Hip Labral Tears

Do you feel pain in one of your hips when you’ve been standing, sitting, or moving for a long time? Does it feel stiff or like it gets caught? If so, there may be a problem with the joint’s cartilage. At Kosak Chiropractic in Fairfield, we’re more than just a clinic for back pain. Our experts in musculoskeletal health use non-addictive, non-invasive treatments for all sorts of joint problems. This week, we’re discussing a type of hip injury known as a labral tear.

A labrum is a seal of cartilage that locks the ball of the femoral head into the socket of the pelvis. (There’s one connecting the arm to the shoulder, too.) The labrum also provides cushioning, and if it tears, a person is at risk for developing arthritis or a bone spur in the future. Although the labrum can be damaged by an acute injury, it can also wear down due to repetitive motions, particularly in people who had an abnormal ball and socket connection to begin with. People who play sports that stress the hip muscles, such as soccer and hockey, are at greater risk for developing hip labral tears.

Hip labrum tears don’t always have symptoms, but they may be accompanied by other injuries. An x-ray will help us to determine if there’s something wrong with the bones of the joint that would require a chiropractic adjustment. Otherwise, patients will likely be prescribed physical therapy to improve their hip’s range of motion and stretch out their muscles. We can also use electric muscle stimulation and therapeutic massages to reduce inflammation and shorten workout recovery time.

Kosak Chiropractic is located at 1252 Travis Blvd., Suite G, Fairfield, CA, 94533. To schedule an appointment, visit Kosak Chiropractic online or call 707-426-1111.

 

Golf Injuries

If you’re looking for a way to exercise while physically distancing, golf isn’t a bad option. Besides allowing you to stretch your limbs, it exposes you to plenty of sunlight, which will allow you to build stronger bones. But golf can take a toll on your back if you’re not careful, and at Kosak Chiropractic in Fairfield, we’ve seen a lot of golfers suffer from lower back pain. Although we provide holistic, non-addictive treatments to enable a speedy recovery, we want our patients to know how to prevent wear and tear to their musculoskeletal system.

Swinging a golf club subjects the torso and hips to strong forces. The spine is rotating quickly on a tilt, and the lumbar region, or lower back, doesn’t have as much internal stability as other parts of the spinal column. Ideally, the hips and shoulders should be rotating with the spine to create a fluid motion, but if not, the muscles and ligaments attaching to it may be strained. In worse cases, a spinal disc may rupture, or a fracture in the facet joints may allow a vertebra to become unstable. Disc injuries tend to occur more in older athletes, while facet joint injuries tend to happen more often to younger people.

Anytime a person exercises, it’s important to warm up first by doing dynamic stretches. It’s a good idea for new golfers to seek professional training, but one basic pointer is that they should bend with their hips and knees instead of their lower backs. If a golfer suffers an injury that is still causing problems after a day of rest and icing, we can provide a diagnostic and determine whether they would benefit from treatments including chiropractic adjustments, electric muscle stimulation, therapeutic massages, and ultrasound. We’ll also recommend therapeutic exercises that will improve core strength and the flexibility of the hips and shoulders.

Kosak Chiropractic is located at 1252 Travis Blvd., Suite G, Fairfield, CA, 94533. To schedule an appointment, visit Kosak Chiropractic online or call 707-426-1111.

 

Back Pain in Teen Athletes

Although teenagers don’t suffer from back pain at as high a rate as adults, they’re not immune to it. There are several health conditions that could predispose a teenager to developing back problems, and the teenage years are when athletes usually begin to incur a risk of overuse injuries. At Kosak Chiropractic in Fairfield, we’re happy to help teens learn about wellness and what they can do to exercise safely and recover effectively.

Usually, when teenagers suffer back pain due to overuse injuries, the damage is limited to their muscles. In such cases, they may want to apply ice for fifteen minute intervals immediately after the injury and gradually work their way back to normal activity. If pain is recurring, we can provide electric muscle stimulation and cold laser therapy. But without a professional diagnosis, it may be difficult to tell the difference between muscle sprain and a dislocation of the spinal column. These could include spondylolisthesis, in which one of the vertebrae slip forward past the others, a fracture in the facet joints, or, less common in adolescents, a herniated disc.

Chiropractic adjustments can be helpful while recovering from a spinal injury, but we also offer lifestyle counseling, including physical therapy and nutrition. Teenage girls, in particular, are vulnerable to osteoporosis, and need both regular calcium and strong core muscles to prevent back injuries. Scoliosis is also more common in girls, and teenagers need to be examined for it at regular appointments. They may be able to reduce its severity through physical therapy and bracing.

Kosak Chiropractic is located at 1252 Travis Blvd., Suite G, Fairfield, CA, 94533. To schedule an appointment, visit Kosak Chiropractic online or call 707-426-1111.

Lower Back Pain in Runners

Although it is to our long-term benefit to exercise regularly, lower back pain is a common problem among runners. Many athletes, professionals as well as amateurs, experience soreness in their lower backs and hips immediately after work-outs. Over time, they may be at risk for wearing down their muscles, spinal discs, or cartilage. At Kosak Chiropractic in Fairfield, we want to ensure all our patients are able to maintain a healthy lifestyle, which is why we wanted to discuss preventive care for runners.

