Golf Injuries Can Be Prevented
Injuries are not unusual with any type of sport. The smart thing to do is to discover what injury is inclined to occur in a specific sport and then to do as much as you can to avoid it. Unfortunately, sports injuries can’t always be avoided. Therefore, it’s important to be physically fit to make incurring injury less likely, or less traumatic. Prior to starting a sport, such as golf, the most valuable thing you can do is to be sure that you have an appropriate fitness level. By cultivating a healthy lifestyle, keeping your joints mobile and your muscles limber, warming and stretching your body prior to activity, using proper form and good postures during activity, and giving yourself sufficient cool down and relaxation time, you just might keep your body safe from injury.
It isn’t just amateur golfers who suffer from injuries. Close to one-third of pro golfers playing concurrently are playing with injury. The good news is that general good health and fitness can reduce how many injuries you may experience and might actually prevent them totally.
Proper body strength in the muscle areas most utilized while playing golf is very important. However, before you try to build muscle strength, it’s essential to make sure your spine is aligned and has good mobility. A injury-free golf swing relies on your spine’s ability to effectually move in a rotational action. Back injuries are the most widespread sort of injuries experienced by golfers. To insure that your spine is in appropriate alignment and there is effectual movement in the vertebrae, see your chiropractor in Sacramento. Chiropractic care can go a long way in helping you to avert back injury.
Once you’re “straightened” it’s time to strengthen. Being prepared for your golf game is essential to safe, injury-free action on the green. You can warm up your muscles and make injuring them less likely by doing golf stretching and flexibility exercises. Full body range of motion (ROM) exercises will increase flexibility, fairly quickly, in all parts of the body. Additionally, elastic band conditioning can provide distinct golf range of motion improvements and can increase needed energy in the shoulders, hips and deep muscles of the core. Sports professionals, such as your chiropractor, are including elastic band training in their golf conditioning programs because the bands provide dynamic resistance that ordinary weight lifting does not provide.
Besides back injuries, many golfers have painful “Golfer’s Elbow.” There is a minute difference between golfer’s elbow and tennis elbow despite the fact that they are nearly identical injuries. Whereas the outside of the upper arm is impinged in tennis elbow, golfer’s elbow affects the inner arm. Golfer’s elbow, like tennis elbow, can be the consequence of a single violent action, such as (in golf) hitting the mat at the driving range or striking a hard fairway surface. However, it generally is produced by repetitive stress from smaller shocks. Furthermore, it can occur for those who all at once start playing too much golf. For instance, if those that generally play golf once or twice a month decide to enter into a tournament, they are likely at risk for incurring the injury.
Golf makes unique requests of our body. The game is ordinarily longer than many other sports and that can lead to fatigue. Bad posture and impeded coordination are often the consequences of a fatigued body. These two factors combined can cause an assortment of injuries. In addition, because of the constant swinging of the golf clubs, the shoulder muscles are prone to injury. Just as great care should be taken to make sure that your muscles are stretched and warmed up before starting your golf game, be sure that you rest your body appropriately between games.
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is, perhaps, an unexpected injury related to golf. But, since it a condition that happens due to repetitive stress, a numerous amount of games of golf played over several months continuously may create this injury. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome can be a serious injury producing disability and on occasion needing surgery. However, chiropractic treatment and, sometimes the use of a brace will relieve the problem if a health professional, such as your chiropractor, detects it at an early stage.
Injuries are assumed to be an inescapable part of life for many golfers. However, a healthy, mobile spine, good preparation, proper exercise and muscle conditioning, attaining and sustaining a an appropriate fitness level, and prudent rest and recuperation after your game is over, can make injuries far less a part of your golfing experience.
Can Good Posture Help With Knee Pain Relief?
San Jose Chiropractor: Ten Most Frequently Asked Questions
Along with spinal conditions, knee pain and disability is one of the most commonplace dysfunctions of the musculoskeletal system. Conditions concerning the knee can be classified into several classes including unsatisfactory of the knee and reduced foot mechanics due to foot pain, regular overuse of the knee joint, inflammation due to arthritic changes in the joint, and traumatic injury from events such as sports and falls.
