Seized vertabrae and secondary muscle spasms....no golf for me.

swanny32

swanny32

Journeyman Pro
Joined
Jun 7, 2011
Messages
1,922
Location
Tiptree, Essex - Where they make the Jam!
www.utilitywarehouse.org.uk
3 weeks ago I hurt my neck playing my second shot on the third hole and stupidly carried on playing thinking it would wear off eventually. It didn't. A trip to the chiropractor followed the next day where I had my back and spine cracked and massaged. I was told to go back a few days later but as I wasn't the chiropractors biggest fan (miserable bugger) I decided not to go back to him and just hope that it would get better on its own. It didn't.

Friday evening I felt pretty good, a little bit stiff but put it to one side as I hadn't played for the best part of 3 weeks and it was a once a year night golf evening organised by the pro that I really didn't want to miss. Started to play and felt ok, a little bit stuff but nothing major, then on the final hole I took my second shot and felt every vertabrae in my neck crack, my muscles tensed and all of a sudden I couldn't move again. That was my night over in one beautifully struck 7 iron.

Had another trip to a different chiropractor yesterday and she confirmed that my neck is buggered. 3rd and 4th vertabrae are locked and the muscles are so tensed that she couldn't crack my neck to loosen the vertabrae. I now have 5 more chiro sessions over the next 2 weeks at £35 a pop. I also have to buy a £50 orthopaedic pillow for when I sleep, more than likely a specialist desk chair for when I'm working and have to lay off the golf for another week minimum, although I'll be surprised if I'm on a course again in 2011. Oh and the hot cold compresses every 2 hours suck!

Really disappointed because this is my first winter at my GC and have entered the winter league, looks as though I'm either going to have to keep arranging replacements (only allowed 3) until I'm healthy enough to play or pull out altogether which I don't want to do as I don't want to let down my playing partner.

Fair to say that I'm a little depressed at the moment. :(
 
Speaking from past experience of disc problems, you have my sympathy

One word of advice

DO NOT play again until the docs say you can, back and neck are areas you do not want to mess around with

Good Luck Buddy

Fragger
 
Thanks chaps, probably shouldn't have played Friday evening but thought it would be ok as my last chiropractor told me 2 weeks, friday would have been 2 days short of 3 weeks without hitting a single golf ball. My new chiropractor has told me at the moment 1 week minimum and she'll make a decision on whether I'll be able to play next weekend later in the week after seeing how my spine has responded to treatment.

Second session with her on Wednesday afternoon. Been doing the hot and cold compresses (reminds me I need to do another one now) and that really does seem to be giving me a lot more mobility than I had a couple nights ago.
 
Ouchy mate. Follow the medical advice and don't rush back. What are you going to be missing soon anyway? Rain, frozen courses, temps, shortened course, more queues as everyone tries to play before it gets dark, playing in 4 layers of clothing. Nah. Rest up, log on here and read the mag.
 
For gods sake. DONT rush back. I have 3 duff discs' in my neck. 1 has now fused together. I did not listern(well I was not told to be fair). Wound up not playing for 3yrs. Back playing now but not the full 18 yet. Building up to it slowly.
 
You do realise that advice from a chriopractor is not "medical" advice at all. It is a fact that in order to set up as a chiropractor, you don't need any qualifications, certificates or experience. You can just start up and start hurting people for money!

Contrast this to a physiotherapist. A Bsc. A 4 year course at medical school. They know what they are doing!

I think anyone who goes to see a chiropractor is absolutely crackers. See a physio and let someone who has studied the subject sort you out.
 
I have a physio to sort out the muscles etc, and an osteopath for putting my neck and back straight. He has never 'cracked' any thing back into position. He just manipulates in gently, and eases it back in. I would not see any one who does violent things to my spine.
 
Snelly said:
You do realise that advice from a chriopractor is not "medical" advice at all. It is a fact that in order to set up as a chiropractor, you don't need any qualifications, certificates or experience. You can just start up and start hurting people for money!

Contrast this to a physiotherapist. A Bsc. A 4 year course at medical school. They know what they are doing!

I think anyone who goes to see a chiropractor is absolutely crackers. See a physio and let someone who has studied the subject sort you out.
Click to expand...

Not quite true Chiropractors have to register with the General Chiropractic Council by Law, and as part of the criteria they have to have completed relevant degree provided by an accredited facility. e.g. such as AECC in Bournemouth which offers a BSc/MSc Chiropractic degree is a full-time programme that runs over a 5-year period. So to say they can just set up and begin hurting people is totally untrue.

