Golf Injury Specifics

The typical amateur golfer can swing golf club 90 miles an hour or more. When golfers, both amateur and pro alike, swing their clubs out of swing path or out of balance, they put tremendous strain on their joints, muscles, ligaments and tendons. When the force applied to the tissues exceeds their ability to resist the force of the golf swing, they most likely will tear.

We call ligament and tendon tears "strains" or "sprains," depending on their severity and whether it is a tendon or ligament injury . Soft-tissue injuries can heal in six to eight weeks, depending on the severity of the injury and the age and fitness of the patient. However, when soft tissue heals, it replaces the injured tissue with less flexible scar tissue, and becomes weaker than before the injury occurred. Scar tissue replaces the original tissue in and around the injury site in an attempt by the body to stabilize the injured joint . Scar tissue is weaker, less elastic and more pain-sensitive than original soft tissue, making it less resistant to further injury. When challenged by the movement of the body, scar tissue will not stretch like the original tissue; instead, they get irritated which results in further inflammation of the joint, which in turn leads to more pain and tenderness and decreased range of motion(joint stiffness).

Golf injuries fall under two general categories: acute and chronic. Acute injuries are new injuries, and are usually associated with painful swelling. An acute injury prevents you from playing golf altogether. The first four to six weeks are crucial in the management and treatment of a new joint injury. In addition to pain relief, the goal of treatment is to break down the developing scar tissue in an effort to realign the healing tissue in a way that will lead to proper movement and function of the damaged joint and surrounding tissue, and the prevention of further injury in the future. Failure to treat the injured joint as early as possible may lead to irreversible diminished range of motion of the injured joint.

Golfers with acute injuries should follow the RICE format of treatment immediately. REST, ICE, COMPRESS, and ELEVATE. First of all, rest the injured joint. An ice packs should be applied as soon as possible in an effort to reduce painful swelling. The ice should be applied for as long as 20 minutes per hour (20 minutes on and 40 minutes off per hour). Repeat as often as possible during the first 72 hours of an acute injury. To avoid skin irritation, do not apply the ice directly to the skin. Instead, place the ice pack inside a towel before applying to the skin, or apply the ice pack over your shirt. Compress the injury with the ice pack. Compression will assist in the prevention of further joint swelling. Elevate the injured joint above heart level. This step will also assist in keepink the joint swelling to a minimum. Finally, seek professional care. Some Chiropractors, like myself, specialize in specific joint injuries. I have helped numerous golfers over the years with great results.

Golfers with chronic injuries, those that have persisted for years, have a unique problem to overcome. Old injuries are often infiltrated with dense binding scar tissue preventing normal joint function and inhibiting normal range of motion within the damaged joint. Chronic injuries are more difficult to work with and typically take a longer time to see results, but these joints can be returned to a close to normal level of functioning. My goal with chronic injuries is to return the joint to a functional level while decreasing joint pain, and reducing the risk of further joint injury.

As an avid golfer myself, I know the obsession golf creates. With the help of proper fitness and nutrition, and of course, regular Chiropractic care, I have been able to avoid any golf related injuries. As I continue to live a healthy lifestyle and take care of my body, I look forward to a lifetime of pain free and injury free golf. What else could a golfer ask for?

Green Thumbs & Back Pain

Can you smell it?
-The freshly cut grass.
-The scent of newly blooming flowers.
-The clean breeze blowing in.
Can you feel it?
-The warmth of the sunshine on your face.
-The cool soil between your fingers.
-The pain and stiffness in your low back.

Gardening season is underway, and we are all looking forward to working in our gardens and planting flowers with the all the colors we have been dreaming about since last summer. Lawns are in need of mowing and the shrubs are begging to be trimmed. Mulch needs to be applied after 50 pound bags of topsoil are carried from car to flowerbed. Maintaining our lawns and gardens is a national pastime. In my mind it is exercise cleverly disguised as work. To most others it is a hobby, a form of meditation, and a form of stress relief from the long work week. Regardless of your viewpoint, working on the lawn and in the garden is stressful on the low back.
A recent poll of 2,000 adults revealed that greater than 50% of them have suffered low back pain at some point over the past year, and more than half of them attribute the problem to gardening and yard work. Most gardeners fail to realize how stressful this activity is to their spine and joints. Just like any form of exercise (I mentioned my opinion!), warm-up and stretching must be included as part of your healthy gardening experience. This is not to say that warming up and stretching prior to working in the yard will rid you of your backache and stiffness, but rather prepare our body for the hard work ahead and prevent more serious injury that may keep you away from your garden for extended periods of time.