Non-trauma knee problems: Insufficient mechanics of the knee joint and the associated stress on the soft tissues of the knee are, by far, the most common cause of non-traumatic pain. Normally, the part of the knee implicated is the patella or knee-cap. Frequently the patella does not move evenly or does not move adequately on the femur during bending of the knee generating undue stress on the tendons, cartilage and ligaments. This distinct condition is often called chondromalacia patella (CMP) or Patella Femoral Syndrome (Knee Cap Pain). This dysfunction is due to imbalances in the quadriceps muscles of the thigh that attach to and move the patella. Lower back conditions, especially in the sacroiliac joints, are one of the primary reasons for imbalances in the muscles having to do with knee movement, and resultant knee problems. Pain and dysfunction can also be produced by imbalances in the muscle groups that connect to the knee. For example, pain on the medial or inside of the knee occurs when the muscles on the insides of the thigh are stretched and tight. Deficient foot mechanics that produce gait irregularities such as pronation, are an additional cause of mechanical knee pain.
The correspondent pain from overuse is most frequently experienced during activity, particularly stair climbing, running, jumping, and subsequent standing after prolonged sitting. A number of women seem to be predisposed to painful overuse problems for anatomical reasons, but such problems are many times caused by wearing high heels on a regular basis.
The main treatment for mechanical or overuse injuries to the knee is to re-establish proper balance of the muscles, restore proper movement to the patella and other joints of the knee, and to correct any subluxations of the sacroiliac joints and bones of the foot. In specific cases, a brace is used to help with the alignment of the patella or to stabilize the joint. Chiropractors, such as your San Jose chiropractor, are highly experienced in administering knowledgeable assessment and treatment of these conditions.
Knee problems due to trauma: Traumatic injuries commonly happen during physical exertion that involves running and jumping, such as football, basketball, and skiing. Sprains happen when tissue is torn due to the knee being stretched or bent beyond the strength of the ligaments that hold the joint together. Strains to muscles that move the knee can take place when the muscles are torn during injury. As with a sprain, a muscle strain can vary from a slight injury that requires little care to a serious injury necessitating surgery. The knee also contains two special “cartilages” – the menisci – between the tibia and the femur that provide for smooth mobility and cushioning. These cartilages can also be torn during trauma, and often require surgical repair, or even removal if damaged severely.
Traumatic knee injuries can produce intense pain and swelling and need immediate evaluation and treatment. In the majority of cases an experienced chiropractor, such as your San Jose Chiropractor, can treat these conditions, but there are some injuries that may necessitate the skills of an orthopedic surgeon. Whatever the case, it is very important to stabilize the injured joint immediately and to use ice on the damaged area, if possible, until the injury can be evaluated.
If poor mechanics, overuse problems, or traumatic injuries are not eliminated at an early stage, the tissues of the knee joint, especially the cartilage, will begin to wear out over the course of time. In that event the bones will rub on one another, and changes such as bone spurs can occur. This painful affliction, known as degenerative joint disease or osteoarthritis, is frequently progressive with age. Usual treatment may involve medications such as NSAIDS (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs). However, there are natural anti-inflammatory supplements that produce excellent results such as rosemary, glucosamine sulfate, chondroitin sulfate, bioflavinoids, curcumin. Conservative treatment, such as chiropractic, can be extremely helpful in alleviating the pain. Your San Jose chiropractor is will be happy to recommend anti-inflammatory supplements. In addition, people can frequently assist themselves by keeping their weight down, doing exercises (especially in the pool), and wearing cushioned shoes or insoles.
Sports Injuries and Chiropractic Care
Sports injuries, today are not just limited to professional athletes or boys who participate in school sports programs. Everyday, men and women of all ages are involved in regular sports and fitness activities. A large percentage of people participate in sports like golf and tennis, and/or other healthy activities like running, aerobic classes, and weight training. Sadly, risk of injury is always a possibility with any sports activity.
The majority of injuries can be put into two categories: 1) traumatic injury, such as a slip, fall, or collision and, 2) repetitive stress or overuse injury.
Traumatic Injuries
As the name implies, this type of injury produces the type of incapacitation and debilitation most frequently associated with trauma. As a rule injuries to the ligaments (the tissue that connects bone to bone) and to muscles are the most common, though the trauma of fractures and dislocations frequently occurs in contact sports. Trauma to a ligament is called a sprain, while damage to a muscle or its tendon is a strain. The most frequent parts of the body for these kinds of injuries are the ankles, knees, and shoulders, but other areas can be affected including the low back and neck. Because the spinal cord and/or spinal nerves can be affected, injury to the neck and low back can be very serious.
