Erin B

I agree with your statement, Erin. However, I've found that incorporating weights, running, and stretching into my routine has done wonders for alleviating aches and pains. I want to keep golfing for as long as possible.

5 minutes ago, Lefty11 said:

I agree with your statement, Erin. However, I've found that incorporating weights, running, and stretching into my routine has done wonders for alleviating aches and pains. I want to keep golfing for as long as possible.

Thank you for your suggestions, a coworker and I are thinking about gym time over the winter for golf. I have been thinking about this subject for some time and if I got the opportunity I told myself I would write about it. This is my first time on a blog so still some learning, but this article was on the forefront of my mind, so to speak. Thanks for reading.

Edited August 5 by Erin B

30 minutes ago, Erin B said:

Thank you for your suggestions, a coworker and I are thinking about gym time over the winter for golf. I have been thinking about this subject for some time and if I got the opportunity I told myself I would write about it. This is my first time on a blog so still some learning, but this article was on the forefront of my mind, so to speak. Thanks for reading.

My friend, a former professional hockey player who also does personal training, urged me to start. I wish I had followed his advice sooner. Good luck on your journey!

Along the lines of stretching, some kind of yoga might be good as well, just thinking flexibility.

I remember the younger days of playing 18 in the morning and not feeling anything the next day…now there’s some sore areas the next day!

3 minutes ago, TJ Hall said:

Along the lines of stretching, some kind of yoga might be good as well, just thinking flexibility.

I remember the younger days of playing 18 in the morning and not feeling anything the next day…now there’s some sore areas the next day!

yoga or yogurt haha would make my bowels shout!!!

Great blog!  Thanks for sharing! Take into account personal stresses of the mind too (which we know you have dealt with) can affect the body too. Brain overrides function alot! Not just with age, but for anyone.

The aging body is tricky. I am over 50, in general good health, but my harder working occupation choices from early on, have caught up to me. Personal injuries,  professional hazards, and overall lifestyle choice has all had major role to play in trying to maintain my ability to move forward. 

Thanks for sharing!

22 minutes ago, Rob Person said:

Great blog!  Thanks for sharing! Take into account personal stresses of the mind too (which we know you have dealt with) can affect the body too. Brain overrides function alot! Not just with age, but for anyone.

The aging body is tricky. I am over 50, in general good health, but my harder working occupation choices from early on, have caught up to me. Personal injuries,  professional hazards, and overall lifestyle choice has all had major role to play in trying to maintain my ability to move forward. 

Thanks for sharing!

Fantastic thought Rob!!! Stress has been proven to wear down a body. I also concur with your comment about professional hazards and overall lifestyle. I am lucky to even be playing golf, and at the level I am playing at, I feel truly blessed. Thank you for your response!

Maybe you don’t think that golf results in many injuries, but I have had reasonably severe injuries to the following from playing golf: knees (including ACL, MCL and multiple meniscus tears), shoulder (including torn labrum and rotator cuff), both wrists, several ankle sprains, dislocated fingers, and lower back injuries.

I was a semi-serious baseball player (mostly catcher) for more than 25 years and my knees were not in good shape when I took up golf at age 36, which almost surely laid the groundwork for the knee injuries that I suffered while playing golf. My left wrist and left shoulder were also previously injured during my baseball career. Playing golf just added to my injury history in those joints.

9 minutes ago, funkyjudge said:

Maybe you don’t think that golf results in many injuries, but I have had reasonably severe injuries to the following from playing golf: knees (including ACL, MCL and multiple meniscus tears), shoulder (including torn labrum and rotator cuff), both wrists, several ankle sprains, dislocated fingers, and lower back injuries.

I was a semi-serious baseball player (mostly catcher) for more than 25 years and my knees were not in good shape when I took up golf at age 36, which almost surely laid the groundwork for the knee injuries that I suffered while playing golf. My left wrist and left shoulder were also previously injured during my baseball career. Playing golf just added to my injury history in those joints.

I can only imagine playing catcher in baseball and how it affects the body. 

1 minute ago, Erin B said:

I can only imagine playing catcher in baseball and how it affects the body. 

