Forehand & Overhand Arm Pain

[Verjaeger]

Forehand Arm Pain:

Everytime I throw forehand or overhand, I get some serious pain in my bicep. I not amazingly athletic but I am in good shape. 6'2" 200lbs. and I've played sports all my life. I throw backhand avg distances: putters-220', mids-275', fairway 315', drivers 330'.

However, I can only throw 250* max forehand and about 180* max overhand. When I throw 2-3 shots I get a shooting and arm weakening pain in my bicep, ulna muscles, and middle finger (I throw middle finger an pointer finger for control spread out like a peace sign.)

Thank you in advance.

 

[412Disc]

stretch

 

[sidewinder22]

I'd see a quack before you do some serious damage, if not already. Shooting pain and weakening is typically nerve related and my best guess would be from your shoulder. You probably aren't leading the throw with your elbow, aka throwing like a girl.

 

[Verjaeger]

The pain goes away in ten - twenty minutes. And it hurts more the more i lead with my elbow.

 

[sidewinder22]

I'd still see a quack because you say it happens everytime you throw. I'd also stop throwing those shots and let it rest. Something maybe pinched. All I can really do is guess, without seeing you throw and/or more info. Maybe you are trying to lead too much with the elbow then, or your elbow is off plane, or strong arming/not leading with the hips, or not following through.

 

[Bultx1215]

Pain is nature's way of telling to stop cuz something is wrong. Get it checked before it gets worse...or even permanent.

 

[Verjaeger]

I guess I'll just have to stick with backhand for now then.

 

[discdad]

I have a similar issue with thumbers or tomahawks. but mine is not as severe. I can get about 5-6 good overhand throws a round, but then it starts hurting. I may be strong arming it, and I also have never done anything about actually learning good form for overhand and sidearm throws as I have for backhand, so that might also be the issue too. luckily, the pain is more similar to muscle soreness from overuse, instead of the more extreme pain you describe in your bicep. I would second the Dr, but also work on different form.

 

[Menacewarf]

Why not try some forehands with putters from 50-100 feet. If that hurts than yes, you are either injured or doing something very wrong.

Just like learning an instrument the number one rule is stop if it hurts, so start small and listin to you body.

 

[NorthernDisc]

You may also be whipping your arm out when you throw FH which will cause some discomfort. Make sure you are keeping your elbow in and releasing straight out instead of an arc. Power up the throw at the last second seems to work too, and you get a lot of snap which it sounds like your not getting. Good luck!

 

[Verjaeger]

I throw wizards and my comet 50-125 feet with little issue. I have never tried to fix/perfect my form like I have with my backhand. Maybe i'll try throwing with the other arm and seeing if I have the same issue.

I do have a tendency to throw by snapping hard on my arm as well as "hacking" at the throw like an axe. I guess i will start from short range again. Sucks because I never want to sacrifice the distance on the weekend games. Maybe it do some back and forth pitch/catch.

 

[kirvin2]

Get it checked out! You don't want to mess it up worse.

 

[Verjaeger]

Not sure if there is anything to check out? pain goes away after 20-30min and and MRI or CAT scan is expensive.

 

[araytx]

I agree with those who say check it out. To me it does seem like it's something, but all us non-medical professionals can't tell you much. Go see an orthopedist just for a verbal consult and go from there. Whenever your forehand/overhead is back try going back to no step at all so you get the form down. If you watch Dave Dunipace's vids, with good form and wrist action you should be able to get close to 300'

And if you want to talk to someone who'll give you some help, we have a great doc in Dallas-Fort Worth who has a live call-in show. His name is T. O. Souryal, he is the team doctor for the Dallas Mavericks, and his show is great in giving the best possible advice on sports injuries and care, without actually seeing a doctor in the office.

If you have the ESPN Radio app, you can listen on 103.3 ESPN in Dallas, Saturday mornings 8am-10am Central Time. And if you don't get through he'll take text or email and answer you later. Good Luck. And tell Doc that A.Ray from Duncanville recommended him. He'll smile!

 

[hipster]

Slow down and quit muscling the shots. Quit trying to match your backhand distances if you're having issue with pain. On your forehand, do not lead and finish with the elbow. Use your hips to lead the shot and stay loose. On the overhand shot, sounds like you're muscling the disc with your shoulder, not good if you're experiencing tingly sensation. Try using for pecs and hips to power this shot and use the shoulder to rotate through the shot. I rarely attempt overhands over 200ft or forehands over 250ft to avoid the pain issues. For now you should use the oh and fh for shorter mid range and longer approach shots. If you are still having tingly numbing pain attempting the shorter fh/oh shots, I think you should hire a disc golf pro for $40 an hour the the Nati Pro Shop Mt Airy. It's cheaper than surgery and you can learn proper technique to avoid injuring yourself.

 

[Verjaeger]

Thanks for the help. Once I get off work for this week I'll give all of your recommendations a try and update to how it turned out.

 

[Thumber]

My advice is ask an expert, not not bunch of DG junkies on a forum

 

[Agricolae]

"...MRI or CAT scan is expensive..."

Just keep doing what you're doing now and watch how expensive it gets.

 

[Menacewarf]

I throw wizards and my comet 50-125 feet with little issue. I have never tried to fix/perfect my form like I have with my backhand. Maybe i'll try throwing with the other arm and seeing if I have the same issue.

I do have a tendency to throw by snapping hard on my arm as well as "hacking" at the throw like an axe. I guess i will start from short range again. Sucks because I never want to sacrifice the distance on the weekend games. Maybe it do some back and forth pitch/catch.

It shouldn't take too long to get you form down on short forhands with putters and then work your way through the discs until you are flicking drivers 300+ with little effort and no strain. Think 15-30 minutes a day for two weeks or so.

 

[rvan84]

I will tell you a couple of things I've learned. While in high school I lead seriously with my elbow when throwing a baseball. This lead to have a massive amount of pain on the inside of my elbow from golfer's elbow. Then when I started really playing disc golf alot I tried to throw the heck out of the disc overhand. This lead to some serious pain in my shoulder and bicep. Then I started to lose distance. It turns out that I had what was called a SLAP tear. The connection of my bicep to my shoulder was tearing loose. I am just now getting back to 100% from the surgery after almost 1-1/2 years. Just make sure you don't try to kill it. It can only lead to problems. Just giving a heads up of what it can lead to.