Traumatic injuries can vary from a mild “muscle pull” or ankle twist to a serious problem necessitating surgery. The enormity of the injury depends upon several factors, such as the severity of tearing of the tissues, the region of the injury, and the age of the person. Most sprains and strains are related to some degree of swelling and sometimes with internal bleeding, particularly with injury to the ankles and knees. Strains and sprains require proper attention, particularly during the initial stages of an injury, to insure proper healing and guard against future disability. Treatment from a competent health-care professional, such as your Santa Barbara chiropractor, is highly advisable.
If you’ve sustained an injury, the best course of action is to see a professional. Until help is attainable, remember the acronym, PRICE:
P Protect injury to prevent further damage
R Rest the damaged body region
I Ice injury to abate swelling, bleeding, muscle spasm, and pain
C Compress injury with a specifically designed or elastic bandage to support injured tissues
E Elevate the injury, particularly when the damage is to ankles and knees
As previously mentioned, proper assessment and treatment are vital to a complete recovery. A chiropractor can determine the degree of your injury and start needed recovery treatment. When appropriate management is given during the various stages of healing, nearly all those who have sustained sprain and strain injuries will recover. If not managed attentively, some sprains and strains can result in long-lasting problems such as joint instability, painful or weak joints and muscles, and lack of mobility. Good management of your sports injury by a chiropractor with years of experience in sports injury care will insure that your injury recovers properly. Call your Santa Barbara chiropractor if you have sustained a traumatic injury.
Repetitive Stress, or Overuse, Injuries
Sports such as golf, tennis, and bowling, as well as any other activity that necessitates the same movements over and over are prevalent causes of repetitive stress injuries. An action as natural and healthy as running, especially on a treadmill, can also be a factor.
Basically, overuse or repetitive stress injuries occur when an individual is involved in a repetitious activity that produces a very small strain to tissues, expressly tendons and muscles, that in and of itself would not cause a problem, but repeated many times has an accumulative effect. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is one of the most frequent classes of overuse injuries. The pain, stiffness, and disability associated with carpal tunnel problems takes place over a period of time as the muscles and other affected tissue develop changes that no longer let normal function. Definite factors predispose a person to these kinds of injury. Some are “intrinsic,” that is to say, the factor is found within a person’s own body. Other factors are “extrinsic,” which is to say that the factors are external and can frequently be changed or controlled by the individual.
Some of the most widespread intrinsic factors for injury
Age is the mostwell-established intrinsic factor for injury. The older a person is, the easier it is for that man or woman to get injured. Congenital abnormalities are another factor. A number of people are born with joint or muscle problems. And, finally, previous injuries are a factor as they generally prohibit the joints or muscles from functioning properly.
Extrinsic factors for injury
Extrinsic factors are numerous. For instance, sports equipment can faulty–an improper grip size of tennis racket or worn-out running shoes are prime examples, even a playing surface can be a factor, like a too-hard surface for soccer or an uneven treadmill. Inept technique, like an improper golf grip or swing, can produce stress and strain injuries. An additional factor is poor conditioning. Some individuals are injured because they are out of shape. Elevated frequency or prolonged duration of an activity, without building up slowly, can create the conditions for injury. Inadequate flexibility can produce injury if an individual is too stiff to do an activity safely. Warming up is vital before sports activities and not warming up, that is, not stretching or preparing for an activity is a prevalent cause of injury. And, lastly, but perhaps surprising to some, stress is a factor. Muscles that are tense and inflexible because of stress are too tight and, as such, unprepared for most sports activities.
It is important to remember that almost all factors are extrinsic and, therefore, they are factors that can be individually controlled. Before starting a new sport, or as a way to ward off injury in a current sport, it’s wise to get an assessment of your general body condition. If you’ve been injured, it is vital to seek out a experienced professional, like a chiropractor, to diagnose the nature of the injury and create a plan of care. If left untreated, an injury will not only prohibit an individual from participating in a favorite activity, but can significantly affect someone’s life in general. Treatment such as joint manipulation, massage, bracing, and specific exercises is frequently necessary to stabilize the condition. A chiropractor is a good source of help. Call a chiropractor if you’re either thinking of beginning a new activity, you’re feeling pain related to a current sports activity, or you’ve sustained a sports injury. Your Santa Barbara Chiropractor has years of experience helping people just like you.