Too many home plate collisions and WAY too many broken and dislocated fingers, especially thumbs and pinkies, for starters. My first knee injury in 1977 was from a collision when I was blocking the plate to prevent a run from scoring. Gradually, my knees just kept getting worse the longer I got down in the crouch behind home plate.

Just now, funkyjudge said:

Too many home plate collisions and WAY too many broken and dislocated fingers, especially thumbs and pinkies, for starters. My first knee injury in 1977 was from a collision when I was blocking the plate to prevent a run from scoring. Gradually, my knees just kept getting worse the longer I got down in the crouch behind home plate.

I love baseball, but never got the opportunity to play. I'm envious of you. I only got to play football and run track. Softball and Golf when I joined the Air Force.

33 minutes ago, funkyjudge said:

Maybe you don’t think that golf results in many injuries, but I have had reasonably severe injuries to the following from playing golf: knees (including ACL, MCL and multiple meniscus tears), shoulder (including torn labrum and rotator cuff), both wrists, several ankle sprains, dislocated fingers, and lower back injuries.

I was a semi-serious baseball player (mostly catcher) for more than 25 years and my knees were not in good shape when I took up golf at age 36, which almost surely laid the groundwork for the knee injuries that I suffered while playing golf. My left wrist and left shoulder were also previously injured during my baseball career. Playing golf just added to my injury history in those joints.

Wasn't even semi serious but played catcher for about 6 years and my knees are toast   not saying that is why but I'm sure it didn't help

1 minute ago, poprocksncoke said:

Wasn't even semi serious but played catcher for about 6 years and my knees are toast   not saying that is why but I'm sure it didn't help

Crazy that it happens that fast!

1 minute ago, Erin B said:

Crazy that it happens that fast!

Well that was a long time ago and I'm sure there are other factors that go along with it. 

Great topic for a blog!

I have a list of injuries from each sport I've enjoyed over the decades.lol

Since returning to golf a couple of years ago I've tried to work on mobility and S&C to reduce injuries, with winter being my main time to work on those things and just maintain during the season.

Two crushed lower vertebrae from a MTB crash in my 20s is an injury always waiting for an inopportune time to flare up. Field hockey and soccer resulted in knee (multiple surgeries in my college years, on both knees) and ankle stability issues. I've dislocated one shoulder and partially dislocated the other (one when drunk, the other rock climbing- also both at college). Somehow the only broken bone to date is my thumb.

However, the old addage "sport hurts" continues to pop up in conversations. I've even managed to find some new ways to hurt my body.

Work on increasing swing speed? Here, have a baseball injury (right side serratus anterior strain) that feels like a constant asthma attack when breathing in. Serratus anterior is the muscle that attaches beneath pectoral, wraps around ribs and to the underside of the shoulder blade. It pulls the shoulder blade round when swinging the club/ bat.

Hack the ball out of deep rough to avoid a penalty drop? Here, have a right hand injury (badly strained muscles and tendons in hand and wrist) for 3 months and counting.

Any home gym related purchases in the past 18 months seem to have been injury prevention or rehab related. I already had a set of Crossover Symmetry bands (highly recommend for anyone wanting to improve shoulder strength and stability), but added more bands, balance plate things (strengthen ankle joint as well as work on balance muscles), dug out the TRX from storage and finally set it up, and bought Theraband Flexbars (to address golfer's elbow) and a TENS machine.lol. We ditched the treadmill and are talking about a stepper/ x-trainer (zero impact) to go with the spin bike and other gym stuff in the garage. I need to get back to swim training this year too.

Getting old sucks.

"I know some injuries, like the ankle sprain happen, but the ailments should be avoidable right? BUUUTTTT if you’re like me, broken from years of military service and have abused your body, what’s the answer? I am not, and I repeat, NOT eating bananas. Bananas are fruit of the devil!!! (Disclaimer: “Bananas are fruit of the devil” comment is only the view and opinion of this author. No bananas were otherwise hurt or smashed in this production.) Diet does have nutritional values to help alleviate some of these ailments and there are modern medical ways to help guard from them as well, but who wants to pop anti-inflammatories or wear that compression sleeve and forearm band? I like my golfer’s tan and those compression sleeves get in the way of that. Right now, I have one arm that is lighter than the other.

