Heidi Overman, LMT
How does your body feel when you’re playing golf?
Golf is a game that challenges your body. You are twisting, flexing, gripping, and extending muscles in ways you don’t normally do. The movements are quick and your muscles need to be able to react without pulling and tweaking while hitting your shot.
Sure, you stretched for a few minutes before you played. You did stretch before you played golf today, right? Did you stretch? Did you stretch properly? Did you stretch the right muscles?
Why am I asking all of these questions? It’s golf!
Golf is a great sport. It keeps you active and your body moving. However, when you play, you can feel that tight low back. Your shoulder may pull or ache after playing. Your elbow hurts, and your grip isn’t what it used to be. Your knees are achy and what’s that sharp pain in your hip? How’s your neck range of motion?
Stretching is important with all sports. When you stretch, it should be slow and hold when you start to feel the stretch. Thirty minutes of stretching before an activity will help teach those muscles to release, so you don’t get injured while playing.
Massage is another way of not only preventing injury—such as muscle strain, pulled muscle, muscle tears, and more—it will help alleviate the current issues you are having. Therapeutic massage can help release tight muscles, resulting in less strain and pain during your golf game.
As an example, if your thumb or wrist is hurting, we can work on your extensors in your arm. Do you feel a tug in your mid-back when you swing through? We can relax those muscles so you won’t feel that pull. Is the range of motion in your neck holding you back from completing your full swing? Let’s work on it!
Golf is a great game. Regular massage can help! Let’s keep you healthy and flexible in order to keep you swinging for years to come.
New at MEND
Realign, Rebuild, Relax
MEND is embracing the Fundamental Lifestyle Approach to helping you achieve your goals. With this approach, you will receive individualized plans and instruction on what will be best for you and your fundamental lifestyle.
$11 per 45-minute class (drop-in rate)
Re-Align
Every Monday at 4 p.m. Up to three spots available (with social distancing)
In this class you will:
* Re-align your head-tail connection
* Focus on your challenges
* Explore the distribution of weight in your feet
* Explore your range of motion within various body parts
* Adjust your posture
* Find your balance
* Beginner to intermediate
Re-Build
Every Monday at 4 p.m. Up to three spots available (with social distancing)
In this class you will:
* Rebuild—strength
* Tone—head to toe muscle groups
* Body weight exercises
* Beginner to intermediate
Relax
Every Monday at 4 p.m. Up to three spots available (with social distancing)
In this class you will work on:
* Basic breath work
* Stretch
* Movement
* Beginner to intermediate
If you are interested in a therapeutic massage, please call MEND for an appointment at 520-771-1514. Our website is mymendingplace.com and we’re located at MEND Therapeutic Massage and Restorative Skincare, 15920 N Oracle Rd., Ste 170 Tucson, AZ 85739 (next to the Golden Goose).
My Back Hurts: Should I See a Chiropractor or a Medical Doctor?
Dr. Craig Brue, D.C.
As a practicing chiropractor, I have been treating and giving advice related to the prevention and management of back and neck pain for over 40 years. The advice contained in the article is based on clinical experience and a life-long dedication to help patients resolve painful spinal conditions.
You will benefit by having both an excellent medical doctor (MD) and a great doctor of chiropractic (DC) on your health team. Both types of providers are sound sources of advice because they are dedicated to helping you live a long and healthy life. Your medical doctor is a specialist in biochemistry— the internal function of your body. A chiropractor is a specialist in spinal biomechanics: posture, position, spinal misalignment, and a drug-free lifestyle.
These are a few of my life-long observations and recommendations regarding your choices for the treatment of back and neck pain.
* Most chiropractic clinics can get you into their clinic on the same day you call, or within 24-48 hours of the day you call. The sooner you get an accurate diagnosis and treatment plan, the sooner you will begin the road to recovery.
* Chiropractors are specialists in structural misalignment and spinal biomechanics. Your chiropractor will evaluate your posture and your spine’s ability to move and function. Chiropractors are looking for the cause of your back pain.
* An excellent chiropractor will work with your medical team to make sure that you have the best of care. If necessary, your chiropractor will also refer you to an appropriate internist, physical therapist, neurosurgeon, or orthopedic specialist.
* A chiropractor will treat you without the use of dangerous drugs, shots, and surgery. Chiropractors will give you a common sense approach for the treatment of back and neck pain. There are often many simple things you can do to help yourself in the management of pain with lifestyle changes: beds, shoes, pillows, supports, postural changes, and rehab exercises.
* An excellent chiropractic clinic will have x-ray equipment on-site so that you can receive an accurate diagnosis and understanding of the reason that you are experiencing pain. An accurate diagnosis is essential before beginning treatment. You do not want to go to any type of doctor or therapist that is doing “guess work” on your spine.
* Chiropractors are the only doctors that specialize in the application of specific spinal adjustments to reduce or correct vertebral misalignment. Chiropractic care often works even when all other methods of treatment have failed. Your body has a miraculous ability to heal and repair when you improve your body’s structure and alignment.
My advice: Consider the most conservative approach first. Find a great chiropractor to be a part of your health team. You have nothing to lose except the pain you are experiencing.
Dr. Craig Brue is an author, lecturer, and chiropractic provider in SaddleBrooke. For more information on chiropractic go to bruechiropractic.com.