wrist pain

Question
QUESTION: Hi John, i stated golfing the summer of 2008 and i have become pretty good. i practice every day and about 3 weeks ago i started have severe pain in the outside of my left wrist.  I play for my highschool and want to do everything i can to stop missing tournaments.  I have been resting, icing and wearing a brace but the pain is worse than it was when it started.  I went to the doctor and she said it would feel better in a week, its been more than that.  Do you know of anything i can do to stop the pain? or do you know whats really causing it?


Michelle Wei   ANSWER:  Hello Emily,  I'm sorry to hear of your pain.  Most golfers experience some sort of pain at some point in their golfing lives.

I'm going to assume you play right-handed.  What's going on is you are making contact with the golf ball with your left wrist cupped.  This means you are un-cocking your wrists too soon in your forward swing.  This in turn indicates you are either over-swinging or you are not shifting your weight back in the back swing.  Either of these situations puts your arms and hands well behind your shoulders, hips and legs, so that you have to hit early with them to catch up.  This is also known as hitting from the top.

In an ideal swing, at the top of the back swing, the majority of the weight should be over the back foot.  It's important that you get to this position with your right knee flexed.  If it straightens, it prevents your weight from shifting.  This puts you ahead of the ball and causes you to hit early to catch up.  The position you want at the top is for your left shoulder to be under your chin, your right knee flexed and your sternum (breast bone) over your right foot.

This requires good balance and that is achieved by having a good address position.  A well-balanced address position can be found by doing the following in the order listed:
1.  With your knees locked, bend from the hips until your shoulders are over your toes.
2.  Flex the knees just enough to unlock them.
3.  Play the ball far enough from you to allow the arms to hang from the shoulders, and
4.  Make sure the weight is on the balls of the feet.

These steps make it possible to get into the correct position described above.  It doesn抰 guarantee it all will happen right away.  You will have to work at it as your body will still be trying to move the way it has from the original position.

As to what you can do for the wrist pain now?  If you poke around on your forearm, you should find a sore spot or two in the muscle.  Here抯 what you do;  put your left arm on a table, then with your right elbow, press on the sore spot with steady pressure for 15 seconds as hard as you can stand.  Then rub the area gently to stimulate circulation.  Repeat this as often as you can.  You should find that this relieves the wrist pain somewhat.

I抳e attached a picture of Michelle Wei to show you the position you want to get in for optimum balance.

Good luck Emily, I wish you a speedy recovery.
Fairways and Greens,
John
www.golfnutts.com


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: thank you so much but how long do you think it will take for the pain to go away?
should i play through the pain or rest until it feels better?

ANSWER: That's a good question Emily.  If I'm right as to the cause of your pain, and you make the changes I suggest, you should begin to see a lessening of the pain almost immediately with it going away in a couple weeks.

I would work on the new address position and make only practice swings while you train your weight to shift properly.  Your wrist may hurt doing this but I think you'll be able to tell a difference between the pain from soreness and the pain from doing more injury.  Once you get the hang of the new movement, try hitting 3/4 wedges and slowly work your way into full shots with all clubs.  If you get to a point where the pain feels like you may be injuring your wrist, go back to the shot that didn't and spend more time there before progressing.

You didn't say if you'd found the sore spot(s) on your forearm or if pressing had any affect.  If you'd like information about this treatment, go to http://www.bonnieprudden.com/.

I know you're anxious to play but a little patience now will pay big dividends, both towards playing pain free and putting yourself in a position to play solid golf.

Please keep me posted!

John



---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: okay, thank you so much for your time.  and i did try to poke around on my forearm, i didn't seem to find any sore spots. i'll rest for a few more days, then try that set up.  several people have suggested a magnetic bracelet, how do you feel about those?

thank you so much,
Emily

Answer
Emily - I've tried the bracelets myself and didn't get much help. I've talked to people who swear by the bracelets so it would be worth a try.  I would suggest asking the people who've recommended the bracelets if they would let you try theirs to see if it helps.  They are quite expensive.

I'm surprised you can't find a sore spot on your forearm.  Try this:  bend your wrist up and take note of the muscle in your forearm that flexes.  That runs from just above the wrist to the elbow.  There should be a spot somewhere in that muscle.  If not, try just above the elbow and if you don't find any, resting it is the best way to go.

Something else that might help is to apply a gel that contains DMSO directly to the wrist.  That will help reduce the inflammation and ease the pain.

Best of luck Emily,

John