Pain in left (lead) wrist just under the thumb...

[PingMan917 7]

So lately I've been getting a lot of pain under my thumb area of my left wrist when I bend my wrist in the "Radial Deviation" direction.

In the top of my back swing, I've been working on a flat left wrist, but it seems that radial deviation is harder to get when keeping the left wrist flat... my thumb just gets in the way, and this is what's causing my pain.  I can wrapt the thumb around the club on either side and it's MUCH better, but I don't think I can have control swinging that way, and I've never seen anyone wrap the thumb like that.

Any idea what I'm doing wrong?  Could I just be trying to do too much Radial Deviation at the top of the swing? I'm not going past parallel to the ground with the shaft.

Has anyone else had this issue? And what did you do to fix it?

It has gotten so bad that I can't even play or go to the range more than once a week... or even less (sigh) 

Any advise would be appreciated!

Thanks guys!

[cnosil 25,322]

2 hours ago, PingMan917 said:

It has gotten so bad that I can't even play or go to the range more than once a week... or even less (sigh) 

Any advise would be appreciated!

 

My advice would be to go see a physician who can help diagnose the problem.

[berkeleybob 261]

Unfortunately, you really do have to get it checked out. With any luck it’s something solved with a physical therapist, but at the very least you need some professional advice on it.

[PingMan917 7]

I appreciate the feedback, but it’s something being caused specifically from the way I’m swinging. Unfortunately a physician isn’t going to know anything about golf and the technique the swing requires.
 

Was hoping someone else had this happen, and tweaked something in their swing to fix it

[bens197 12,391]

Colin McCarthy golf on Instagram talks about body mechanics, specifically the hands and wrist quite often. 
 

Shoot him a message. He literally was discussing this yesterday. 

[alfriday101 1,153]

It’s possible that your grip/flat wrist is putting the full weight/pressure of the club on your thumb at the top of the backswing.  That’s a lot of pressure when applied repetitively.  
 

When taking your grip, make sure the club fits in the “V” between your thumb and first finger.  Then take the club to the top.  The pressure should be in the “V”, not all on your thumb.  Hold the club at the top and move your wrist around; you should be able to feel the pressure shift from the V to your thumb and back as you bend and flatten your wrist.  
 

If the pressure is mostly on the thumb, you may need to adjust your grip slightly weaker or stronger. 

[PingMan917 7]

On 4/23/2022 at 12:16 PM, alfriday101 said:

It’s possible that your grip/flat wrist is putting the full weight/pressure of the club on your thumb at the top of the backswing.  That’s a lot of pressure when applied repetitively.  
 

When taking your grip, make sure the club fits in the “V” between your thumb and first finger.  Then take the club to the top.  The pressure should be in the “V”, not all on your thumb.  Hold the club at the top and move your wrist around; you should be able to feel the pressure shift from the V to your thumb and back as you bend and flatten your wrist.  
 

If the pressure is mostly on the thumb, you may need to adjust your grip slightly weaker or stronger. 

I see what you're saying, but the more pressure you put on the V, the more the wrist cups. The flatter the wrist, the more pressure on the thumb. Does that make sense?

On 4/23/2022 at 11:45 AM, bens197 said:

Colin McCarthy golf on Instagram talks about body mechanics, specifically the hands and wrist quite often. 
 

Shoot him a message. He literally was discussing this yesterday. 

Thanks, I'll check  it out and send him a DM

[bird_brained 2]

Last year I had to take a few months off due to a similar issue. Was diagnosed with De Quervain's tenosynovitis. If you are experiencing pain, it is a sign that something is wrong and you need to take time off to properly heal. Playing through pain will only exacerbate the injury and make recovery take even longer. When in doubt think R.I.C.E (rest, ice, compression, elevation) if the problem persists go and see your GP and have them take a look at it.

[cksurfdude 10,920]

On 4/23/2022 at 12:05 PM, PingMan917 said:

Unfortunately a physician isn’t going to know anything about golf ...

Hunh. Certainly not any of the doctors I've ever seen

But on the serious side there is such a thing called "downloading" in your swing which means the way you're gripping, and swinging, the club put extra force on your lead hand thumb & wrist.

I will add to the others that have said see a doctor, or physical therapist, and also see a good golf instructor. Those are your best resources to (literally) diagnose your specific problem and propose the proper fix.