An Inspiring Individual: Marylin Tsakok

Every once in a while, we like to feature someone who inspires us with their dedication to health, fitness and movement. This week our feature is Marylin Tsakok.

All through her childhood, 20’s and 30’s, Marylin had struggled with her weight and self-esteem due to her sedentary lifestyle. In her late thirties, through strict diet and treatments, she lost 25 lbs in 6 months. She reached one of her goals but she also wanted to find something that was affordable, fun and sustainable to maintain her weight.  So she joined a Tae Bo class for the first time.   She was hooked after the first class and loved how it made her feel after every class. She slept better and felt more confident.  In fact, she loved it so much that she dreamed of becoming a certified Tae Bo instructor.

To reach her dream, she first became certified as a personal trainer as well as a group fitness trainer in order to increase her chances of becoming a Tae Bo Instructor.  At the age of 46, ten years after her first Tae Bo class, she went to Los Angeles (from Toronto) to get tested. She passed the test and got certified to fulfill her dream!

Her zest to learn continued. She travelled far to attend fitness workshops for instructors.  At age 54, she became a certified jump rope instructor.

She took early retirement from work at age 55 to focus on her desire to being a top-notch fitness instructor as her second career.

She is now 59 years old and a grandmother!  She teaches group classes 4 to 5 times a week at corporate offices, a local college and a country club.  Her classes include kickboxing, muscle conditioning, bootcamp and spinning. She also volunteers at a local non-profit helping more than 20 women to stay fit.  When not teaching, she practices CrossFit and Animal Flow!

Marylin said, “I am getting stronger and I feel I move better every day.  Not sure when I am going to slow down. But as long as I can move reasonably well, I will keep on moving.  One is never too old or too late to exercise.”

Physical Therapy Exercises for Shoulder Stingers

As we are in the middle of football season, it is more common to hear about athletes experiencing shoulder stingers or burners. According to Sportsmd.com, a shoulder stinger or burner is an injury to a group of nerves known as the brachial plexus that extend from the spinal vertebrae C5 and continue through T1. Symptoms of a shoulder stinger include severe pain that radiates down the arm and may have degrees of numbness and weakness of the arm and neck pain. Injury to the brachial plexus often occurs as a result from a collision in contact sports which can compress or overstretch the brachial plexus. Besides football players, other athletes such as gymnast, skiers and cyclist can get stingers when they experience hard falls.

To prevent stingers, Sportsmd.com recommends building up your neck musculature. To build neck musculature, you can use an exercise ball to do neck extension, flexion and side bending exercises against a wall. Or you can buy exercise equipment like Iron Neck which are meant to specifically improve neck strength and mobility.

 To treat a shoulder stinger, the Summit Medical Group recommends several exercises, some of which are shown below:

• Isometric Neck Flexion (In Neutral): With good posture, place your hand or fingers on the front of your forehead. Press your head into your hand or fingers as if you are trying to bend your chin down to your chest. Slow on, hold, then slow off. Do not cause any pain.

• Isometric Neck Extension (In Neutral): With good posture, place your hand behind your head. Press your head back into your hand. Slow on, hold, then slow off. Your therapist may advise you to perform this laying down pressing into a pillow. Do not cause any pain.

• Isometric Neck Side Bend (In Neutral): With good posture, looking straight ahead, place your hand or fingers on the side of your head. Press your head into your hand or fingers as if you are trying to bring your ear towards your shoulder. Slow on, hold, then slow off. Do not cause any pain.

• Shoulder Shrugs: Stand tall, raise both shoulders up to your ears simultaneously. Lower them back down. Repeat.

• Shoulder Abduction: Stand with your arms down at your sides. On your affected hand, point your thumb away from your body. Keeping your elbow straight, raise your affected arm out to the side so that your thumb points up. Pause, then slowly lower to starting position. Repeat.

Reminder: Please consult your physician or physical therapist before engaging in any physical activity and stop if you experience pain or discomfort.

Are golfers really athletes?

By guest blogger Chris Kopp PT, OCS, CMPT, Titleist Performance Certified

There was a time when golf was viewed more like a game than a true sport.  Professional golfers back in the day did not necessarily portray themselves as the fittest individuals compared to other sports stars. In fact, smoking cigarettes was commonplace even when on TV.  Not any more.   Just look at the some of the physiques on tour now, particularly current #1 golfer in the world Brooks Koepka. His arms are like tree trunks.  If any of you happened to watch and listen to the 2019 US Open golf coverage, over and over again you heard about the strength it required to hit that shot or this golfer has been known for his power (winner Gary Woodland). However, they also referred to their incredible touch and mental toughness. Most people think Tiger Woods was the inspiration for this change of working out and playing golf, but that is not exactly true. How about a little trip down memory lane and how golf became an “athletic activity”.

Physical Fitness In Golf

Gary Player was really the first professional golfer to take physical fitness seriously. In fact, he was often ridiculed for his work-out routine. However, if you see Gary Player now compared to some of his peers from his era of professional golf, you can see that maybe Gary was right in his approach. Greg Norman was another that also took exercise seriously. Certainly when Tiger came along and all the success he had and his muscular build, it really did push the needle toward golf and athleticism and ultimately became a huge influence for the common day professional golfer.

But when is too much of a good thing a bad thing? That is really the key to any activity and training. Tiger has obviously had severe physical break downs, knee surgery, several back surgeries that eventually led to a fusion. However, it is Tiger’s dedication to his fitness that has also allowed him to come back and play at a high level even with his back fused, winning the Masters this year and the Tour Championship last year. Pretty amazing really.

Golf can be an activity that puts tremendous stress on the body, particularly the spine due to the rotational nature of the game and the frequent bending and stooping-teeing the golf ball as well as picking up the ball out of the hole. Anyone who plays golf regularly or even infrequently has most likely experienced back pain. Sometimes, it is just bending down to get something out of the golf bag or putting on their shoes. Other areas that can be injured are of course the knees, hips, and shoulders.

When participating in any sport that requires repetitive motions and stresses, injuries are inevitable, however, they can be prevented with a little effort. Most of us do not have the time that professional golfers do or the resources available to have personal physios, chiropractors, massage therapists, and trainers. That being said, here are a few tips:

WARM UP!

Yes, try and get to the course before your tee time and perform a structured warm-up program. I like the Orange Whip or a weighted club to loosen up, around 20-30 gentle swings gradually increasing your range of motion of your body as you go.

Deep squats with club overhead (as far as your knees will allow). Big leg swings, arm circles and gradually working up from pitching wedge to driver.

The best advice is to consult with a golf specific fitness or health professional and be properly evaluated in order to learn what would be a good routine specific to your physical capabilities and limitations. The stronger and more flexible you are, the reality is you are less likely to hurt yourself playing and you may even become a better, more consistent golfer as well.

About Chris Kopp PT, OCS, CMPT, Clinic Director, Titleist Performance Certified

Chris Kopp graduated Magna cum Laude from the University of North Florida and is a board certified Orthopedic Clinical Specialist and certified Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapist with 20 years of experience in outpatient orthopedics and is the senior therapist on staff. Chris can evaluate and treat all musculoskeletal conditions including the spine and extremities.

He has an excellent reputation for rehabilitation of shoulder conditions including post-surgical as well as the lower extremity and has specialized training in the foot and ankle and working with runners of all abilities. As an avid golfer and life-long athlete himself, Chris also oversees Premier’s golf rehab and sport specific training programs. Additionally, Chris is on faculty as an instructor for Florida Institute of Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapy and functions as Premier Physical Therapy’s Center Coordinator of Clinical Education and provides physical therapy education to area students as well as licensed professionals.

Chris is passionate about representing physical therapy in a way that the profession was created and continues to evolve, which is to return individuals to their goals in the highest functional capacity possible while incorporating compassion and a caring spirit. He lives in Atlantic Beach with his wife and two children and enjoys an active Florida lifestyle.

Chris is owner of Premier Physical Therapy Jacksonville and Ponte Vedra specializing in golf fitness and rehabilitation.  He can be contacted at info@premierptjax.com or visit www.premierptjax.com/golf for more information.