Shoulder prehab/strengthening for golf

[bm11]

Not sure if this is the right forum for this or not, but I'm curious to know what the best prehab/strengthening exercises are for the golf swing? I'm looking more on the end of injury prevention and resolution of tennis elbow, not strengthening for the purpose of swing speed. 

 

I've been dealing with tennis elbow since I started golfing in 2016. I had cortisone injections in 2021, but it came right back after a 6 week reprieve. About 10 weeks ago, I started doing Tyler Twists religiously every day, followed by 20 minutes in a freeze sleeve. The combination of those two, plus additional direct icing any time inflammation gets worse has kept my tennis elbow to a simmer rather than a full blown boil, but recently I've learned that shoulder instability contributes to tennis elbow in something like 95% of cases, and my shoulders do bother me some when swinging. 

My shoulders definitely could use some strengthening (I say this from a mobility standpoint, not a lifting standpoint. I am an avid weightlifter and significantly stronger than the average 40 year old male.) They get sore when I practice golfing, and I occasionally get a minor injury on the course- generally when hitting out of the rough or hitting a real fat shot, but Tuesday it was actually a violent transition that caused it. That pain is always specifically in the rear of my shoulder joint- it's probably a minor rotator cuff tear. I can most likely rule out a major rotator cuff tear- I was in Florida on Tuesday when I hurt myself again, and happened to be staying with my buddy who is a doctor. He checked out my shoulder strength and there was nothing to indicate a major injury, only one motion caused a little bit of pain where I had tweaked it earlier that day, and my strength wasn't compromised. 

 

I know that mechanics contribute to tendonitis as well, and I'm working on them. From what I understand, a chicken wing follow through can cause shoulder pain and tennis elbow pain, and it's currently something I'm working on with my swing coach.

 

That said, I'm looking to bulletproof myself the best I can, and am interested in what specific exercises are best for building shoulder stability as it relates to the golf swing and golf swing related tennis elbow. Interested to hear what PT protocols or prehab other people have been prescribed.

 

Thanks,

 

Bob

[Mikey_HACKilroy]

Golf/Tennis elbow is something that can take quite a while to heal properly; longer than 6 weeks even. It's commonly the reason it comes back since it is an injury. Cortisone shots aid in healing by keeping the swelling down. So, to keep it from coming back you'd need a longer layoff from golf than 6 weeks. Sadly, it would be more in the 6-12 month range for full healing.

 

6 weeks is just pain relief.

Edited October 20, 2023 by Mikey_HACKilroy

[bm11]

53 minutes ago, Mikey_HACKilroy said:

Golf/Tennis elbow is something that can take quite a while to heal properly; longer than 6 weeks even. It's commonly the reason it comes back since it is an injury. Cortisone shots aid in healing by keeping the swelling down. So, to keep it from coming back you'd need a longer layoff from golf than 6 weeks. Sadly, it would be more in the 6-12 month range for full healing.

 

6 weeks is just pain relief.

I'm a Maine golfer, I normally swing all winter long but did take the majority of one winter off to try to rehab. It came right back again as soon as I started to swing again. 

 

Since getting religious about doing my PT exercises, it has gotten a LOT better. But I'm looking to fix my mechanical swing errors that are contributing, as well as any shoulder instability that is causing it as well.

 

I should note that I did get another round of cortisone injections on Tuesday. I had some extra from last time, and I was staying with my Dr. friend so I figured "why not." But I figure I'll maximize my 6 weeks by doing as much to correct the issues as I can in the time I have to work with. 

[Ironzol24]

For tendon pain I have had the most success with eccentric exercises. I.e starting in a contracted position and then releasing. I would imagine there are a number of exercise band related movements that could be useful! 

 

Using the Theraband Flexbar, flexbar   has been really helpful too.

Edited October 20, 2023 by Ironzol24

[MattM97]

You're going to want to work on all of those little muscles that don't get the love and are probably weaker than one expects, normal gym work do more incline and decline work, move away from flat for a bit.

 

"I-Y-T's" are good just do each motion on it's own.

 

Wall slides, I like using a foam roller and doing each arm on its own, really get that shoulder girdle moving. 

 

Cable flies both front and rear.

 

"Sword un-sheathing" - I like doing this with a band or cable. Pretend sword is on left hip, grab with right arm, pull across body and raise across head. 

 

Landmind presses

 

Half Bosu Ball pushups/stability hold.

 

Earthquake/Stability Bar presses. 

 

Overhead presses 

 

I probably have a few more exercises in my routine. For me having my lats being strong and mobile along with my pec minor keeps my shoulders strong and stable. I have a repaired right shoulder so I have to stay on top of it. 

[Roody]

26 minutes ago, Ironzol24 said:

For tendon pain I have had the most success with eccentric exercises. I.e starting in a contracted position and then releasing. I would imagine there are a number of exercise band related movements that could be useful! 

