Health news and notes

A golfer’s guide to low back pain

Golf is often thought of as a low-impact sport, but it can be associated with several musculoskeletal injuries due to its repetitive nature, according to U.S. News and World Report. One of the most common complaints reported by golfers is low back pain, with reported rates varying from 26% to 52%. Low back pain is also a major health issue among adults in the general population. Given the high prevalence and high cost of low back pain care, it’s worthwhile to consider how to prevent golf-associated low back pain.

While the golf swing seems like a relatively easy motion, it is actually an extremely complex series of motions that involve most of the muscles and joints in the body. As with all things, the golf swing’s frequent repetition – compounded over years of playing the sport – places significant stress on those muscles, joints, and tendons. Over time, this may result in injury.

Understanding the mechanics of the golf swing, along with education and training, can help prevent golf injuries. It’s important to use proper posture and proper sequencing, and not to over-swing. Swinging too hard may increase the stress placed on the spine and surrounding structures…

Read the full article at: https://health.usnews.com/health-care/for-better/articles/a-golfers-guide-to-low-back-pain.

How to safely sanitize every type of face mask

Face masks reduce the spread of COVID-19 because they provide a barrier that catches the virus-containing respiratory droplets that are released when people cough, sneeze, or talk.

Being a barrier between the virus and the wearer means that the mask becomes contaminated instead. While the greatest danger is from inhaling virus-filled respiratory droplets from those around us, if a person touches a contaminated mask and then touches their mouth or nose, they might also contract an infection.

Like all medical devices and equipment, face masks need to be properly cared for in order to be safe and effective. But not all face masks are the same; different kinds of masks need to be sanitized in different ways depending on the type of material they’re made out of.

It’s important to apply the correct method to each type of material, or else you could wind up making the mask harder to breathe through and less effective!

Fortunately, Healthline has created an easy-to-follow list of the common types of face masks, how to safely disinfect them for reuse during the pandemic, and how to handle medical-grade masks that can’t easily be cleaned properly outside of a medical setting.

Check out the list at: www.healthline.com/health-news/how-to-safely-sanitize-every-type-of-face-mask#Proper-care-of-cloth-face-masks.

Make these simple travel snacks to eat like a health pro on the road

Whether you’re planning to take a short, safe vacation; just “going for a drive” (who doesn’t need a brief change of scenery?); or on the road for a meeting, you should try to avoid fast food and C-store fare. A post from U.S. News and World Report has a few simple recipes for easy-to-make and easy-to-eat snacks to take along with you the next time you hit the road. The quick recipes include: