Study of Arm and Putter Movement in Golfers With Golfer's Cramp

Golfer's Cramp: Correlation of Wrist Movements and Surface EMG With Putter Movements

The investigators will investigate golfers with visual evidence of an involuntary movement while putting before and after treatment with a low dose of propranolol.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Occupational; Cramp(s)
• Intervention / Treatment: Drug: Propranolol; Device: Opal Device; Procedure: Science and Motion PuttLab (SAM); Device: Surface Electromyography EMG

Detailed Description

Dystonia affecting athletes has received little research attention and there has been a lack of awareness or interest among both physicians and athletes. Task-specific dystonias or occupational cramps affect people while writing, typing, and or playing a musical instrument. Our group has previously shown that a subset of golfers who complain of the yips appear to have a task-specific dystonia or golfer's cramp. The yips are characterized by an inability to appropriately complete a golf stroke, most often putting and chipping strokes. Most individuals with the yips describe a jerking or shaking movement that interrupts their swing. In many cases the yips are disabling and the golfer, including professional tour players, give up golfing.

Golfers who have evidence of golfer's cramp will putt a series of putts during which they will be monitored for arm movements and putter movements. They will then be treated with a low dose of propranolol to see if there is a change in these parameters.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 38
• Phase: Phase 4

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Arizona
    • Scottsdale, Arizona, United States, 85259
      • Mayo Clinic in Arizona

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 75 years (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion criteria:

• Age 18-75
• Complaint of golfer's cramp/yips
• Visual evidence of a movement disorder during putting
• Able to complete 80 putts during the session

Exclusion criteria:

• Contraindication to treatment with propranolol
• Movement disorder not when putting

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Diagnostic
• Allocation: Non-Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Golfers With Golfer's Cramp; Subjects in this arm will be tested with the Opal device, the Science and Motion PuttLab (SAM), and the Surface Electromyography (EMG) to collect movement parameters while putting before and after a single dose of 10 mg Propranolol.	Drug: Propranolol; Single oral dose of 10 mg propranolol; Other Names: Inderal; Device: Opal Device; The Opal Device (APDM, Inc.) will be used to measure wrist movement.; Procedure: Science and Motion PuttLab (SAM); The SAM will be used to study putter stroke movement and ball movement.; Device: Surface Electromyography EMG; The surface EMG will be used to evaluate co-contraction of the wrist flexor/extensor muscle groups and the wrist pronator/supinator muscle groups.
Other: Golf Pros; Subjects in this arm will be tested with the Opal device, the Science and Motion PuttLab (SAM), and the Surface Electromyography (EMG) to collect movement parameters while putting. The subjects in this arm will not receive any study drug.	Device: Opal Device; The Opal Device (APDM, Inc.) will be used to measure wrist movement.; Procedure: Science and Motion PuttLab (SAM); The SAM will be used to study putter stroke movement and ball movement.; Device: Surface Electromyography EMG; The surface EMG will be used to evaluate co-contraction of the wrist flexor/extensor muscle groups and the wrist pronator/supinator muscle groups.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Mean Dynamic Change of Rotation at Impact	"Dynamic change of rotation at impact" is the velocity of rotation of the putter from the start of the forward swing until the time of impact with the golf ball.	baseline, approximately 45 minutes after propranolol dosing

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Mean Total Putter Face Rotation Before Impact	"Total putter face rotation before impact" is the degrees of rotation of the putter from the start of the forward swing until the time of impact with the golf ball.	baseline, approximately 45 minutes after propranolol dosing

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Mayo Clinic
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Charles Adler, MD, PhD, Mayo Clinic

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: January 1, 2014
• Primary Completion (Actual): January 1, 2015
• Study Completion (Actual): January 1, 2015

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: January 2, 2014
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 7, 2014
• First Posted (Estimate): January 10, 2014

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimate): July 25, 2016
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: June 10, 2016
• Last Verified: June 1, 2016

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Occupational; Cramp(s)
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Nervous System Diseases; Neurologic Manifestations; Musculoskeletal Diseases; Muscular Diseases; Neuromuscular Manifestations; Spasm; Muscle Cramp; Physiological Effects of Drugs; Adrenergic beta-Antagonists; Adrenergic Antagonists; Adrenergic Agents; Neurotransmitter Agents; Molecular Mechanisms of Pharmacological Action; Anti-Arrhythmia Agents; Antihypertensive Agents; Vasodilator Agents; Propranolol
• Other Study ID Numbers: 12-007930

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO