Trail hand wrist injury (recovery strategy and healing timeline)

[pearsonified]

Are you swinging entirely left arm only? Or letting go of the club with your right hand at some point prior to impact?

As I've healed, I've introduced more and more right hand.

 

At this point, I'm just stabilizing the club with my right hand during the takeaway, and then I'm trying to add some speed on the downswing. I absolutely have to remove that right hand before impact, though, or else the pain is just terrible.

[pearsonified]

First round of the Austin Men's City Championship was August 3, and after 2 weeks of practicing and playing with my manufactured, left-arm-dominated swing, I felt pretty confident about my ability to go out and post a good score.

 

Well, I ended up having a terrible day—a terrible back 9, really—but the reason why is interesting, if nothing else.

 

For 2 weeks, I've had so much pain in my right wrist that I couldn't really leverage or manipulate the club at all with that hand. If I got my right hand too involved with the takeaway, I'd have severe pain that made it impossible to even hit the ball.

 

This pain has been extremely useful for keeping me "between the rails," so to speak. Because I had so little leeway with my takeaway and impact, I struck the ball very consistently while the pain was severe.

 

I've been healing quickly and getting stronger, though, and this has really begun to affect my feels in a negative way. Basically, everything that has been true for 2 weeks is no longer true because my right wrist is able to support and leverage the club again (while bringing back some of my worst habits...).

 

Fast forward to the first round of the tourney, and after going +2 through 9 holes with a stupid 3-putt and 2 bad breaks (ball behind a tree and a buried lie in a trap on a par 3), I stepped up to the drivable par 4 10th with my sights set on making 3 or more birdies on the very gettable back 9.

 

And this is when I noticed...I hadn't thought about my wrist in 3 holes. It was extremely hot and humid, and I had gotten so loose and into the flow of the round that I simply didn't realize I had no pain at all in my right wrist.

 

With full flexibility and no pain, all my feels for the takeaway and impact were completely gone.

 

Naturally, I promptly smashed one OB on 10 and ended up making par for double. I then stepped up to the drivable par 4 11th and did the same damn thing, except this time I made a 3 net 5.

 

I struggled the rest of the way in and honestly hit some of the worst shots I've ever seen in tournament play. I would eventually go +14 on the back 9 while recording my worst 9- and 18-hole scores of the year.

 

I rarely shoot over 78 anymore, but on this day, I posted an 87 and completely sodomized any hope I had of making the cut (my modest goal for the year) in this 72-hole event.

 

To say I'm disappointed is an understatement. I went from "super solid, just needs to make a few putts" to "who let this Word not allowedhole sign up for this tourney" in the span of a single hole.

 

Sometimes I hate how unforgiving golf can be, but this aspect of the game is also why it's so endlessly appealing.

[JoeyJoeyJoeJoe]

Don't get too down my man. You're playing with one arm. I've shut everything down when it comes to golf due to my injury, but I admire your devotion to make due with the lemons that have been thrown at you. Keep your chin up. You will be back to normal in no time.

[pearsonified]

Missed the cut in my tournament with a disappointing 79 in the second round.

 

The stress from the last 2 days has definitely taken its toll on my wrist, as it's quite painful until I loosen up. I no longer feel terrible pain in the ligament area where the initial injury occurred, but farther up my wrist (on the top side of the knobby bone outside the wrist), there is definitely something wrong.

 

Feels like it could be a stress fracture or other similarly painful issue at the base of my ulna. I may get an x-ray; I may not.

 

I'm traveling to Denver to play on August 11 and 14, and I'm going to let my wrist rest and heal until then. At the rate I've been healing over the last 2.5 weeks, a few days off ought to serve me very well.

[Petunia Sprinkle]

If you have a neutral grip and a flat left wrist at the top, you might be letting your right wrist 'bang' at the top. At least, that's what happened to me. Returning to my previously strong left hand grip and cupping it at the top kept my right wrist flatter at the top and solved the issue.

[pearsonified]

If you have a neutral grip and a flat left wrist at the top, you might be letting your right wrist 'bang' at the top.

Well, if my left grip gets any stronger, it'll become my right hand.

[pearsonified]

It's been 36 days since the injury, and I think I turned the pain corner on or around day 30.

 

The sharp, stinging pain that often accompanied impact (when my right hand was still on the club) is almost completely gone. I no longer have any fear of involving my right hand in the golf swing.

 

That said, I have been wearing a "wrist widget" or a compression brace all day, every day since the injury (especially while sleeping). Without it, my right wrist still feels very weird and sort of vulnerable. All supination movements are accompanied by discomfort and sometimes even pain—it almost feels like tissue is still moving around in the damaged area, and the result is just an awkward and uncomfortable sensation.

 

As far as golf goes, I feel comfortable playing and practicing regularly now, but only with some sort of compression on my right wrist.

 

I'll update this thread again once I feel comfortable undertaking daily activities without a brace.

[Socrates]

I'll update this thread again once I feel comfortable undertaking daily activities without a brace.

Okay, we'll hear from you again in early 2019. That's about the time frame for me to stop taping it up.

[JoeyJoeyJoeJoe]

It's been 36 days since the injury, and I think I turned the pain corner on or around day 30.

 

The sharp, stinging pain that often accompanied impact (when my right hand was still on the club) is almost completely gone. I no longer have any fear of involving my right hand in the golf swing.

 

That said, I have been wearing a "wrist widget" or a compression brace all day, every day since the injury (especially while sleeping). Without it, my right wrist still feels very weird and sort of vulnerable. All supination movements are accompanied by discomfort and sometimes even pain—it almost feels like tissue is still moving around in the damaged area, and the result is just an awkward and uncomfortable sensation.

