Old age help!

[jjfcpa]

I had golfer's elbow in both arms a couple years ago. I was icing both arms after each round. Nothing seemed to help and I considered having stem cells therapy but then I did some research. Seems this is caused by a muscle imbalance between your upper and lower forearms which causes the tendon in the elbow to get inflamed. Of course, anti-inflammatory meds will help mask the pain, but doesn't really do anything to remedy the problem.

 

I decided to start doing weight training in the off season, especially with the arms - worked on strengthening the forearm and biceps and triceps. At first, the weight training hurt as much as playing golf, but gradually after a few months, the pain started to diminish considerably. When spring finally came around, my arms no longer had any pain and no matter how much golf I played, it didn't seem to inflame the tendon any more.

 

During golf season, it's really tough to get to the gym AND play golf, but I managed to get to the gym at least once a week and work on the arms. No more problems.

 

Keep in mind I was 70 years old at the time so if this worked for me, I'm sure it will work for those younger... or older than me.

[platgof]

Does wearing a band help? What type of fore arm training?

[Gnomesteel]

After shoulder surgery in January I switched from C-Taper 125 S+ to Recoil 110 stiff and it's made a world of difference. I love my old set, but just can't hit those shafts anymore.

[liveagua]

Graphite iron shafts will change your life. Also playing a more forgiving club will help mitigate a lot of the inflammation.

 

I have worked with my trainer to stretch my hands, which also helps mitigate the tightness in my forearms

[cmoineo]

Hello,

Just take care with "tour" graphite shafts. They are often harder than some metal.

As club fitter, I already made transition from Recoil (quite hard to hit, and still lot of vibration) to different Nippon with their new metal. Examples: 70 years old golfer, index 10, from Recoil to Zelos 8. 66 years old golfer index 8 from Recoil to Modus 105... and so on...

They are very happy and find those nippon more comfortable than Recoil.

There are lot more options to build graphite shaft, but to obtain the accuracy of metal, shaft is always becoming quite hard.

 

You also can move to arthritis grip, they really absorb part of vibrations (or mid-size grip but take care 10 more grams, so swing weight will change as well)

[gvogel]

> @cmoineo said:

> Hello,

> Just take care with "tour" graphite shafts. They are often harder than some metal.

> As club fitter, I already made transition from Recoil (quite hard to hit, and still lot of vibration) to different Nippon with their new metal. Examples: 70 years old golfer, index 10, from Recoil to Zelos 8. 66 years old golfer index 8 from Recoil to Modus 105... and so on...

> They are very happy and find those nippon more comfortable than Recoil.

> There are lot more options to build graphite shaft, but to obtain the accuracy of metal, shaft is always becoming quite hard.

>

> You also can move to arthritis grip, they really absorb part of vibrations (or mid-size grip but take care 10 more grams, so swing weight will change as well)

 

Interesting comment. I tried Steelfiber i95 in regular, and they were too stiff for me. I couldn't time them.

 

Since then, I have been playing Titleist irons with the 105T shaft, which is a proprietary shaft that Nippon makes for Titleist. At 60, I switched from stiff to regular in that shaft. They have softer tips sections, but are still heavy enough to swing with tempo. I haven't had any problems with them.

[cadman88]

http://www.golfwrx.com/134765/elbow-and-wrist-pain-how-to-get-rid-of-it/

 

I've been doing this the last 3 seasons and have been pain free in my arms (wrist, shoulders, forearms) all of them.

 

 

[Zigzog]

Played a fair bit over the weekend - mixed results.

 

I have got on ok with the Steelfibers, but feel my accuracy is slightly off with them. I can still hit the green, but find that my dispersion is not as good as with steel - this based on 5 rounds with them.

 

I am a decent player, so I could probably hit a green from 160 with most clubs and shafts - but find that I am not as close to the hole as I would "normally" be when using the Steelfibers.

 

I played yesterday and decided to bring out my Ping S55s, as they have a KBS tour 120 S flex in them.

 

Played really well and my dispersion was far better - generally I was closer to the hole more often in the 18 holes than I had in the rounds with the Steelfibers. A bit of a generalisation but I felt happier that I knew where the steel shafts were going to go. I shot 4 under, my best with the Steelfibers was 2 under.

 

Probably a lot of it in the mind, but we all know this game is mostly in the mind!

 

The best thing was that I had no joint pain, so hoping that the S flex may have helped - the X flex Modus 125 I was using is pretty stout. I also think that the Pings may be a bit "softer" than the Callaway MB - by softer I just mean the vibration from the club head; not the feel.

 

Will keep plugging away, but I had forgotten how good an irons the Ping S55 was - a true classic in my eyes.

[andfri]

> @mdwac said:

> I had elbow pain last year....switched to steel fiber and pain went away. This season, since elbows felt good I went to a lighter Nippon 105X shaft from 120X. Pain came on like a freight train. I am rehabbing now, but very convinced that graphite vs steel was more important than heavy vs. lighter shaft.

>

> I have 100G graphite shafts in Callaway Pro irons. They are very good. Steelfiber took too much spin off my irons, hitting low bullets. For reference I am 50 years old, 3 index, hit my 7 iron about 170 in the air

 

Do you now play Callaway Apex Pro with Catalyst 100 6.0 Shafts?

