Injuries Suck!

[MGP]

A couple weeks ago I fell a short distance off a ladder while working on my house. Jammed my right shoulder, not anything serious but I've got some nagging pain that is slowly going away.

The bad thing is that it makes it very hard for me to put a full turn on my swing and it's absolutely killed my swingspeed. My driver swingspeed is only about 80-85 mph now and I can only hit the ball about 200 yds. off the tee.

I joined a golf club recently and it has made playing more than a few of the holes a real challenge. I've adjusted by taking about 2 clubs more for almost every shot. Thankfully I'm still hitting it straight and my short game has not abandoned me. I'm still shooting in the mid-to-upper 80's but only because my chipping and putting has been excellent.

I can't wait until I am swinging the club at full speed again...

 

[limpalong]

Nah! It ain't the injuries... it's the damage the injuries do that make you age so much quicker!

Fell off a building in '77. Left leg was put back together with screws, right where it goes into the knee. Now, knee joint is bone to bone. Glucosimine has given some relief. But, about every third or fourth round walking, the knee "drops out of the socket". With no warning, as I step forward, the knee separates just a tad. Then, before you can stop, you step on that leg and jam it back into place. The pain is just enough to encourage dribbles from the urinary tract!!!!

Back was injured by lifting things that weren't supposed to be moved by humans through a life around construction. Used to take pride in picking up heavy steel beams, etc. Workers would say, "You're gonna have blue babies!" Instead, both girls were blonde!!! Back still pops out, now and then, and takes about 10 days of Advil to really feel okay again.

In addition to knee and back injuries, I've had a broken ankle... four broken toes... thumb pulled out of the socket and, now, the base of the thumb is noticably larger than normal... left rotator cuff damage... and broken left wrist. Needless to say, now over 60 years old, if something don't hurt... I'm dead!!!

If you injured your shoulder, take care of it and get it healed as well as you can. Playing this dastardly game, before fully healed, may just cause you more grief as you age. Take your time... take enough time that you can play without pain. Pain is the body's way of telling you it ain't healed yet!!!

Of course, if your swing is really messed up and you're not scoring well... maybe this it the time for us to meet at Heritage and give me a chance to take advantage of your injury by whipping up on you on the course!!!!! LOL

 

[warbirdlover]

Yup, you said it limpalong. I've had ankylosing spondilitus in my spine and the lower vertebrae are fused. Lot's of Ibuprofen before golfing for the back pain. Ruptured my left bisep a couple years ago and should have had surgery and didn't. I think that muscle is located in about three places now and I can't lift over 20 lbs. with my left arm or I about die. This year I had a hemorhaging retina and I'm looking through a vail now. You really fall apart when you get over 60. Luckily the legs are still good. The brain has probably suffered some also...

Thank God I can still swing a golf club....sort of...

 

[WMitch6]

Careful with the shoulder. I fell out of a tree stand (didn't actually fall I caught myself - hence the shoulder injury) and injured my left shoulder. After a week or so it felt pretty good so I went to the range. Part way through a large bucket my shoulder started to bother me. By the time I finished (yeah, I know) it was screaming.

Bottom line - I was out of golf for over a year until my shoulder healed properly. Better to take it easy for a while than to aggravate a minor injury and make it worse.

 

[bobbyp]

I too am nursing a bad shoulder. Don't try to play through this without having it checked out. At your age (and mine, I may add) it could be rotator cuff related and playing will make it worse. I just had a shot of cortizone 2 days ago and the pain is still there.

Good luck!

 

[ClairefromClare]

Heck, my husband had a bad/dumb ski fall and tore through the long tendon connecting his bicep to his shoulder. Ended up having it severed--the whole John Elway. It's been a rocky 6 months or so. He's played 3 rounds of nine holes each this season.

And when he came down with shingles in the middle of it, I was ready just to take him out back and shoot him. :dead:

Middle age is a bitch.

 

[RCI]

Everyone with shoulder injuries and rotator cuff problems -- I highly suggest doing some rehab before continuing to use (or over use) your shoulder. See a PT or doctor to get the exact exercises and form down.

I do really light-weight cable pulls at waist level (5 to 10 pounds) with the elbow tightly tucked into your side and forearm level. The elbow must never leave your side. This mostly preventative exercise is done pulling both ways (pulling from stomach to side (back of forearm pulling away from cable and pulling underside of forearm from aside your body to across your stomach. You do it one direction then just turn 180 degrees and do the other direction. I am neither a medical doctor nor a PT, and am only sharing what I do -- but it works for me to relieve shoulder pain and strengthen myself so that my old athletic injury to the shoulder does not give me problems anymore.

Physical therapy is critically important for injuries for which it is the appropriate treatment. I intend no medical advice -- I am only providing an opinion from personal experience.

 

[DrivetheGreen66]

well lets see. I am 19 and have a bad knee from playing hockey and baseball over the years and it will give me some pain sometimes. But the real thing that I did was mess up my left wrist hitting out of some waist high rough in a US amateur qualifier. And lately it has been hurting but I must practice. It just started hurting again this week. Been going to the gym and working out more that usual and think that may have something to do with it. So I am just going to hit balls all day tomorrow and work on the short game and the putting stroke.