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.

 

Process of Disc Degeneration

A herniated disc can be a big problem. Besides being sore, it may cause pain or numbness to radiate to other parts of your body and contribute to further dysfunction in your spinal column. But there is a difference between a disc that becomes herniated due to an injury and degenerative disc disease. At Kosak Chiropractic in Fairfield, we provide holistic, low-risk treatment for both, but we want to focus this week on the importance of managing disc degeneration.

The spinal discs are shock absorbers and supply much of the spine’s height. They are interspersed between the bodies of the articulated vertebrae, with the exception of the top two vertebrae. Spinal discs consist of an inner ring of gel called the nucleus pulposus and an outer ring of fibrous material, called the annulus fibrosus. One of the common problems with aging is that the nucleus pulposus loses water, causing it to become less springy and putting the annulus fibrosus at greater risk of developing small tears. As the annulus fibrosus degenerates, it becomes deformed, creating a risk that the disc will bulge outward and compress nearby tissues. It also releases proteins that trigger inflammation, restricting the patient’s movement.

A herniated disc can cause a throbbing ache, and if it’s compressing a nerve root, the patient may also feel a shooting pain along that nerve. In those cases, we can provide chiropractic adjustments to put the discs and vertebrae back in the right place and use therapeutic massage to reduce inflammation. It’s not clear why the nucleus pulposus loses water with age, but musculoskeletal maintenance can help keep pressure off the spinal discs. Therapeutic exercises will keep the back muscles strong and flexible, and our nutritional counseling will help patients maintain a healthy weight.

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.

Spinal Spurs

Spinal spurs are a common problem. These abnormal growths of bone tissue in the vertebrae are a frequent occurrence as people age, and if they’re positioned badly, they can contribute to joint inflammation and compressed nerve roots. But although spurs can fuel vicious cycles of inflammation and abnormal bone development, they don’t usually require surgical treatment. At Kosak Chiropractic in Fairfield, we provide pain relief that is minimally invasive and will position the body to function better in the future.

 Bone spurs develop at locations of inflammation. When a person has osteoarthritis, the cartilage that cushions the joints connecting the vertebrae wears away. As a result, the spinal joints become inflamed by rubbing against each other, and spurs develop that limit their mobility. Spurs can also develop when the discs between vertebrae are damaged. As the disc becomes less able to cushion the vertebrae and their connecting soft tissues, the soft tissues are subjected to additional wear and become inflamed. This allows spurs to develop at the point where the ligaments connect to bone.

Spurs can be identified through imaging tests such as x-rays. We’ll also ask patients to undergo range-of-motion tests so we can determine if there’s nerve blockage or muscle fatigue. Treatments focus on reducing inflammation and restoring range-of-motion. We’ll use chiropractic adjustments to relieve pressure on the spinal joints and electric muscle stimulation and ultrasound to loosen muscles and ligaments. We can also employ massage therapy to push old blood out of inflamed areas and allow nutrient-rich fresh blood in. Lastly, therapeutic exercises will keep the back muscles strong, providing better support to overburdened spinal joints.

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.