to play golf within a week.

That plus some ibuprofen and I haven;t had a problem since.

Band-it!

 

[RCI]

The braces can help. If you have a small area that is painful to a strong press or push right around the pointy part of the radial epicondyle, then you most likely have classic epicondylitis. A brace, worn for a temporary time while your elbow recovers, can help mitigate the forces causing your problem.

The head of the radius is held in place by a ligament that takes a great deal of stress and frequently is the place where elbow pain turns cronic. Think of it as the strap that holds the radius head in place -- and this strap has to take all the stress and strain of impacts that try to vibrate or displace the head of the radius. An external brace helps hold the head in place and distributes the forces over a larger area -- think of it as a little external support system for the poor ligament that has to hold an otherwise loose end of bone in place (its not really loose but the joint sac or synovial sac cannot support the displacement forces without the ligamant.) The elbow is one of those 3-d joints (like the jaw). It is a great functional system, but subject to shock and stress which can lead to tendon/ligament problems. Rest works because it gives the little "tears" in the ligament time to heal and swelling to subside, hopefully without much scarring. Bursa form as little cushions to try to mitigate the impact forces to the joint. Unfortunately, extended bursa tend to become quite painful, impacting on nerves, as can tendon sheaths that become inflammed.

Repeating -- I am not a medical doctor, and no medical advice is intended. I am just repeating what I remember from reading a lot of medical journals and talking to some recognized elbow specialists.

Standard treatment is rest, ice, maybe compression if swelling is present, and seeing a doctor if the condition persists.

Sorry to say so much about this topic, but when you have had a tramatic past due to an elbow problem, it is natural to want to share information with your fellow golfers. I don't know any of you... but we obviously share a passion for our sport.

 

[mddubya]

The braces can help. If you have a small area that is painful to a strong press or push right around the pointy part of the radial epicondyle, then you most likely have classic epicondylitis. A brace, worn for a temporary time while your elbow recovers, can help mitigate the forces causing your problem.

The head of the radius is held in place by a ligament that takes a great deal of stress and frequently is the place where elbow pain turns cronic. Think of it as the strap that holds the radius head in place -- and this strap has to take all the stress and strain of impacts that try to vibrate or displace the head of the radius. An external brace helps hold the head in place and distributes the forces over a larger area -- think of it as a little external support system for the poor ligament that has to hold an otherwise loose end of bone in place (its not really loose but the joint sac or synovial sac cannot support the displacement forces without the ligamant.) The elbow is one of those 3-d joints (like the jaw). It is a great functional system, but subject to shock and stress which can lead to tendon/ligament problems. Rest works because it gives the little "tears" in the ligament time to heal and swelling to subside, hopefully without much scarring. Bursa form as little cushions to try to mitigate the impact forces to the joint. Unfortunately, extended bursa tend to become quite painful, impacting on nerves, as can tendon sheaths that become inflammed.

Repeating -- I am not a medical doctor, and no medical advice is intended. I am just repeating what I remember from reading a lot of medical journals and talking to some recognized elbow specialists.

Standard treatment is rest, ice, maybe compression if swelling is present, and seeing a doctor if the condition persists.

Sorry to say so much about this topic, but when you have had a tramatic past due to an elbow problem, it is natural to want to share information with your fellow golfers. I don't know any of you... but we obviously share a passion for our sport.

I appreciate all the info RCI, thanks a lot.

 

[West Coast Duffer]

All i can say it just give your elbow some rest, mine hurts right now and ive been laying off the range.

 

[mddubya]

Not playing is about to kill me. It's perfect golf weather here now. But I'm watching the Ryder Cup and college football instead. Go USA and Go Vol's.