Wrist Injury : ECU tendon sheath tear

[TU_Owl]

DONE DONE DONE FOR THE SEASON!!!

So I'm a 10 hcp..

You guys know the term "calm before the storm"? Well, that's exactly what happened...

Place: Fox Hollow Golf Club in Quakertown,PA
Tee: Blue (6613/123)

So I tee off and leave my self a 140yd approach over water from the rough and I grab my 7iron and play a controlled shot into the green and BANG! two hop into the hole for and EAGLE 2! This would put me in a good position to shoot in the 70s today! Or so I thought.. I complete the front nine +2 with 13 putts with 3bogeys,a double bogey and a birdie mixed in.
It's getting HOT today, I par the 10th, and stick my tee shot on the downhill par 3 for another birdie, I par the next par 5 and double bogey the next, got up and down on a par 3 three and Lo and behold I'm merely +3 through 14...

This is it, I thought, I'm on the home stretch to shooting my lowest round of the year, with my putter red hot!!
So i get on the tee for the 630yd par 5 and windup and "POP" goes my left wrist with pain shooting up the arm, so I shank the ball out of bounds 10 yds left of the tee box.. but what was worse is that I could not hold my club as any grip on the club shot pain through the arm.. So long story short, I had my best round of the season come to an end with an injury that was diagnosed as a ECU tendon sheath tear that's going to put me out of commission indefinitely......

Any doctors out there? lol

[karlmd]

jhy1281,

Yes, and a hand and wrist surgeon to boot. That is likely a season ending injury but you need to make sure it is completely torn. Unless it is obvious from a physical exam that that is the case (it usually isn't) an MRI should be done. In my opinion, a general orthopaedist is not qualified to treat these- no offense intended to any orthopods out there- so you should see a subspecialist that focuses on hand and wrist problems. I would also urge to to avoid sports medicine practitioners unless they have done a hand fellowship. There is a group of hand surgeons in Allentown and a huge (and well-respected) group in Philadelphia, the Philadelphia Hand Center. Let me know if I can help in any way. Good luck.

Karl

[Mike_C]

Sounds bad, but you have company:

 

Luke Donald wrist injury

 

I feel for you man, I have developed what the docs told me last year was metacarpal bossing in my left wrist. It's the same thing David Toms had. I developed it a couple of years ago, and last spring couldn't start the season for 6 weeks. It seemed to die down as the summer went on, but this spring after no golf during the winter it came back with a vengance. But as I have worked through it, it almost seems to get better the more I hit golf balls, maybe I'm building up strength in my hand/forearm to compensate. When it acts up, it feels like I'm getting hit by a hammer right after impact....

[karlmd]

Actually, that reminds me... if time, travel and money are no object, Andrew Weiland at the Hospital for Special Surgery (New York City) took care of Luke Donald and did the surgery and coordinated the rehabilitation. I went to Dr Weiland's lecture about upper extremity injuries in elite athletes during the annual hand meeting in Chicago last year and Luke Donald was there to talk about his experiences as a patient and how long it took him to get his game back on track.

[EagleBill]

Glad I found this thread. I was playing a scramble last week, hit a 7 iron off the tee on a par 3 and felt the "snap", then the pain. I was done for the day and maybe for the season. Funny thing was it was closest to the pin hole and I hit it 2.5 feet. Went to an orthopedic doc last friday and he dismissed it as a minor sprain after taking x-rays. I still can't even grip a club (among many other daily movements) without the tendon snapping out of place followed by the sharp pain in the wrist.

 

After reading this post, I'm headed to a wrist/hand specialist asap. Thanks again for posting this and for the advice.

 

-Bill

[mgowake]

For you guys who were diagnosed with an ECU Subluxation (AKA sheath tear), how painful was it? I practiced my way from a 12 to a 2, and was recently diagnosed with ECU tendonitis by a hand specialist who's worked with several golf pros. It's been about 2-3 months and I still have pain. Have been to PT 8 times. I'm afraid it's ECU subluxation. I do have a little clicking, but nothing too painful. I can swing a club a little bit, but not really more than once a week. I'm trying to actually cut out golf entirely for the month of November to see if it helps. I've been religously doing my PT exercises, doing contrast baths, and icing after any golf practice.

