Performance, Recovery, Prevention

Phil Mickelson and His Dysfunctional Hip

//  by 

 

Here’s a video of Phil Mickelson from the 2013 Master’s in Augusta, GA. Phil struggled greatly this year, finishing 9 over par. Sparking comments from him such as “I just played terrible…….There’s no way around it. I’m just not hitting very good golf shots, missing it in bad spots and not really knowing which side I’m going to miss it on. So my play has been beyond terrible.” If you look closely there might be a reason for this.

 

Take a close look at this video from the tournament (ironically this was probably his best shot of the tournament). Pay close attention to his hips and belt buckle as he walks toward the green.

A normal gait for fully functions hips should show the belt should actually stay central. Looking at Phil, you can pretty clearly see he has dysfunction in his hips. Notice how the belt buckle shifts to the left with a right stride but stays central with a left stride. He has a hard time extending his left hip, leading to a rotation of his trunk when walk and function “normal.”

The hip is the primary source of energy during the golf swing and is closely related to the amount of force that you drive the ball with, therefore a dysfunctional hip will lead to ashorter distance and less accurate shot. A hip dysfunction can lead to a cascade of biomechanical compensations that can lead to a variety of injuries in the lower extremities and lower back as well as aggravating any upper body injuries. He has likely had this issue for some time which leads to a multitude of compensations that spin a web that can be very tough to break. Getting him properly adjusted is a huge step but he would have to put a lot of time in to retrain his body to return to what would be normal function for him.

Do You Think He Needs An Adjustment?

//  by 

What these guys go through for our entertainment is incredible. They may get big paychecks but their bodies take a tremendous beating.  Every hit or impact can be equated to getting into a major car accident.  Some players take upward of 30 impacts per game. Imagine how they feel on Monday.  If you play on any level, any sport make sure you put the pieces back together. Take care on the current injuries and prevent the future ones.

Story of Survival

//  by 

I wanted to share an email that I received that is just incredible. Christina’s story is truly an inspiration.

“Thank you so much for all the wonderful support and prayers. I truly believe that I am able to report to you my wonderful news based on the prayers that all of you have made in my behalf. For that I will be eternally grateful.

This morning, 12/2/11, as I was cleaning the “plug” (basically the remains of the Breast Cancer tumor as it was exiting my body) it came off completely in my right hand. The dimensions ended up being nearly 1.5 inches in diameter round and in the deepest spot just over 3/4 inch. It is amazing to report that, outside of seeing my doctor next Tuesday and having a Thermography on my return from the cruise, I can comfortably say I know that I am cancer free. The journey was a tough one.

Quick synopsis:
Started taking estrogen late August – please don’t do this if at all possible – forget hormone replacement too! Its not worth it
Discovered a lump late Sept
Sonogram Oct 1
Diagnosed with Breast Cancer Oct 5th via a phone call while doing a seminar
Started digesting the salve – two feathers – compound Oct 11th.
Topically applied the salve compound Oct 25th
Tumor held in my right hand free from my body Dec 2nd.

Method
The cost of the two feathers – about $140 a container – used 4 containers – will finish out the last one by digesting it for the remainder of this year.
I also relied heavily on a high PH water – Kangen Water Enagic
Supplements from a Nutrionalist – Nelson Bulmash
Changed my eating habits drastically

So this coming Wednesday night 12/7 Brian and I depart for a 12 night cruise around the Tip of Chile and Argentina and will truly enjoy our time together as we celebrate life, our children, family and friends and thank God that this chapter in my life is over.

Currently I have a crater in my breast – from where the tumor was. It is expected to fill in and heal back to nearly normal. Will I have a scar – probably – I have earned it! Was it worth it – WHAT DO YOU THINK 🙂 It was one of the hardest things I have ever done in my life but I am so very glad and proud to have done it. I know that this process starved the cancer to death and caused it to collect not just what was found by the sonogram but other areas in my body. I have so many people to thank but most of all I thank Cheryl for being the mentor and champion of having gone through this herself 8 years ago. She gave me the strength and belief in this process. To see her healthy today makes me happy and know that I too am going to be back to complete health very soon. PS I can’t wait to play some tennis again!

I do ask that you continue to include me and Chelsea your prayers as we work to our full recovery levels and be 100% again.

Christina DuBois-Nugent
God Bless You and Yours “

Baseball Injuries

//  by 

Baseball is a unique sport. First, it is played almost year round putting an incredible amount of stress on the ligaments, joints and muscles of the body. Second, the hitting and pitching motions are one repetitive forceful motion after another.

The cause of most injuries originates early in life as a result of one or more stresses compromising the structural patterns and development of the body. Repetitive stresses weaken the body, causing a progressive downward spiral of dysfunction and pain. In the case of most baseball injuries, the cause is an underlying structural problem combined with repetitive stresses that can lead to a variety of injuries of the elbow, shoulder, back, hips, knees, ankles and more.

The root cause of the pain needs to be alleviated. Our technique focuses on the mechanism of the injury, making it possible to solve the underlying problem, not only to relieve pain, but also preventing the recurrence of the injury or a compensatory injury.

I use a sequence of muscular, fascial (connective tissue that holds together muscles and organs) and joint releases to re-balance the biomechanics of the body. As body structure begins to re-balance, changes encourage remodeling of healthy tissue. For most acute to moderate conditions (sprains, strains, tendonitis, etc) you’ll usually start to see results in three to six treatments. In the unfortunate occurrence of a major injury, the use of pulsed electromagnetic field therapy and hyperbaric chamber can accelerate recovery, in many cases cutting recovery time in half.

Our approach is shared with many of the top baseball pitching coaches and injury experts. Chris Lincecum, father of Cy Young award winner Tim Lincecum states: “The lower body controls the upper body, and energy transfers at the hinges, the ankles, knees, hips and trunk. It all has to be in sequence.” Lincecum illustrates how important the acceleration of the hips is in throwing. In fact, Dr. Glenn Fleisig shares the same point of view stating: “Hip rotation is extremely important and is closely related to pitch velocity and bat speed” and “within the kinetic chain of hitting and pitching the hips impart the most energy to the ball and throughout the swing.”

Dr. Malucci