Since I was 15 I've had terrible bouts of muscle spasms in my neck and shoulder muscles. I abused my body for years and have slowly backed off from the injurious sports, hoping my body would heal itself. More and more often now I get these pains without warning and have very little management tactics that alleviate it. I write this here not for pity but for suggestions. I need something new so that I have hope that this will someday be fixed or at least better managed. Help!
Here's what I've tried so far:
Combo of ibuprofen and percogesic
ice, towel behind the neck when sleeping, cervical pillow, chiropractor, massage, acupuncture, tennis ball massage, biofreeze, crying, exercise
I'm open to any and all suggestions!
CDA: complete!
15:42, sporting my finisher hat
2 comments:
Stretch on a regular basis (every day). Include your back and legs in the routine. Stretch like you train for a triathlon... 6 days a week, twice on Tuesday and Thursday :)
See how you feel 3 months later. You might want to keep a journal of what you stretch, how often, how long, and when you have spasm attacks.
The theory is that your neck, back, and legs all effect each other. If your hamstrings are tight, for example, that muscle tightness will pull on your lower back, which in turn affects the muscles in your shoulders and neck... I use the hamstring example because when I've had problems with my back in the past I've always worked on my hamstrings -- it's worked every time. This theory came from a chiropractor I saw when I was in HS.
IMHO, chiropractor's are witch doctors, but this one seems to know what he was talking about...
When I turned 40 (4 years ago) someone asked me what it was like, to which I answered "It just hurts more". That's the bad news if you will, just time won't make up for all the stress you put on your body in your wilder youth.
The good news is that you really can learn what to do to minimize your pain issues. Gilbert has two excellent suggestions - Stretching (I recommend the book "Stretching") and keeping a journal of what problems you're having and what stretches you're doing. Too those I'd also add getting a good massage therapist that isn't afraid to "hurt" you. This is not for relaxation / stress reduction, this is for recovery (and there's a big difference). It's a little expensive if your medical insurance doesn't cover it, but it can really help a lot.
Good luck!
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