Physical Therapy Blog

The Masters Tournament is a major event in the world of professional golf. Every year, top players from all over the world are invited to the tournament to compete for the prestigious green jacket. But it can also be a cause for concern when it comes to golf injuries. 

When you are looking for a public golf course to play a few rounds, it can be challenging to narrow down your options. Many communities have multiple golf courses, and Birmingham is no exception - the Magic City has many beautiful public greens. With so many choices of golf courses in the area, how do you decide which one to visit for your next round?  

Your spine is one of your body’s primary internal structures. It surrounds and protects your spinal cord and provides support and stability for the entire body. A scoliosis diagnosis can raise many questions concerning your daily life moving forward. Will I be able to do my favorite activities? Can I exercise like I currently do? And how much daily pain will I have? 

When you think of injuries that can occur while playing sports, you may think of tearing an ACL, breaking an arm, or spraining an ankle. One condition you might not even be aware of is a sports hernia (athletic pubalgia), which can occur with overexertion in any sport. So how do you get a sports hernia, and how do you treat it when you get one? 

Dry needling may seem like an intimidating procedure if you have a fear of needles. If you finally gain the courage to go to a needling session, and you are then presented with the option of adding electrical stimulation, that may increase your fear even more. Your mind may flash to the image of a black and white Frankenstein being struck by lightning. You may wonder if it hurts more and whether the electrical stimulation would benefit you. Even though your practitioner will go over everything with you before you get started, it may be difficult to dismiss all of your nerves. 

If you have pain or muscle tension, you may be considering some kind of needling treatment. Maybe you need dry needling, in which a practitioner inserts monofilaments (solid needles) into muscle trigger points and uses electrical stimulation to provide relief. Or perhaps you need acupuncture, a part of traditional Chinese medicine, which uses energy lines called meridians. Meridians are guides to releasing a flow of energy throughout the body, based on organ systems, like the kidney, liver, and heart. By correcting energy flow systemically, pain is reduced. But how do you know which one you need?