Go for a walk before starting your work to get your muscles and tendons loose, and to help get the joints moving. Follow up your walk with a simple stretching routine. Stretching is the most overlooked function of health and flexibility. I spend time with many of my patients going over basic stretching movements in an effort to prevent injury and to help assist my spinal adjustments to be more effective. Also, be sure not to remain in the same position for any extended period of time. Movement is the key to staying free of stiffness (This is true as well for sitting in a chair or on the couch for extended periods of time.) and injury.

Chiropractic focuses on movement at the spinal joint level. Just as every joint in your body needs to be freely movable in order to function properly, the same is true for the 32 individual joints that make up your spinal column. If you do experience any joint pain, muscle spasm, or discomfort, apply ice to the region for 15 minutes and give me a call. I will get those stubborn joints functioning properly again, and you will be back to your lawn and garden before the next pruning session.

Pain As Self Defense

The human body is an incredible, well oiled machine, but every now and then a problem occurs and the amazing body kicks into Self Defense mode. Our body is equipped with an extremely sensitive protection system that reacts to the slightest changes in it's environment. Take for example the simple act of shivering. Shivering is a self defense mechanism turned on by your body when it senses it is getting too cold. Your body's thermostat signals the brain that it is in danger of a temperature drop that may be harmful. Within fractions of a second, the brain sends a signal down your spinal cord and out through your spinal nerve roots telling all the muscle groups to start spasming. This muscle spasm utilizes energy and causes the muscles to heat up, thus causing your body temperature to rise preventing injury to your body, brain, or organs. This happens without us even thinking about it. It is purely an innate response by your body. You couldn't stop shivering if you had to....your body has taken over to protect itself.

Pain is also a response by your body telling you that something is not quite right. When you move in a certain direction and your body screams "DON'T DO THAT," it is sending you a message that should not be ignored. It is not telling you to take pain killers or muscle relaxants to minimize the pain. Drugs and medications effect the body's natural responses and self defense mechanisms. By turning off or ignoring these messages, you are setting yourself up for further injury. Remember, symptoms (muscle spasm, headaches, pain, numbness, tingling, etc.) are there for a reason and by eliminating these symptoms you are allowing your body to do things, and move in certain ways that it was protecting against in the first place. You hear about athletes playing with injuries all the time. They take cortisone injections or pain killers to get through the game or the season only to find out he injury is worse than first expected. If the athlete had listened to his or her body and stopped playing, there is a very good chance the damage would have been minimized and the recovery time from the injury shortened dramatically. These athletes get paid millions to put their body's at risk, but that is not the case for the rest of us. If we suffer a major injury it effects our work, our quality of life, and even our emotional state(which will also effect our family).

The bottom line is this: LISTEN TO YOUR BODY.....IT KNOWS BEST! As a Chiropractor I help patients listen to their body and to understand the message it is sending. And, rather than just treating their symptoms, I find the cause of the problem causing those symptoms, fix the problem, and let the body do what it does naturally.....heal itself. The body is an incredible machine, but it is the owner's job to listen to it and to act accordingly, not to ignore the important messages it sends.

I look forward to future discussions about Wellness and the workings of the Amazing Human Body.

Yours in Health,

Daniel Bart,DC

My Introduction

My name is Daniel Bart and I am a practicing Chiropractor in the Atlanta metro area. I am from New York City, and prior to entering Chiropractic school I owned a successful Personal Training company in the New York tri-state area. My personal training business focused on the rehabilitation of joint surgeries such as hip and knee replacements, rotator cuff repair, and heart valve replacement procedures to name a few. I truly enjoyed working with my clients and watching them progress and get stronger and more fit, but there seemed to be more that I could do to help.

Preaching Wellness and Preventative Care were and still are primary principles of mine, and with that in mind, I decided Chiropractic school was the place for me. While at school I learned the importance of specific and scientifically sound Chiropractic care. With my background in exercise, I found it equally important to use a Chiropractic technique that incorporated care based on the true biomechanics of the human spine and joint structures. I certified in the Gonstead Technique midway through my schooling which allowed me the opportunity to teach other students who were interested in learning to provide specific Chiropractic care(Clarence Gonstead developed this specific system of Chiropractic care.). Soon after, I helped to start the Life University Gonstead Mentor Program. With all the poor Chiropractic care out there, I thought it was important to have an impact on the next generation of Chiropractors, thus the mentor program.

I am currently practicing in the Atlanta area, out of the prestigous Ravinia Club. Working on difficult and challenging cases has always brought out the best in me, and helping patients avoid medication and surgery makes me proud to be a Chiropractor. Being at Ravinia has opened up opportunities to work with golfers(a couple aspiring professionals) and athletes to help improve their games and decrease their chances of injury.

I love what I do, and especially love the opportunity to help my patients experience the quality of life they are looking for and deserve.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions you may have. Whether they are questions about Chiropractic care, or exercise, or any other health and wellness topics, I will do my best to answer as specifically as possible. I look forward to a healthy future together.

Yours in Health,

Daniel Bart,DC