I enjoyed his attention to describing what the root words for chiropractic stand for (Greek meaning ‘done by hand’). While the methods shown here are different than what we offer in our office, you can appreciate the fact that chiropractic is helping the body to heal itself – as the chiropractor in this video discusses.

When we remove the interference to the nerve system, the communication between brain and body is able to fully express itself and you are able to heal and function at your optimum.

So, enjoy this video of a recent Dr. Oz show where he talks about the spine and why you can benefit from chiropractic.

In many cases, you can prevent injuries requiring more extensive treatments.

Stretching

This is one of those things that many people will simply not do.  If you could do something that is relatively simple and easy to accomplish at home, wouldn’t you do it?  Well, why aren’t you doing it, then? Maybe you don’t know how.

Depending upon the types of stretching you require, you may find that doing them at home is a great way to go.  Let’s focus on the legs, back and shoulders.  These are the most common areas where many golfers can use it the most.

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The hamstrings are typically tight in many males, especially those who run or play a lot of golf.  These same muscles can become ‘shrunk’ from sitting for much of the day in the office.  A simple set of stretches could include you sitting on the floor with your legs extended, either together in front of you or spread open a bit.  Straight out in front of you will be targeting both at the same time.  If you have them spread, you can isolate one more easily, then the other.

The stretch involves reaching toward your toes.  Don’t be too concerned if you reach them, just yet.  You can hold the sides of your thighs or underneath, supporting your hamstring muscles.  You want to hold the position for a count of 10 full breaths.  Feel your breath move as fully and freely through your abdomen, lower back and upper spine as you can.  Slowly uncurl as you release to finish your stretch.

While this stretch will also gentle stretch your lower back, you can add others to help with the twisting motion that is a big part of your golf swing.  With this one, you’ll lay on your back with one of your knees bent.  Then, with your arm on that same side extended out away from your body, bring that opposite knee across your body toward the floor.  This will create a stretching in your lower back area.

In terms of your shoulders, tightness can really put a strain on your ability to fully appreciate a smooth swing plane.  The best stretch you can do for your shoulders is to do an alternating stretch of each one.  Start by having the arm of the shoulder you want to stretch extended straight out in front of you, then use the hand of your other arm to pull that straightened arm across your body.

You can also use a light weight dumbbell (3-5 pounds) to create a gentle pulling of your shoulder joint.  You support your body, by placing your other hand on a chair, couch or table to create a space where you can hang the weight.  Then, use your body to create gentle circles with the weight.  You can do reps of say 30 rotations of the weight going  clockwise, then start swinging the opposite direction for another 30 reps.

Combined, these stretches can help you eliminate many of the muscular components of leg, back and shoulder pain as it relates to golf or other sports, for that matter.

One thing we haven’t addressed in this article, but you’ll find elsewhere on our site is mention of supervised care in the office.  We offer Network Chiropractic care, a very gentle and effective form of care that has been shown to assist both novice and professional athletes to develop more body awareness and ease in their chosen sports.  An improved ability to be aware of your body and how to move and perform will also decrease injury and improve your stamina during the round.  Ever notice how those last few holes can be draining?

If you’d like to learn more about the research or many other benefits to Network spinal care, then feel free to peruse our site or contact us today to make your initial evaluation.

Back pain and other injuries are common in the golf profession as well.

In this article, we’ll discuss some of the more common back pain golf injuries and what you can do about them.  Like with all health care information you find online, it would be prudent to contact your local health practitioner that you trust to help you figure out the nature of your pain.  Many back pain symptoms present in similar ways, so it’s always best to have a good diagnosis before coming up with your own treatment plan.

Back Pain

This is one of the highest injury categories in golfers.  It also happens to be common among the general population.  It is estimated that 80% of the population will experience back pain at some point in their life.  If you play golf, it always seems to happen right before or during your round, doesn’t it?

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The common areas are the lower back near the pelvis and upper back pain, between the shoulder blades or in the shoulder joints themselves.  While neck pain and other joints, like the knees, wrists and elbows can become involved, we’re going to be focusing on the spine.

Injuries to the lower back often are the result of poor form or posture during the swing.  They can also be due to swinging too hard and other aspects relating to mechanics.  It can be a chicken or the egg type of dilemma.  It is well known, now, that posture is more of a reflection of what level of tension our body holds unconsciously than any conscious attempt we are making.  The good thing is, you can set up properly in your stance and make sure that you are balanced prior to your swing to help with this.  However, making sure that your body is free of spinal tension is the key to a more fluid and full golf swing.

Pain in the upper back regions are often due to muscular spasms, trigger points or spinal joint shearing.  The repetitive nature of the swing makes it critical that the muscles are at ease and the joints of the spine can be moving smoothly.  Hydration is a key component to much of this as well.  In many areas, like where we are located in the desert, golf is very popular.  It also is one of the most dry and arid climates, so care should be taken to stay well hydrated.