I have had the 'benefit' of Chropractors, Physiotherapists and Osteopaths with my back problem and the only one that really had any positive effect was the Osteopath
 
Snelly said:
You do realise that advice from a chriopractor is not "medical" advice at all. It is a fact that in order to set up as a chiropractor, you don't need any qualifications, certificates or experience. You can just start up and start hurting people for money!

Contrast this to a physiotherapist. A Bsc. A 4 year course at medical school. They know what they are doing!

I think anyone who goes to see a chiropractor is absolutely crackers. See a physio and let someone who has studied the subject sort you out.
Click to expand...

This is what I did when I put my back out at the end of August. I've have been given a gentle regime of exercise and streching given to me and it's working. It may be just me that thinks this, but you only get back what you put in and I don't think that quick fixes, like a back cracker, will do you any good long term.

I do, however, wish the OP a speedy recovery.
 
My Chiro has had all the necessary training, I checked that out before she set to work sorting me out. She's done wonders already, in 4 days I have gone from not being able to move at all to having 90% movement back and the pain has turned to aching but that's probably down to me holding my head in a certain way that's comfortable.

She did say though that she doesn't use cracking, she manipulates and gently massages things back into place and will only use cracking as a last resort. She lent me a special orthopedic pillow for sleeping on which supports my neck and also gave me an ice pack to use as a cold compress coupled with a hot water bottle which really has done the trick when I'm in a bit of discomfort.

She told me a week minimum with no golf but could be longer, at this rate and after a few more sessions I'm hoping she'll give me the all clear to play again but I won't rush back.
 
Had my second session with my Chiropractor this afternoon, she's a miracle worker and things have improved ten fold! She's really amazed at how my spine has reacted to the treatment I had on Saturday, I almost have full movement of my head now and only hurts when I go to the absolute maximum extension. She did a whole host of stuff to me today and found out that I also have a rolled and raised pelvis which could be part of my problem. She fixed that, did some careful manipulation (maybe "cracking" was the wrong term to use earlier in the thread) and I feel bloody great at the moment, if a little bit sore at times still.

Obviously one of my first questions was, when can I get back out on the course? I'm a definite no go for this weekend's winter league match 2, she said I could if I wanted but followed it with "shall I book you in for Sunday afternoon?" so I'm going to get a reserve in for my winter league match this Sunday. Im in America the following weekend watching the Philadelphia Eagles anyway but she said that I probably shouldn't play that weekend. She does however think that I should be good to go for my next winter league match which is just over 2 weeks away, but under no condition am I to carry my bag (I don't anyway).......which made me feel really good about shelling out for my GoKart!

Anyway, things appear to be on the up. Plenty more hot and cold compresses, specialist pillow for bed time (for the rest of my life), work on my posture while driving and sitting at my desk and a bit of rest. I'm so chuffed that I'll hopefully be back on a course by the end of the month, was worrying that would be me done till next year.
 
Time for an update. Not been on the forum much over the last couple of months partly down to work also partly because I have been trying my hardest to not think or talk about golf due to the injury.

Now 4 months on from the injury and still "injured". The Chiropractor sessions I had late October released the restricted facet joint but the damage had already been done to the muscles and as they weren't getting fixed as fast as I wanted them to and I couldn't afford to continue visiting the Chiro, I decided to speak to my GP. He immediately referred me to a Physio which, because it was on the NHS, I had to wait 7 weeks for, also because the neck was so painful I was using my lower back a lot more to do various movements which in turn gave me some lower spine issues.

I have now been going to Physio for 4 weeks, the damage to my muscles should have been treated sooner but the NHS isn't the quickest service in the world unfortunately. Anyway, the Physio has been doing some manipulations and some deep needle acupuncture around the injured areas. Today she (she's insanely hot, which makes it easier) told me that we are more than halfway through treatment and I should be back on the course soon, although won't be back to 100% until around the beginning of May.

Things are on the up now though, finally see a light at the end of the tunnel, feeling much better and thought it was about time to start reading through the forum and start thinking about golf again! The only plus side to this injury is that I haven't been playing out in the freezing conditions!
 
Good news! Hope you get back to full fitness soon.

Makes me glad my father in law ones all this including Chinese remedies. He's helped with countless trapped nerves and muscle injuries! Guys a legend!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

A
Course suitable for 86 year old in South London/Surrey
Replies
4
Views
383
IanM
IanM
Orikoru
2026 Targets
2 3
Replies
55
Views
2K
jamielaing
jamielaing
H
Golfing Injuries
Replies
17
Views
2K
patricks148
patricks148
Slab
Grip it and...
Replies
18
Views
1K
Mandofred
Mandofred
Orikoru
Short Game Thoughts
4 5 6
Replies
118
Views
4K
Klimski
Klimski
Top