[pegleg]

I've had a variety of injuries and spent a LONG time finding the right graphite iron shaft for me. If I play a round or two with steel, I do have pain afterwards. Not so with graphite.

 

Steelfiber are a good choice, but there are many others. For me, Paderson are the choice.

 

Definitely find a top fitter. Start with your steel shafts for comparison, the fitter will be able to tell the right weight and flex for the particular brand of graphite (as weights and flexes vary greatly).

 

I went too light and it was very detrimental. I did 110, 95 and 85, and have ended back at 110. Too light caused me more pain than heavier - more effort to get the club moving from the top, like throwing a wiffle ball.

 

Club Champion have a lot of graphite in their iron fitting - they've got 70 locations now so there must be one somewhere near you (if you're in the US).

[pegleg]

Also, I've had a lot of success with some of the Zamst bands and sleeves (elbow, wrist). There are many other brands too. Bear in mind the location of the pain isn't always where you want the band - for example, a wrist brace will help with elbow pain since it takes some of the stress off the tendons that pull through the whole arm.

 

I can also highly recommend ice.

[avguy]

Now 56, but before I turned 50, had some horrid Golfer's Elbow pain in lead left arm - really bad as a lefty who golfs righty - could barely shave/brush teeth. I was really pissed about this as I workout weekly for resistance training on a Total Gym since 1999, free wts for 12 years prior.

 

I needed PT for several months. I dropped heavy steel DG 300 shafted irons in exchange for Recoils 125 F4. I also acquired these wonderful items. The Band It is a sleeve device for excellent counter pressure on the tendon/bone interface you can wear playing.

 

The Thera Band Rubber bar is a therapy piece which a Tyler Twist is utilized everyday in order to stretch out and relieve all that wound up and inflamed tendon attachment. I don't need the Band It anymore but sometime do Tyler Twists.

 

I also changed my swing to a more open backswing. By fully lessening this tension, I dropped pressure on a fulcrum point (elbow joint) down a notch.

 


 


 

[golftrition]

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Edited March 17, 2022 by golftrition
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[Les Strokes]

I've mentioned this before in the other thread. Elbow/joint pain is not simply age related, it can be a mechanical issue. If you have a weak or neutral grip, there's a major culprit. It is solved by a strong grip. Also I would add there is a direct link between inflammation and dehydration. I drink 3 liters of mineral water every day.

[dmeeksDC]

Good advice here, especially the hydration (alkaline water such as AquaHydrate really helps), turmeric and MSM.

I would add to it, if you want to be aggressive: yoga once or twice a week and a plant-based diet as often as you can. Significantly reduces overall inflammation that is the villain so often. The yoga not only stretches you out but also builds strength, plenty of strength for golf. A proper golf move should be more ballet than bludgeon, and improved flexibility helps tremendously. Possible to get dramatic results at any age.

[DrSchteeve]

Your pain may ultimately determine the path you have to take. Lots of good suggestions for elbow bands, exercises, diet, grips, etc., but those things can only help so much. Graphite is simply much, much better for vibration dampening than steel - a heavier weight graphite shaft of any flex is going to be far easier on the joints than a lighter weight steel shaft of any flex. Lighter weight steel shafts have thinner steel to make them lighter, which means they will have less vibration dampening. Keep trying to find the heaviest weight graphite shafts that may give you the best possible results - ultimately, if you can't play because of pain your dispersion and score aren't going to matter.

[chisag]

... Quite a few years ago I decided to master knock down shots in Chicago's winds. Spent an entire fall hitting nothing but knock downs, even off the tee. Unfortunately for me, they stop watering in the fall and the ground was very hard and while I pretty much mastered the shot, I developed a nasty case of elbow tendonitis. I tried Sensicore and several shaft inserts with no relief. Aldila had just released the NV Tour at 130gms with 1.5* of torque so tighter than the DGS300's I replaced. After a 3 month winter lay off, to let my elbow heal, I went on a golf vacation and had zero elbow pain. Later that summer I tried steel again and the pain returned after one round so I have never gone back to steel with my gamers.

... I have played NV Tour 130's, NV Pro 105's. VS Proto 100's, Recoil 110/95's and Recoil Prototype 95's all in stiff flex. I tried Steelfiber 95's in stiff and they felt like X flex, but I liked the feel and performance. So I just picked up a set of Steelfibr i95's in R flex and installed them in m 2019 P790's but have not had a chance to hit them yet. Talking with Aerotech they said a smooth swinger should drop 1 flex. I would add that thinking steel might be more accurate than Steelfibers just isn't the case, because so many Tour Pro's, especially Champions Tour and LPGA play Steelfiber and obviously accuracy is paramount for them to make a living.

[Redpro]

There are physical therapy regimens that work well for tennis/golfer's elbow. They are tedious, but solve the problem if done consistently. I'm 70 and have had both, plus knee and shoulder PT. Going through those mini-movements have eliminated all pain. For the last 5 years I've been on a free weight regimen and it really helps! That, plus anti-inflammatory foods help. Never thought I'd pop pumpkin seed oil capsules daily! LOL

Play graphite shafts in every club, 60-70 grams in irons, 55-65 grams in fairway woods and driver. Takes awhile to get used to the lighter shafts, but tempo and target golf are the goals.

Golf: the game of a lifetime!

Happy New Year!