I’m not gonna lie, I probably won’t do anything except fight through the injuries. Ask my wife and she’ll tell you; I am as stubborn as they come and just as dumb to boot. She is the type to make the changes necessary to avoid the above mentioned. I am not. I won’t stop playing the game I absolutely cannot live without just for a dumb injury. I would rather forgo my golfer’s tan and wear the compression sleeve and forearm band. Medicated pads fit well under a compression sleeve too. I must come to terms with it. Like we all must come to terms with the declining swing speeds and distance loss as we age. It’s golf, and I can’t or won’t sit on the sidelines, I will be involved and play every chance I get."



... Played football through college. Played baseball and basketball in high school and then the Robert McAdoo summer league. I suffered many injuries and almost always played through the pain. Under 30 and the body can recover when playing through pain. After 30 not so much. And after 50 you are risking permanent damage. Took me awhile to figure that out and as my Orthopedic surgeon said "I know it seems like common sense but if it hurts, stop doing whatever makes it hurt until it doesn't hurt." Two back surgeries from playing football and getting blindsided in my lower back forced me to get back to strengthening and stretching. At 55 I had a slight tear of my labrum in my right shoulder and played through the pain, resulting in a frozen shoulder that took 6 months to recover and 9 months to fully heal.   Had I stopped and both waited for it to heal with strengthening and stretching, I probably could have come back after a month. Lesson learned. 

... Now about those bananas. I was in a play where I had to consume 2 bananas per show and eaten with gusto. Wednesday/Saturday was 2 shows so I had to eat 16 bananas in 6 days taking Monday off. Thankfully it was only a 6 week run but that is still 96 bananas and when they wanted to extend I said no, not gonna happen and never again. I still don't eat bananas. 

1 hour ago, Indy_Oz said:

Great topic for a blog!

I have a list of injuries from each sport I've enjoyed over the decades.lol

Since returning to golf a couple of years ago I've tried to work on mobility and S&C to reduce injuries, with winter being my main time to work on those things and just maintain during the season.

Two crushed lower vertebrae from a MTB crash in my 20s is an injury always waiting for an inopportune time to flare up. Field hockey and soccer resulted in knee (multiple surgeries in my college years, on both knees) and ankle stability issues. I've dislocated one shoulder and partially dislocated the other (one when drunk, the other rock climbing- also both at college). Somehow the only broken bone to date is my thumb.

However, the old addage "sport hurts" continues to pop up in conversations. I've even managed to find some new ways to hurt my body.

Work on increasing swing speed? Here, have a baseball injury (right side serratus anterior strain) that feels like a constant asthma attack when breathing in. Serratus anterior is the muscle that attaches beneath pectoral, wraps around ribs and to the underside of the shoulder blade. It pulls the shoulder blade round when swinging the club/ bat.

Hack the ball out of deep rough to avoid a penalty drop? Here, have a right hand injury (badly strained muscles and tendons in hand and wrist) for 3 months and counting.

Any home gym related purchases in the past 18 months seem to have been injury prevention or rehab related. I already had a set of Crossover Symmetry bands (highly recommend for anyone wanting to improve shoulder strength and stability), but added more bands, balance plate things (strengthen ankle joint as well as work on balance muscles), dug out the TRX from storage and finally set it up, and bought Theraband Flexbars (to address golfer's elbow) and a TENS machine.lol. We ditched the treadmill and are talking about a stepper/ x-trainer (zero impact) to go with the spin bike and other gym stuff in the garage. I need to get back to swim training this year too.

Getting old sucks.

I feel the pain already!!! Thanks for reading and commenting! 4 back surgeries (2 artificial disks and one fusion) for me and reconstructive surgeries from my right shoulder to my right wrist. Thank G*D I had good surgeons! Military was a hard life.

1 hour ago, chisag said:

"I know some injuries, like the ankle sprain happen, but the ailments should be avoidable right? BUUUTTTT if you’re like me, broken from years of military service and have abused your body, what’s the answer? I am not, and I repeat, NOT eating bananas. Bananas are fruit of the devil!!! (Disclaimer: “Bananas are fruit of the devil” comment is only the view and opinion of this author. No bananas were otherwise hurt or smashed in this production.) Diet does have nutritional values to help alleviate some of these ailments and there are modern medical ways to help guard from them as well, but who wants to pop anti-inflammatories or wear that compression sleeve and forearm band? I like my golfer’s tan and those compression sleeves get in the way of that. Right now, I have one arm that is lighter than the other.

I’m not gonna lie, I probably won’t do anything except fight through the injuries. Ask my wife and she’ll tell you; I am as stubborn as they come and just as dumb to boot. She is the type to make the changes necessary to avoid the above mentioned. I am not. I won’t stop playing the game I absolutely cannot live without just for a dumb injury. I would rather forgo my golfer’s tan and wear the compression sleeve and forearm band. Medicated pads fit well under a compression sleeve too. I must come to terms with it. Like we all must come to terms with the declining swing speeds and distance loss as we age. It’s golf, and I can’t or won’t sit on the sidelines, I will be involved and play every chance I get."



... Played football through college. Played baseball and basketball in high school and then the Robert McAdoo summer league. I suffered many injuries and almost always played through the pain. Under 30 and the body can recover when playing through pain. After 30 not so much. And after 50 you are risking permanent damage. Took me awhile to figure that out and as my Orthopedic surgeon said "I know it seems like common sense but if it hurts, stop doing whatever makes it hurt until it doesn't hurt." Two back surgeries from playing football and getting blindsided in my lower back forced me to get back to strengthening and stretching. At 55 I had a slight tear of my labrum in my right shoulder and played through the pain, resulting in a frozen shoulder that took 6 months to recover and 9 months to fully heal.   Had I stopped and both waited for it to heal with strengthening and stretching, I probably could have come back after a month. Lesson learned. 

... Now about those bananas. I was in a play where I had to consume 2 bananas per show and eaten with gusto. Wednesday/Saturday was 2 shows so I had to eat 16 bananas in 6 days taking Monday off. Thankfully it was only a 6 week run but that is still 96 bananas and when they wanted to extend I said no, not gonna happen and never again. I still don't eat bananas. 

I’m glad I’m not the only banana hater ! No seriously, I can’t stand them! My wife ran a half marathon and I told her I’d eat a banana if she finished it. I had to eat a banana. ! Thanks for reading and sharing!!! 

1 hour ago, chisag said:

"I know some injuries, like the ankle sprain happen, but the ailments should be avoidable right? BUUUTTTT if you’re like me, broken from years of military service and have abused your body, what’s the answer? I am not, and I repeat, NOT eating bananas. Bananas are fruit of the devil!!! (Disclaimer: “Bananas are fruit of the devil” comment is only the view and opinion of this author. No bananas were otherwise hurt or smashed in this production.) Diet does have nutritional values to help alleviate some of these ailments and there are modern medical ways to help guard from them as well, but who wants to pop anti-inflammatories or wear that compression sleeve and forearm band? I like my golfer’s tan and those compression sleeves get in the way of that. Right now, I have one arm that is lighter than the other.

I’m not gonna lie, I probably won’t do anything except fight through the injuries. Ask my wife and she’ll tell you; I am as stubborn as they come and just as dumb to boot. She is the type to make the changes necessary to avoid the above mentioned. I am not. I won’t stop playing the game I absolutely cannot live without just for a dumb injury. I would rather forgo my golfer’s tan and wear the compression sleeve and forearm band. Medicated pads fit well under a compression sleeve too. I must come to terms with it. Like we all must come to terms with the declining swing speeds and distance loss as we age. It’s golf, and I can’t or won’t sit on the sidelines, I will be involved and play every chance I get."



