Recovering from Golf Related Wrist Injuries

[JJgolfwrx]

@eagles1 so anything weight bearing and golf related you had no issues? If OT does not work I am definitely going to consider surgery

[eagles1]

I did have general weakness in my wrist overall for quite some time after the surgery, and some residual pain, especially when pushing a door open. I think that was due to not being vigilant on the rehab exercises. Rehab is KEY.

No other issues.

 

[JJgolfwrx]

@eagles1 The rehab is what I've been keenly focusing on. I've been aggressive with my treatment and rehab. After about 6 weeks of bracing and 2 weeks of rehab, I started to test it out with a few short 3 ft putts. I hardly felt anything off with my affected wrist. Slow and steady wins the race on this type of injury for sure.

[Stinger83]

Had the same thing in my lead wrist. I think I did it playing pickup basketball and aggravated it on the course Here's my experience. I went to two different orthopedic specialists. I didn't play golf for nearly a year. hurt it again and had to rest it a second time for 6 months. I got multiple steroid shots (which only made it more painful) and I wore a hard cast for a couple months.

save your money and avoid the doctor for now. Go buy a forearm wrist splint from Walgreens. Wrap the wrist up and try to use it as little as possible for AT LEAST 4-6 weeks. when you're not wearing it - try buying a wrist widget and wear that for support. realize that it will probably take at least a year to heal completely. And if you have surgery it'll still take almost that long. And there's a good chance it will never be 100%. My injury happened 3.5 years ago and I still cannot do heavy weight bench press. (but I can play golf :)Realize that if you injured this playing golf it's most likely from an over the top or "steep" and wristy swing motion. Work on shallowing out your path with less wrist hinge and you'll notice you feel less discomfort. The injury I had completely changed my swing and I'm actually a better golfer now because of it

[JJgolfwrx]

@Stinger83 did you do any rehab after and if you did for how long were you doing them for?

[Stinger83]

he gave me some exercises to do with rubber bands but they didn't seem to make a difference. TO be fair I had a terrible doctor. He didn't seem to care. The only advice I can tell you is to avoid the steroid injection. He gave it to me directly into the joint with a 3 inch needle that hurt in a way I can't even explain

[Itsinthehole609]

Wrists can be a bit dicey; they are the connection between your hands/club and the rest of the kinetic chain. Whenever they are injured, and not rehabbed properly, this can lead to swing changes (subconsciously avoid any possible pain) and can make golf less enjoyable. The best plan would be to consult with a TPI-Medical Professional who can direct your care toward returning to golf, and not just returning to a state of "functional tolerance".

I am a TPI-Medical 2 Professional, Physical Therapist, founder of Rule 76 Golf Performance, and avid golfer in state tournaments (Massachusetts). I would be happy to help anyone with any questions or concerns they may have.

PS: The old RICE approach has been proven to be counterproductive toward proper recovery from acute injuries.

[JJgolfwrx]

Hey guys,

A couple of months have passed since my last update of my TFCC diagnosis. There is still some pain that lingers now and again. I still can not swing a club whethers that's half shots or full. Good news is that putting there is no pain present during or after. In my opinion conversative treatment was effective. However I still believe I will need to do an MRI to be absolutely sure there are no other tears located in my wrist/hand. For whatever reason, my hand surgeon doesn't want to do MRIs. Good news is I can go to a 3rd party diagnostic imaging facility for the cost of a new driver. I think it will be worth it.

 

Hope you all have been well and have been enjoying some golf,

JJ

[BirdieDoc]

How old are you JJ? I only ask bc just getting an MRI to look for any other tears seems more counterproductive than helpful if you're above the age of 20. Chances are they will find some sort of increase signal and you'll be left with what's next? If you're still having some pain then the wrist isn't ready. As said previously it's a very mobile joint with a bunch of ligaments connecting all the small bones. I'm sure it was not just a straight tfcc tear without some other degeneration.

 

If the MRI shows small tears in the carpal ligaments what are you going to do?

