Bruised Forearms

Last Friday I squeezed in a massage between the end of my workday and a 9-hole round of golf with Doug.

I booked it to give my legs some tough love.

Instead, I decided to see if we could improve the condition of my sore elbow.

I explained the symptoms. We discussed the last year - lots of golf, lots of typing and writing at work, lots of swimming. We decided that this issue has been slowly developing over a fairly long period of time. And that my attempts at self-treatment were not really helping much.

It turns out that, when tendonitis happens, it's usually because of tight muscles.

Two seconds into my forearms being worked on, we both knew that we were dealing with very very tight muscles.

My massage therapist focused on trying to loosen up the almost solid muscles in my forearms.

I focused on breathing and trying valiantly (and successfully) not to faint or vomit right there on the bed.

A little while later, my blood sugar had shot up to the high teens and my forearms were red and throbbing.

Through the haze of pain I could tell that they were much improved. So much so that I felt nary a twinge in my elbow.

I left and headed straight for the golf course. Nine holes later, my elbow didn't hurt at all.

My forearms however we so bruised and sore that the wind hurt. The feel of my sweater on my arms hurt. Thinking about my arms hurt. Icing my arms felt fabulous.

The next morning I woke to find visible bruises on both arms. And nary a twinge in my elbow.

And Sunday's 9-hole game with Doug and some friends didn't hurt my elbow one bit.

Forearm massage number two is less than two weeks away. Here's hoping the second time isn't nearly as brutal as the first.

Oh, and I played so well on Sunday that my handicap dropped again. My goal of getting it under 40 by the end of the season may need to be re-evaluated if this keeps up.

Maybe I'll get really ambitious and aim for 35.