 

Using the Theraband Flexbar, flexbar   has been really helpful too.

+1 for the Theraband Flexbar. I had tennis elbow earlier this year, and not really anymore. The flexbar works great. 

Also, you need to be patient. It's not something that will heal in a couple days. It took a couple months for me. While I was working through it I still golfed, but I wore one of those unsightly arm bands. It didn't get rid of the pain entirely, but helped enough. 

[bm11]

With two Flexbar replies, I guess I should have clarified further- the Tyler Twists I was referring to are done with a Flexbar. Red has always felt too soft, so I used green for the first 6 or so weeks then bought a blue bar. I do 3 sets of 15 reps per arm. 

 

At this point, I'm really looking for input on what shoulder exercises to do to supplement the Tyler Twists. I'm going off this article https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/pune/shift-focus-to-shoulder-muscle-for-treatment-of-tennis-elbow/articleshow/63071621.cms?from=mdr

 

"After analyzing close to 400 patients over the past seven years, Babhulkar has established this weak shoulder muscle is the causative factor in 99% of the patients suffering from the tennis elbow condition". 

 

He goes on to state a 99% success rate in curing the tennis elbow with rotator cuff and scapular stabilization alone. 

[bm11]

1 hour ago, MattM97 said:

You're going to want to work on all of those little muscles that don't get the love and are probably weaker than one expects, normal gym work do more incline and decline work, move away from flat for a bit.

 

"I-Y-T's" are good just do each motion on it's own.

 

Wall slides, I like using a foam roller and doing each arm on its own, really get that shoulder girdle moving. 

 

Cable flies both front and rear.

 

"Sword un-sheathing" - I like doing this with a band or cable. Pretend sword is on left hip, grab with right arm, pull across body and raise across head. 

 

Landmind presses

 

Half Bosu Ball pushups/stability hold.

 

Earthquake/Stability Bar presses. 

 

Overhead presses 

 

I probably have a few more exercises in my routine. For me having my lats being strong and mobile along with my pec minor keeps my shoulders strong and stable. I have a repaired right shoulder so I have to stay on top of it. 

Thanks for that! I do get a good mix of flat and incline, barbell and dumbell, etc work. I think it's more the rotator cuff specific work that I've been missing, and where I need to focus on to see progress. 

[Kmagnuss]

I'll tell you what two PT's told me about my chronic shoulder issues... get ahead of it while it's repairable.  Go get an MRI and see what you're actually dealing with.  And don't be afraid to take 6-12 weeks off golf (like I refused to do).  It's just a hobby.

[bm11]

1 hour ago, Kmagnuss said:

I'll tell you what two PT's told me about my chronic shoulder issues... get ahead of it while it's repairable.  Go get an MRI and see what you're actually dealing with.  And don't be afraid to take 6-12 weeks off golf (like I refused to do).  It's just a hobby.

That's what I'm trying to do, albeit without a PT or an MRI. As an avid weightlifter all my life, I'm used to rehabbing minor (and sometimes major, IE a visible partial pec tear) injuries myself with a bit of research and a lot of of exercise experience. I've considered consulting a PT on this one, but figured I'd start with a bit of research on shoulder stability exercises and trying them at home myself for 4-6 weeks before involving someone else. 

[mah99]

Some good resources:

Treat Your Own Rotator Cuff by Johnson - very simple but gives a decent basic overview of shoulder anatomy and what is happening with the rotator cuff.  Not many rehab exercises but the ones that are included are good. 

Built from Broken by Hogan - Goes into alot of detail about prehab/rehab not just for the shoulder but whole body.  Lots of good exercieses

Shoulder Rehabilitation:  Non-Operative Treatment by Ellenbecker - more scientific but readable, good exercises.

The Athlete's Shoulder by various doctors - very scientific but tons of information, will take awhile to sift through but doable

 

You could also do a consult with a good PT and come up with a plan that way.  However I found it was hard to find a good one.

The ones I had would just give you a paper with exercises and say do 3 sets of 10 or 15.  When I used the above resources and began to understand how the shoulder works and what the specific exercises were actually trying to accomplish is when I made the most progress.

 

 

 

 

[bm11]

2 hours ago, mah99 said:

Some good resources:

Treat Your Own Rotator Cuff by Johnson - very simple but gives a decent basic overview of shoulder anatomy and what is happening with the rotator cuff.  Not many rehab exercises but the ones that are included are good. 

Built from Broken by Hogan - Goes into alot of detail about prehab/rehab not just for the shoulder but whole body.  Lots of good exercieses

Shoulder Rehabilitation:  Non-Operative Treatment by Ellenbecker - more scientific but readable, good exercises.