If the MRI shows no tears but you still have pain what are you going to do?

My point is will the MRI really help your decision?

 

Also be careful with the 3rd party imaging. MRIs are usually grainy and lack detail. Especially if open MRIs.

 

Cheers.

 

[JJgolfwrx]

@BirdieDoc I'm 26, I'm taking my transition back into sport very slowly. Still just doing putting, and do weight bearing exercise to strengthen the wrist. Overall. strength has improved and symptoms have been reduced in the wrist. I do believe going back to the specialist is the best course of action. I'll keep your suggestion in mind, and sorry for such a late response. I didn't receive any notification unforunately.
I hope your golf game is well,
JJ

[russc1597187869]

Success in surgically repairing a tear depends on three things, where the tear is , the degree of the tear and your age. If the tear is in the middle the prognosis is poor since that area has poor blood supply. If you have a complete tear the chances are less than a partial tear . If you are over 50 , few doctors will operate due to poor expected results .

If doctors can not do a repair , they may suggest debridement surgery to remove dead tissue. Such surgery has a good chance of reducing pain , but has risks of reducing range of motion and strength.

 

[mufasis]

I tore my tfcc hitting off mats. It was my left hand and it was an ulnar tear. I didn’t have surgery and had stem cell injections. I still play using a wrist widget and I’ve had no problems. Sometimes it still feels weak and sometimes I think about going back and having them go in to see if it still needs to be repaired. But I’m playing good so I don’t want to mess with it, lol. ?

[Mr. Brightside]

Just had scaphoid excision with 4 corner fusion surgery due to ligament tear. SLAC wrist condition. Not pleasant.  

[Mr. Brightside]

Just had scaphoid excision with 4 corner fusion surgery due to ligament tear. SLAC wrist condition. Not pleasant.  

[iacas]

How about some spoiler tags for those who don't want to see that?

 

I'm fine seeing it, but I know that would have freaked a few people out

[Mr. Brightside]

So it's been 2 months.  After 3 weeks got the surgery wrap/cast off and stitches removed then put into a hard cast for 2 weeks.  At the 5 week point got the hard cast off and began PT.  Lot of pain and no wrist motion, numb finger tips and unable to pick up a paperclip.  After 3 weeks of PT I can make a fist and touch the thumb to each finger.  A lot of progress.  Able to bend the wrist back a little but not forward.  At the 4 or 5 month point I should be able to putt, chip at 6 months and hopefully full swing at 7 months.  No photos since they may trigger someone.  If you're reading this then you were like me;  Google search golf and wrist surgery and it brings you to this page.  My thoughts: since it's my right wrist I want it to bend back at top of back swing and if it can't bend forward I don't think it will be too bad....maybe prevent snap hook left.  I currently play Ping S59 with KBS C-taper 130x which I can't imagine I'll ever play again so probably have to switch to graphite and an oversized grip.

[JJgolfwrx]

On 7/1/2024 at 6:53 PM, Mr. Brightside said:

So it's been 2 months.  After 3 weeks got the surgery wrap/cast off and stitches removed then put into a hard cast for 2 weeks.  At the 5 week point got the hard cast off and began PT.  Lot of pain and no wrist motion, numb finger tips and unable to pick up a paperclip.  After 3 weeks of PT I can make a fist and touch the thumb to each finger.  A lot of progress.  Able to bend the wrist back a little but not forward.  At the 4 or 5 month point I should be able to putt, chip at 6 months and hopefully full swing at 7 months.  No photos since they may trigger someone.  If you're reading this then you were like me;  Google search golf and wrist surgery and it brings you to this page.  My thoughts: since it's my right wrist I want it to bend back at top of back swing and if it can't bend forward I don't think it will be too bad....maybe prevent snap hook left.  I currently play Ping S59 with KBS C-taper 130x which I can't imagine I'll ever play again so probably have to switch to graphite and an oversized grip.

Late to reply. Graphite is a good option. I'd test KBS TGI or Fujikura Axiom.