... Played football through college. Played baseball and basketball in high school and then the Robert McAdoo summer league. I suffered many injuries and almost always played through the pain. Under 30 and the body can recover when playing through pain. After 30 not so much. And after 50 you are risking permanent damage. Took me awhile to figure that out and as my Orthopedic surgeon said "I know it seems like common sense but if it hurts, stop doing whatever makes it hurt until it doesn't hurt." Two back surgeries from playing football and getting blindsided in my lower back forced me to get back to strengthening and stretching. At 55 I had a slight tear of my labrum in my right shoulder and played through the pain, resulting in a frozen shoulder that took 6 months to recover and 9 months to fully heal.   Had I stopped and both waited for it to heal with strengthening and stretching, I probably could have come back after a month. Lesson learned. 

... Now about those bananas. I was in a play where I had to consume 2 bananas per show and eaten with gusto. Wednesday/Saturday was 2 shows so I had to eat 16 bananas in 6 days taking Monday off. Thankfully it was only a 6 week run but that is still 96 bananas and when they wanted to extend I said no, not gonna happen and never again. I still don't eat bananas. 

What up wit the banana hate?!?!?!?!   Being a former DJ I am sure you know this one.....  

 

10 minutes ago, Shapotomous said:

What up wit the banana hate?!?!?!?!   Being a former DJ I am sure you know this one.....  

 

That’s as good as the song Cow Patty!!! 

 

Edited August 5 by Erin B

A few years ago I turned back the clock about 5 years on an achy back by a serious stretching regime over the winter.  I have managed to keep up with the stretching and minimize the back issues.  I also changed mattresses to one that is much firmer last winter.  

I still have the limitations of elbow, shoulder and wrist & thumb issues but 3 or 4 Advil 2 hours before playing help a lot.

3 minutes ago, Shapotomous said:

A few years ago I turned back the clock about 5 years on an achy back by a serious stretching regime over the winter.  I have managed to keep up with the stretching and minimize the back issues.  I also changed mattresses to one that is much firmer last winter.  

I still have the limitations of elbow, shoulder and wrist & thumb issues but 3 or 4 Advil 2 hours before playing help a lot.

I carry Tylenol, Motrin, and muscle relaxers in my bag. And medical pads, compression sleeves, and forearm band. You just never know.

41 minutes ago, Erin B said:

I feel the pain already!!! Thanks for reading and commenting! 4 back surgeries (2 artificial disks and one fusion) for me and reconstructive surgeries from my right shoulder to my right wrist. Thank G*D I had good surgeons! Military was a hard life.

Damn. I work in the defense industry and have a number of friends that served (US and UK) - most seem to have their share of injury or chronic illness stories. Serving your country clearly takes a significant toll and I'm glad you've had a good experience with surgeons! Seems pretty pot luck on that front dealing with the VA from what I've heard.

Thank you for your service!

7 minutes ago, Indy_Oz said:

Damn. I work in the defense industry and have a number of friends that served (US and UK) - most seem to have their share of injury or chronic illness stories. Serving your country clearly takes a significant toll and I'm glad you've had a good experience with surgeons! Seems pretty pot luck on that front dealing with the VA from what I've heard.

Thank you for your service!

Thank you for reading and following!!! Wanna know the most ironic thing about it? I would do it all over again exactly the same way, I miss it that much. I loved being in the Air Force!

Great article @Erin B and thanks for posting! 

I'll say that pain has been part of my life for the last 40+ years. Being born with a birth defect in both feet and the reconstructive surgery have taken a toll over the years. I hurt my bad ankle last year playing golf and not getting it looked at for several months was probably a mistake on my part but I honestly thought it would ease up after a couple of weeks. My worse ankle is fine but with a lack of mobility in it, it does make it hard to get my weight on my lead side. 

I'm still going to continue to play until I can't. Like you and others have mentioned, I'm stubborn and not that smart. 

I do need to do more mobility exercises and I'm saying that as I'm sitting on the couch with both feet hurting from a long day at work. I do wear a custom foot brace while working and it's helped but I don't think that foot will ever get back to normal. At least it's no longer making me want to scream. 

I'm thankful and grateful that I'm still able to get out and play, I just enjoy the time out on the course with friends. I'm also not complaining about my situation, I met a lot of kids during my time at the Shriners Hospital in Lexington that were worse off than I am. I'm truly blessed to be able to play this game we love.