A common form of back pain can be the result of the joints of the spine being irritated or locked in their ranges of motion.  This is called facet syndrome and it can be extremely painful to move in most any range.  It is more common in the lower back, but the upper back and neck can be areas as well.

To have your initial evaluation regarding the nature and depth of your back pain or golf injury, contact us today.  We offer an exciting and progressive form of care known as Network Chiropractic.  Learn more about it on our site and schedule your appointment.  You’ll be back on the course and, hopefully,  shooting lower scores in no time.

This is very true of pains in many different regions of the body.  Let’s examine a few as they relate to the spine and the classic cases we see in our office and discuss what we can find there.

Lower Back Pain Left Side

The lower left or right part of the back is a common area to feel a variety of pains.

The muscles would be the lattissimus, obliques and paraspinal muscles. There are also important ‘interspinal’ muscles that are smaller in nature and have to do with postural support. They are innervated by aspects of the spinal nerves that also regulate other aspects of your physiology.

Then, you’ve got the joints of your spine and the spinal nerves. The joints can become stuck, locked, pinched and compressed leading to limited ranges of motion, pain and can cause your muscles to work ineffectively. Likewise, the spinal nerves exiting the spine can be compressed or impinged from these areas. This, in addition to any disc bulging can lead to a variety of ‘nerve pinching’ types of feelings. These could be burning, tingling, numbness and even muscle weakness at more critical stages of compression.

Right Lower Back Pain

As mentioned, the right side of your lower back is quite similar as the left. There are different aspects, organ-wise. These are the ascending colon and the liver. The pancreas also begins on this side, but is also more central. Also, the gall bladder is located ‘beneath’ the liver. Both of these often refer pain to the central abdomen or left shoulder.

In terms of the spinal muscles, it is common for them to have a rigid or tense feeling to them. They can even feel ‘ropey’ or like straps of steel that have become tight over months or years of stress being imposed on them. This stress often comes from various physical and emotional or mental stress and may be related to biochemical stressors as well.

This stress or tension is the way that your body protects itself or literally ‘walls off’ the offending stressor for release at another time when you are better able to cope with it. Often, unless you do something different in life or for your health, nothing changes with respect to this tension.

There is something you can do, something amazing! Since you’re on our site, you’ll know that Network Chiropractic has been shown to help people with a variety of aches, pains and other symptoms – even emotional stress, like anxiety – to adapt better and unwind the stress and tension.

This very gentle form of care helps your nervous system to better adapt to life, helping YOU feel less tension, more ease and a greater sense of well-being. If you’re looking for a chiropractor in Gilbert, then simply contact us and we’ll be happy to show you how we can help you, too.

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I don’t bring this up to insult anyone or their knowledge of the human frame, it’s just to make the point that location matters.  If you are experiencing pain in the middle of your back, there are some common causes, many of which can be treated with very conservative approaches and home care.

In the middle of your back, similar to what has currently been addressed in my article about upper back pain, there are only a handful of structures that commonly cause pain.  Like with all health-related complaints, you should never use the information you read on the internet for diagnostic or treatment purposes, but it can help you to gain knowledge about your symptoms.

In this case, middle back pain or pain in your shoulder blade areas is most often caused by muscle spasms, trigger points and spinal tension that is the result of various physical, mental, emotional and chemical stresses.  What your body could not adequately adapt to becomes stored as tension within your tissues.

Over time, this WILL lead to you feeling pain, muscle spasms or other structural and postural changes.  Better to address these issues as they arise, then wait until you have problems and have to start there.  This means, begin your natural or holistic approach to health and well being before you need them due to pain.  Consider it like proper spinal hygiene.

But, back to your issue, specifically.  Muscle spasms and trigger points are often the result of improper structure and information being sent via your spinal nerves telling them to contract, rather than them being the underlying cause.  Over time, shortened muscles can also further exacerbate a posturally-related problem.

In fact, many of these upper and middle back pain causes are made worse by sitting in front of a computer screen all day.  We are not meant to be sedentary in this way.  The human body is designed to be active and mobile, not hunched in front of a screen for hours at a time and years on end!  Shoulder blade area pain can be a compensation for this rounded posture and muscle spasming as well.

Another problem that arises is the spinal tension that develops as the result of your body not being fully able to adapt to the various physical, mental, emotional and biochemical stresses placed upon it at any given time.  Your ability to adapt to these various stresses will determine how you feel.  And, ultimately, how you feel will determine how you function.

This spinal tension is the main focus of our efforts in helping people.  The gentle care we provide, called Network Chiropractic, helps people to not only unwind the tension that is being held within their spine, but also to develop a greater ability to adapt to the stressful demands of their lives.  If you are going to be sitting at a computer all day – which, let’s face it, that’s a reality for many people in an ‘digital era’ – you need to be able to adapt more effectively.  This means having the ability to unwind the effects so that it doesn’t take atoll on your body.  If you’re experiencing pain in your middle back or shoulder areas, then we invite you to contact us to discover when we can can help you.