Online Golfer

Yes it is true that golfers have their own elbow as do tennis players. When golfers elbow strikes it can be really painful, extremely uncomfortable and lets face it ruin your round if you don’t enjoy it. However Golfers Elbow has its own medical name it is called epicondylitis.

Epicondylitis is inflammation on the inside of the elbow and is quite painful around the bony bump on the inside of the elbow. This is where the tendons of the forearm attach to the inside of the elbow. Pain can spread down the forearm and into the wrist and sometimes be mistaken for strain injury in the wrist.

So how do you treat it, well one of the main ways any doctor will tell you is to rest your arm as much as you can. The stronger your wrist is the less likely you will be to get Golfers Elbow but also if you have a correct swing you will put much less strain on your elbow and wrists and you will be able to avoid this injury.

Unfortunately it only takes one poor swing to bring on golfers elbow as if you take too much grounding when striking the ball you can strain your elbow and in turn bring on the dreaded injury. Also playing other racket sports such as tennis or squash, believe it or not painting and chopping wood are also included in the causes of Golfers Elbow. It is most common in men aged 20 to 49 years old.

You should seek medical advice if your elbow is swollen, you have trouble bending it, it looks deformed or you think you might have broken something.

Get treatment started as soon as you possibly can resting your arm, ice packs for around 20 minutes, strap your arm with an elastic bandage to take the load off your elbow, stretch and strengthen your elbow a little at a time and then gradually return to golf.

Golfers Elbow is not something to be taken lightly and you should seek medical advice if you think that is what you are suffering from-

A few years back I had a car accident where I injured my neck quite badly and had to spend a lot of time laying on my back. Before the accident I was a good golfer, down to an 11 handicap which was not bad for someone who only played twice a month. However my accident set me back massively and I had to go back to basics and start from scratch.

The reason for this was that the muscles in my back had adjusted to ensure that I could stand up straight and my stomach muscles had also deteriarated from lack of exercise. So I couldn’t work out anywhere near what I used to and my first visit to the golf course was a real shock to the system. I couldn’t hit a ball straight even if it was attached to string! I had to learn the game of golf all over again meaning that I was back up to a 28 handicap.

Fortunately getting my swing back was fairly easy I could adapt to how my body wanted me to move and how I needed to get the ball in my stance for the shots but my fitness was changing constantly and with each change in my fitness I had to adapt my swing all over again. I made the decision to take a one month break from golf to ensure that my body was in a condition where as I wouldn’t have to make as many adjustments.

When I came back to the golf course after visiting the gym 4 times a week my game was worse than ever. However I could not hit the ball much harder and my swing was more fluid than it was a month before. It took 2 visits to the driving range and I was back to hitting the ball straight. two months later I was not only hitting straight but much further and this in turn helped my over all game improve.

So how does it all work, well baiscally if you have a central fitness from the core area (lower back and tummy) you have much more control over your swing which in all allows you to make better contact with the ball and have much more speed in the club head meaning you hit further and straighter.

I am now hitting the ball better than I was before my accident even though I still have problems with my back I no longer struggle out on the course. I got a lot of tips from this book it explains not only how to get fit for golf but great ways to adapt as you go.