 

As far as golf goes, I feel comfortable playing and practicing regularly now, but only with some sort of compression on my right wrist.

 

I'll update this thread again once I feel comfortable undertaking daily activities without a brace.

 

How's your wrist now?

[pearsonified]

About 50 days after the injury, my wrist was healed enough that I felt I could go after the ball 100% without issue.

 

I played the best golf of my life over the ensuing 3.5 months, but recently, I've noticed some lingering problems with the wrist.

 

For starters, I don't think it ever healed properly. It just feels like there's "junk" in that area of my wrist, and sometimes it'll pop repeatedly during normal daily activities. I've also noticed situations where I need to stabilize the wrist and move it a bit to get scar tissue (presumably) to squish back to a more comfortable position.

 

On the course, the only real negative is that it is now much harder for me to release the right hand. I'm a drive + holder to begin with, but after sustaining this injury, I have to make a conscious effort to release the club into impact, or else the ball is going right over right.

[tycol91]

I am currently dealing with the same issue, inured my trail wrist (right handed golfer) last summer and hasn't been the same since. I took multiple months off and had an MRI 2.5 months prior to the injury but they claim it is just Tenodinitis. Looking for some insight if anybody has any. Sounds like wrist widget at all times helps and brace during night time to prevent unnecessary stress. As far as grip to keep the trail hand from being so "whippy" is it strong left hand and weak right hand combination? Just trying to reduce the pain and be able to make it thru this season and possibly look into surgery if this attempt fails. Just received a cortisone shot to see how that would help and seemed to aggravate it worse, although i am only 5 days into the shot. 

 

Im looking into inflammation reducing diet and anything that could possibly allow me to play and enjoy golf.

[tycol91]

Just to note, i have done therapy and multiple braces and it seems like there is no brace that works thru impact. I have had mild relief from a self done deep tissue massage but i am curious about the acupuncture and where is that available? And i have rested majority of the winter and played one 9 hole round and discomfort immediately returned. 

[golfarb1]

Tycol91

The “wrist widget” is a very effective brace for TFCC tears.Their  website contains some useful information on diagnosing and treating this tear .

I was diagnosed with an inoperable TFCC tear over a decade ago and have used various iterations of the “wrist widget” since 2010. If the tear is toward the outside , there is a good chance that it will heal with rest ,stretching and exercise.However , the prognosis is not good if the tear is towards the middle, since that area has very limited blood supply.

My treatment plan is 

1. Rest-when it really aches , I do not really have a choice. Currently I can probably hit balls every other day, but there have been times in the past decade that the pain/ ache forced me to avoid any aggravating activity for 2 weeks to a month

2.Stretch the extensors and flexors of the forearm every day .Videos of these are all over YouTube.In addition I do a much less common stretch, the “windshield wiper.”Just place the palm of your hand softly on a table and stabilize your wrist with your other hand .Then move your hand in motion similar to a windshield wiper.

3.Assuming the pain has died down, do some exercises specific to the wrist/ hand such as using grippers and squeezing a small foam ball for the pinkie area. 

3. Ice 

4.I use the “wrist widget” for any activity requiring extensive use of the wrist.

5. Sometimes “voltaren “ seems to help and sometimes it is useless. 

 

I did receive a cortisone shot two years ago and found it to be useless.

 

 

 

[tycol91]

Thank you for the information! Yes i am not sure of the exact location of the injury but it seems to be somewhat towards pinky side of my right hand traveling thru my wrist. I know that i did play an 18 hole round around Thanksgiving and had zero issues the next round played some harder dirt and seemed to aggravate it almost immediately. The doctors are somewhat thinking that they have it under control but if i attempt to play golf more than once in a couple of weeks it seems to come back to haunt me. Did they diagnose a tear when you were originally injured? 

 

[golfarb1]

Originally , the Dr did only an X-ray , and gave me a prescription and  some exercises. On a subsequent  visit they did an MRI and diagnosed the TFCC tear.

If you are still in pain after activity, you need to tell him.

[tycol91]

Thanks i will keep you guys updated, this is where i am unsure of the diagnosis, because i believe from reading i may have had a TFCC tear that healed partially thru the winter but possibly diagnosed as Tendinitis, because at this stage i can take a couple weeks off and it seems to dissipate but quickly return with golf.

 

[tycol91]

Has anyone switched their grip to reduce stress on the wrist? I am currently just playing a little with basically one hand so I dont aggravate it further. But it seems like a weaker right where my right hand is more on top of the shaft would reduce the wrist hinge on the right hand. Still waiting until 2 weeks of no pain before i introduce my right hand fully back into the equation but using my right hand is the takeaway seems to be fine as long as i do not hold on to the club on the downswing.

[Kevin Bryant]

On 7/21/2017 at 8:58 AM, pearsonified said:

 

 

In other news, practicing with my left hand has been both interesting and revealing. For months, I've been battling this issue where my brain doesn't seem to like the position of the club face and sole at impact. I hit a lot of towering blocks, smother hooks, and thin shots right on my target line—in other words, my alignments aren't totally in harmony, and although I've been unsure about the exact cause, my brain constantly lets me know that something isn't right.

 

Left-hand-only swings have revealed the problem—I need a significantly flatter lie angle for all of my alignments and natural tendencies to make sense!

 

 

 

Sounds like you might never have learnt this without the left-hand-only drills.  In hindsight, was there maybe an easier path to this insight??  Some of those misses sound mighty familiar. . .