The Athlete's Shoulder by various doctors - very scientific but tons of information, will take awhile to sift through but doable

 

You could also do a consult with a good PT and come up with a plan that way.  However I found it was hard to find a good one.

The ones I had would just give you a paper with exercises and say do 3 sets of 10 or 15.  When I used the above resources and began to understand how the shoulder works and what the specific exercises were actually trying to accomplish is when I made the most progress.

 

 

 

 

Thanks a bunch for those resources! I'll look into it further. 

[bm11]

2 hours ago, mah99 said:

Treat Your Own Rotator Cuff by Johnson

Just ordered a copy. Thanks for the shout!

[golfarb1]

There are numerous resources to rehab and stretch a minor rotator cuff problem on the internet . More serious rotator cuff problems such as larger or complete tears require a diagnostic MRI at the least and possibly surgery .

 

First rest it. No golf for at least a month . You may not like this , but the repetitive motor of swing a golf club can will only exacerbate even minor injuries 

Second , stop hitting off of mats completely .The hard surfaces that mats are placed on create a jarring effect that has negative results for the wrist , elbow and shoulder . 
Third , improve your posture . Every legitimate PT will include postural exercises as part of rotator cuff rehab.Many golfers work at  a computer all day . Doing so only increases the chances of excessive khyphosis ( round shoulders ) which increases the chances of rotator cuff problems . 
Fourth , be obsessive in your golf setup to setup in a “ neutral spine “ . Again there are numerous references to this on the internet . A “ neutral spine” includes the correct curvature in your middle spine , which is integral for correct posture . 
Fifth , trying hanging from a pull-up bar for 30 seconds / day , a few times / day. This will increase the internal space within your shoulders 
Sixth, avoid overhead exercises such as military presses until the pain goes away completely . 
Ice will NOT heal a shoulder injury , but it will serve as an analgesic, so that you rehab your shoulder . After golf ice your shoulder for 5 minutes .

 

Edited October 21, 2023 by golfarb1

[phizzy30]

On 10/20/2023 at 9:52 AM, MattM97 said:

You're going to want to work on all of those little muscles that don't get the love and are probably weaker than one expects, normal gym work do more incline and decline work, move away from flat for a bit.

 

"I-Y-T's" are good just do each motion on it's own.

 

Wall slides, I like using a foam roller and doing each arm on its own, really get that shoulder girdle moving. 

 

Cable flies both front and rear.

 

"Sword un-sheathing" - I like doing this with a band or cable. Pretend sword is on left hip, grab with right arm, pull across body and raise across head. 

 

Landmind presses

 

Half Bosu Ball pushups/stability hold.

 

Earthquake/Stability Bar presses. 

 

Overhead presses 

 

I probably have a few more exercises in my routine. For me having my lats being strong and mobile along with my pec minor keeps my shoulders strong and stable. I have a repaired right shoulder so I have to stay on top of it. 

I'd like to add to this by saying that if the shoulder is weak and/or there is pain, it's best to start off really light and do higher reps.  Gradually move onto heavier weights with the presses and do less reps once the pain subsides when there's some strength gained.  Alternate/cycle between heavy/light, low/high reps.  Gradually increase volume as well. 

Edited October 22, 2023 by phizzy30

[MattM97]

Just now, phizzy30 said:

I'd like to add to this by saying that if the shoulder is weak and/or there is pain, it's best to start off really light and do higher reps.  Gradually move onto heavier weights and do less reps once the pain subsides and there's some strength gained. 

 

Oh definitely all of these I do with like minimal weights from like maybe 10lbs of free weights or 50lbs on cables but I'm also stronger than most so no worry if using half the weight I was there too many times.

[caniac6]

I had shoulder surgery last November, and the outcome was very good. That being said, find a good physical therapist, and do everything you can to avoid the knife.

[mah99]

Good responses above about using lightweight and higher reps for rotator cuff specific exercises.  For scap strength/stabilization exercises you also should start lightweight but with these you can progress gradually to heavier weights.  I would also do rotator cuff exercises last in a routine, you don't want to fatigue the cuff before you do general strength exercises or scap strengtheining/stabilization exercises.  Be careful with any kind of pull up bar hangs or definetely pull ups in general as you said you have tennis elbow and bar hangs/pull ups can really beat that injury up if you're not using the correct form/muscles to execute the movement. 

[mah99]

20 hours ago, bm11 said:

Just ordered a copy. Thanks for the shout!

People may say it's too simple and you can find the info on the internet for free which might be true.  But it's not expensive and I think it's a good first place to start to understand how the shoulder works, the writing is clear and the exercises work.  I don't like to search all around the internet trying to cobble together info which may or may not be reliable.

[Tanner25]

Had decent success with a TPI certified golf PT who shared exercises but also used hands on manipulation/massage.