[secondary]

Interested as well.

[Thug Hunter]

This happened to me last weekend. Let it rest for a week and hit about 3 shots this morning when I realized the week of rest is not gonna cut it. I don't think it's as serious as a sublation, but it's definitely "popping" and "cracking" like everything I'm reading about the injury. While I've played through back pain, there's no way I can swing through the pain of that pop. It's damn near unbearable and what makes it worse is that I'm expecting it. I scheduled an appt with my PCP for next Monday but will be getting a referral to see a specialist. WRX is gold for any information related to golf!

[sheldonjhacker]

Where on the forearm/wrist is the pain? I hit a bucket and got soreness/swelling on my left wrist just below where I would wear my watch. 2 weeks of ice and Advil...and swelling hasn't subsided.

 

Thanks for any advice

[Thug Hunter]

The ECU tendon is on the ulnar side of your wrist nearest your pinky finger. The pain for me is right at the bend in my wrist and is most noticeable when I begin my swing downward. I've done a bit of research on it and believe that's what's going on with me. I'm no doctor, so I'll wait for their confirmation. Doubt I'll be playing anytime soon.

[knoe07]

I'm a PT and worked in LA for a while closely with a prominent ortho group. I fully agree with what Karl stated earlier. Getting referred to an MD who is a hand/wrist specialist is a must. Reproducible, very painful, clicking/popping is something that needs to be evaluated and likely an MRI. Physical therapy is a must at some point, but when and under what conditions is a team effort between you, the MD and the PT.

[timmy_turner]

Hey guys, 

 

Came across this thread while googling about ECU subluxation injuries, thought I should share my own experience here. 

 

I've been an avid golfer for quite some time, and have just hurt my right wrist 2 weeks ago (during a hockey game lol..). MRI results came back and its not good at all. 

 

In short:

• ECU tendon subsheath torn
• TFCC tear
• Scapholunate ligament tear
• ganglion cyst at the Scapholunate ligament area (resulting from the ligament tear)

Have been seeing a hand specialist, who fixed up my left wrist TFCC back in 2018, and the recommendation is a surgical procedure to fix all 4 issues. Hand specialist expects full recovery and return to sports (of course with some dreaded physio, the surgical procedure usually tightens everything and you gotta stretch everything back out to regain your range of motion)

 

Right now, my right hand is pretty much useless, any supination hurts on the ulna side, especially when the ECU tendon jumps out of place. Hence, I have decided to go ahead with the surgical procedure. 

 

Am absolutely gutted that I'll be missing out on golf for quite some time, but at the same time I have some faith in the surgical procedures because the one I did in 2018 turned out really well and I was back to golf fully within 6 months. 

 

I want to use this thread as a space to document my surgery recovery process and hopefully provide useful information to fellow golfers facing similar issues 🙂

 

Surgery is scheduled for this Thursday 15th June, so hope all goes well! It is going to be a painful next few months, but I hope to get back to the range/course ASAP!

 

If anyone would like to ask me questions personally, feel free to shoot them!

 

Regards,

 

[Brooky03]

What the heck, worth taking a shot here.  Feel free to ignore me or delete.

 

Any docs care to weigh in while they're here on the diagnostic procedure for ganglion cysts (not bulging anymore, so down in the joint I guess) and what kind of treatment I should expect?  Also, for those of us uninsured, hypothetically, what would be the rough estimate for the treatment cost?  I have a ganglion cyst in my right wrist that seems like it's starting to affect my swing, or has been affecting my swing for some time.  I know it is a ganglion cyst and it's been there for years.  It causes considerable pain/discomfort when my wrist is bent back, so I usually just avoid stuff that would cause my wrist to bend back lol; like doing knuckle pushups instead of pushups with my hands flat on the ground.

 

 

Edited June 12, 2023 by Brooky03