We've launched the new forums! Read more here

Does arthritis hurt your golf game?

At 74 years of age I have arthritis in most of my joints. It defiantly effects you golf game. It doesn't allow you to make a turn as you always did for one thing. A couple things that I found that help some are Aspercreme with Lidocaine and Voltaren. The Aspercreme and Lidocane does best to alleviate the pain you have right then and keeps it away for a while, maybe a couple of hours. The Voltaren seems to help me loosen up and stay that way for a while. Add in two or three ibuprofen tablets and I can usually play a round of golf unless it's quite cool outside, then sometimes nothing I do allows me to play. I've become a fair weather golfer.
 
I tried midsize, jumbo and those big foam things Bryson uses. Everything went right and righter as the grips got bigger. I could not get the club face closed and lost consistency and distance. Experiment over.
 
My knees can really throb when it's damp or when the cold front is bearing down on Georgia. Played last week and could barely get out of the cart but standing wasn't bad.
I made some horrible swings and getting the ball out of the hole was misery.
Sometimes you just gotta' play.🙂
 
I’m 62 with arthritis in my neck, back, hands and one knee. Of course it affects my game but I don’t let it stop me. About 5 years ago a nurse friend turned me on to a tumeric supplement. I took it for a month but didn’t really notice much change so I stopped when the bottle was empty. Wow, was that a bad idea, I felt like crap. Started taking it again and have never stopped. Like many others I also use ibuprofen, acetaminophen and voltaren on occasion. Morning stretching and yoga help as does walking, hiking and bike riding. Chiropractic care and massage play a big part too and I’m fortunate the VA covers it. Bottom line, I do things within my capabilities and listen to the signals my body is giving me. Some days are great, some not so great, and everything in between.
 
My left shoulder has gotten worse the older I get, graphite & tiger balm helps.
 
At least I'm not alone in this fight :eek: arthritis is really kicking my a** & my ability to play
 
According to the doc, my lower back is "riddled with arthritis." He was surprised by the significant increase between MRI’s only 2 years apart. I’m perpetually stiff and need periodic epidural shots. The next shots, duel-lumbar, are scheduled for this coming Friday.

My fingers and hands, too. And my neck. Fingers are a big issue wrt my golf grip. Structurally, the doc says that my neck shows more damage than my back. But other than stiffness, loss of mobility and the occasional but very tolerable ache, it feels nowhere near as bad as my back. Imaging also shows arthritis in my knees, shoulders, and right ankle. But I don’t suffer any arthritic symptoms in those areas. YET.

Fwiw , I’m 56.
 
golfinnut said:
I've come to the conclusion that I'm old & my body is not what it used to be. Duh! :ROFLMAO: I have arthritis in multiple places .... lower back, ankles, & wrists to name a few.
Of those, the lower back & my wrists hinder my ability to play at my best. I was just recently looking at one of my driving sessions on the Rapsodo & daaayyyuuum! Why didn't anyone tell me my swing was so bad? :ROFLMAO: 1st problem ... I can't completely turn my back & shoulders. So my body doesn't rotate enough to complete the backswing = loss of power & consistency, accuracy. 2nd ... my wrists, particularly my right wrist, cannot bend completely backwards at the top. This then encourages dropping the club on the outside on the way down, really encouraging a slice. No flexibility to retain that sought after angle to delay the release for absolute power.

So ... any THP'ers suffer from arthritis so bad that it hurts your golf game? If so, what do you do about it? Work out, physical therapy, drugs? Does it discourage you enough that you stay away from the game for a while? Do you just deal with it & "it is what it is" type of thing? Just admit to yourself that you have your limitations?
Click to expand...
You have what I have - Fathritis 😜
 
leftygolfermn said:
I’ve had Rheumatoid Arthritis for 10+ years. Some days it can make golf a real process. Early mornings are not always ideal. Been on Humira for many years and that helps but definitely need ibuprofen quite often too. Mainly in fingers but also feet and knees primarily. Stinks to be 40 and suffering from all of this but is what it is
Click to expand...
I have RA and was diagnosed in 2017 at age 40. Until I started taking medication for it I had days where it hurt to just get out of bed. I also teach drums and I know I've had days where I'd show up to school to teach and just closing my fingers around drumsticks was virtually impossible. My whole bdy hurt but it was mostly my hands and fingers where I felt it.

I have been taking methotrexate weekly ever since then and I have very few symptoms and flare ups. I transitioned to graphite shafts to take away some of the shock in my hands but I can essentially lead a normal life. I did 10 miles on an elliptical machine this morning before fertilizing and seeding my yard and then going to hit balls at the driving range. My fingers and elbows are a touch sore right now but I also haven't been out hitting balls much this year. I'm lucky but I almost forget I have it most days.
 
I also have had Rheumatoid Arthritis for about 18 years. the medicines I took had it pretty well under control until recently. I had issues playing consecutive days and with limited flexibility in my left wrist that reduced distance. I otherwise was pretty much ok. Recently an illness caused a reversal and my trigger fingers are now always swollen, and left pinky is slightly deformed. For most I would say pace yourself and try to walk as much as possible. My issue though is that already being a short hitter, the wrist and finger problems have me hitting distances of a man 15-20 years older than me (I am 62). My driver is only going 155-160 in the winter and seems to be maxing out at 175-190 in the summer, with an occasional 200 if the fairways are dry. I’m despondent over this as golf is my main pastime now that I’m retired, and only last summer I was consistently driving 190-210. The distance issues are with all my clubs and are embarrassing. I actually lie about what club I hit to my playing partners. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to get some distance back with limited hand and wrist flexibility or strength? My lower back gets sore later in the round, but I generally can turn ok.
 
I can say that it doesn't hurt my game, but it does hurt after my game.

I have osteoarthritis in my hands, feet and possibly my hips and knees.

While I'm not especially sore during a round, it does hurt afterward, particularly my big toes for a couple of days.
 
I have been able to tolerate the arthritis everywhere, except my knees. When that flares up, golf is near impossible.
 
wubears71 said:
I have been able to tolerate the arthritis everywhere, except my knees. When that flares up, golf is near impossible.
Click to expand...
I hate the days when it’s painful to crouch and check out line for putting
 
I had an ACL reconstruction at 14 and it has had arthritis for a few years (I'm 39 now). I also have arthritis in my right hand and shoulder from bowling for 32 years, many of those years professionally, so a high number of games. I can usually get by with ibuprofen and stretching. When it's cold or rainy, my joints pretty much lock up and it's really tough to get loose. Been trying to do yoga to hopefully gain some flexibility and better range of motion to slow the effects. I'm hoping it doesn't continue to get worse because there are days that I can barely turn a doorknob with my right hand, let alone hold a golf club that's swinging 100mph.
 
Yep… hands, elbows, shoulders, and knees here. Years of abuse from hockey and other things add up.

Proper warm up, keeping physically warm, all graphite shafts, and moving up to midsize grips have all helped me.

I have a pair of Titleist mittens that I wear lots in cooler weather that also help. Don’t care if someone makes fun - it means I can hold my golf club!
 
amarkabove said:
I'm not sure if it's early arthritis, carpal tunnel syndrome, or what I'm starting to suspect is actually a TFCC tear, but my trailing wrist has been very, VERY unhappy the last couple times I've swung a club.
Click to expand...
I had open foveal TFCC repair on my left wrist. Surgery sucked, rehab sucked even more, but I’m glad that I did it. It impacted my life so much, and now I can actually swing a golf club, among other things.

If you suspect TFCC, I’d highly recommend checking out WristWidget. Worked well for me until I could get surgery.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top