We have several deep muscles in our core and hips that help to stabilize our spines. When they’re strong, they restrict torque and lateral sway, and put more force into our strides. But our core muscles aren’t just the ones we see from the outside. The deep muscles linking our lower spines, pelvis, and femurs can easily become tight if we’re sitting all day, and the condition of our surface abdominal muscle doesn’t necessarily reflect the strength of the ones beneath it. 

If you experience radiating pain, you should come to our office to be treated for a pinched nerve. But if you are trying to reduce post-workout aches, you may want to try more hip stretches and core strengthening. Bridges, side-lying leg raises, and side planks are exercises that target the hip muscles connecting to the lower back. You should also try to make sure you’re getting in a twenty minute walk each day, if you work in an office setting, and making sure you warm up and cool down adequately during each work-out. If you’re unsure whether exercising is safe for you, we can help you devise a personalized work-out plan.

Kosak Chiropractic is located at 1252 Travis Blvd., Suite G, Fairfield, CA, 94533. To schedule an appointment, visit Kosak Chiropractic online or call 707-426-1111.

Tailbone Injuries

Have you ever heard of a bruised tailbone? It’s rare for the tailbone to truly be cracked, but the soft tissues surrounding it can certainly be injured. At Kosak Chiropractic in Fairfield, we use noninvasive, non-addictive treatments to relieve pain and put the body in the best position possible to heal itself. Let’s take a closer look at why pain would occur in this area.

The tailbone, scientifically known as the coccyx, is made up of several fused vertebrae that hang below the sacrum, the part of the spine that connects to the hips. The coccyx helps to anchor the large muscles and ligaments in the pelvis. When they get inflamed and become painful, a patient is said to be suffering from “coccydynia.” Their deep location normally prevents them from being harmed, but injuries can happen during childbirth, as well as activities such as horseback riding and cycling.

Coccydynia will often be at its worst when a person is seated. We can provide patients with ring-shaped pillows or chiropractic wedges to sit on, which will keep weight off their tailbone. We can also make adjustments to displaced joints. Other possibilities include inflammation reduction through electric muscle stimulation and therapeutic exercise to ensure that the muscles responsible for moving the legs and stabilizing the lower back remain supple during the patient’s recovery.

Kosak Chiropractic is located at 1252 Travis Blvd., Suite G, Fairfield, CA, 94533. To schedule an appointment, visit Kosak Chiropractic online or call 707-426-1111.

 

Rotator Cuff Injuries

The Kosak Chiropractic clinic in Fairfield provides care for the entire body. Our whole musculoskeletal system can suffer when any part of it is injured, which is why a holistic approach is necessary. One common injury we see is fraying of the rotator cuff, which too many people unnecessarily use drugs or surgery to treat.

The rotator cuff is the bundle of tendons that strap the humerus, or upper arm bone, into the shoulder joint. The muscles they attach to allow the arm to move in a full circle and they are kept lubricated by a bursa between the joint and bone on the top of the shoulder. The bursa and the muscles are both prone to inflammation when overused or when the patient develops a degenerative condition.

While a disastrous injury can sever a tendon, what is more common is for the fibers that comprise tendons to fray, leaving small holes. As people age, the body has difficulty supplying sufficient blood to tendons in the extremities. This causes them to be weaker and increases the risk that the shoulder bones will develop bony spurs that can irritate nearby soft tissue. Degenerative rotator cuff tears are also common among people who have to make repetitive motions, such as athletes and painters. After diagnosing a rotator cuff injury, we’ll provide patients with several pain relief options, including ultrasound therapy (to break up scar tissue) and electric muscle stimulation (to stimulate fresh blood flow.) We may also recommend that the patient rest when not doing therapeutic exercises, which will target their upper back as well as their shoulder. Our nutritional counseling service can advise patient on what nutrients they need to speed their healing.

Kosak Chiropractic is located at 1252 Travis Blvd., Suite G, Fairfield, CA, 94533. To schedule an appointment, visit Kosak Chiropractic online or call 707-426-1111.

 

Sports Injuries

Whether you’re a professional athlete or just enjoy a good workout, sports injuries can happen to anyone. That’s why Dr. Michael Wilson of Kosak Chiropractic offers Sports Injury therapy to patients. Our chiropractic team combines manual adjustments with physical medicine. Let us help you get off the bench and back into the game. Contact our office in Fairfield, CA.

 

Repetitive motions are the leading cause of athletic injuries. Engaging in the same movements wears down the muscles and soft tissues. For example, in tennis and golf players, this is called Lateral Epicondylitis. Inflammation causes severe pain in the elbow due to the muscles repeatedly swinging the golf club or tennis racquet.

 

When it comes to chiropractic treatment, your Fairfield chiropractic focuses on discovering the cause of your pain. Other medical professionals just treat your symptoms. We believe that the only way for you to heal is to find the issue itself. Chiropractic adjustments relieve pain while addressing the problem. Any misalignment needs to be corrected. Simultaneously, inflammation and swelling are reduced with physical medicine and sports rehab.

 

Are you an athlete recently recovering from surgery? Maybe you’ve recently undergone knee surgery and are struggling to recover. Dr. Wilson can help. We’ll help rebuild your strength and flexibility. For back pain injuries, our chiropractic adjustments relieve herniated discs. These discs pinch the nerves, causing radiating or throbbing pain in your back.

 

To learn more about Sports Injury therapy, or our other chiropractic treatments, contact Kosak Chiropractic in Fairfield, CA. To schedule an appointment with Dr. Michael Wilson, visit our website or call 707-426-1111.