how an avid golfer got his swing back
persistent pain sidelined joe masse until a new treatment brought relief
4 minute read
“shortly after the second injection, i played golf, and you’ll never guess what happened,” says joe masse. “i hit a hole in one.” geoff robins
this story is sponsored by
sportvis®
this story was created by content works, postmedia’s commercial content division, on behalf of a client.
as the goalie coach for his son’s hockey team, joe masse* says he barely registered the pain building up in his right arm, despite facing as many as 75 shots each practice.
“i think my arm was so used to being abused three times a week at practice, it wasn’t until i stopped coaching about three years ago that i really noticed how much it hurt,” says masse.
by then, he could no longer ignore the pain radiating along the outer side of his right forearm. as an avid golfer, masse enjoys getting out on the course several times a week. however, his arm was so sore that the 46-year-old had to cut back.
it also affected his work as a manager of a beer store in st. thomas, ont. used to lifting cases of beer onto store shelves, masse says the persistent ache in his arm began to restrict what he could do on the job.
masse tried massage therapy and over-the-counter pain medications, but nothing worked to alleviate the pain for longer than a few hours.
earlier this year, masse’s general practitioner referred him to the arbeau sports medicine centre (asmc), a multidisciplinary clinic in london, ont., specializing in acute injuries. dr. ryan arbeau*, who co-founded the asmc in 2016, is trained as an emergency and sports medicine physician.
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among the sports-related conditions dr. arbeau treats is tendonitis, which he describes as inflammation of the tendon, typically due to repetitive strain. after meeting with masse, dr. arbeau diagnosed him with lateral epicondylitis, or “tennis elbow,” which can occur when you perform a repetitive motion frequently, such as twisting or swinging your lower arm. it affects roughly one to three per cent of adults, especially among people in mid-life (35 to 50 years).
a type of tendonitis, tennis elbow happens “when the muscles that extend along the forearm and the outside part of the elbow become swollen and inflamed,” explains dr. arbeau. tennis elbow isn’t limited to tennis players; in masse’s case, the pain in his right arm was likely brought on by the frequent swinging of clubs in his golf game.
dr. arbeau says patients who suffer from tennis elbow tell him the condition can impact almost every aspect of their lives. “even just putting clothes on can be painful,” he says. “if they have an active job, it can affect their ability to function. but even for someone with a desk job, typing can become extremely painful because they’re using those forearm muscles.”
sports medicine physician dr. ryan arbeau says patients who suffer from tennis elbow tell him the condition can impact almost every aspect of their lives. geoff robins
a recent report substantiates what dr. arbeau’s patients experience. close to two-thirds of respondents to a 2020 report said their condition has had an impact on their daily activities. more than a third reported they feel downhearted due to the pain caused by their injury and the limited activities or tasks they can perform in their sport or professional life, while 33 per cent missed work, resulting in lost income.
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when masse met with dr. arbeau, the physician recommended sportvis®, a hyaluronic acid (ha) injection intended to relieve pain and restore function in damaged tendons and ligaments.
as the only ha injection treatment available in canada for pain relief and improved function in injured tendons and ligaments, sportvis® works with your body to facilitate recovery. when ha is injected into the affected area, it supports the body’s natural healing process by replenishing the hyaluronic acid naturally present in response to an injury. the injected ha surrounds the damaged tendons, providing support, cushioning and lubrication, allowing the tissue to heal more effectively.
sportvis® is clinically shown to deliver not only effective, but long-lasting pain relief.
“ha has anti-inflammatory properties and helps the body heal itself,” dr. arbeau says. “the nice thing about it is that it’s quite safe. other than slight pain and inflammation due to the injection, there are few side effects.”
sportvis® is given as a series of two doses, delivered one week apart from each other.
“shortly after the second injection, i played golf, and you’ll never guess what happened,” masse says. “i hit a hole in one.”
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masse says once the pain subsided, his arm no longer felt tight. “it used to feel like a rock. before the injections, my pain was at about an eight, and it went down to a one. i noticed the difference after the second injection.”
dr. arbeau says masse’s experience is similar to that of other patients he has treated with sportvis®. “people have been very pleased with it,” he says. “many get back to their activities, and back to their sport of choice, within days of the second dose.”
today, masse has resumed his three-times-a-week golf schedule. “i’ve comfortably played three days in a row.”
to find a specialty clinic in your area staffed with experts who can diagnose the cause of your elbow pain and help you explore treatment options, visit https://www.sportvis.ca/en/clinic-locator.
sportvis® may not be suitable for everyone. talk to your doctor if you have questions regarding this product, or for more information on chronic lateral epicondylitis.
*no compensation was received by joe masse or dr. ryan arbeau for their participation in this article.
this story was created by healthing content works, healthing.ca’s commercial content division, on behalf of sportvis®, a registered trademark owned by anika therapeutics inc., used under license by pendopharm, a division of pharmascience inc. product information contained herein is not approved for use in the united states of america.
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