[griping, health]

[wispfox]

My muscles tend to get really irritable about a week before my monthly massage. With variation on just how irritable, of course.

Usually, this means neck/shoulder/upper back area, as it appears to be where I carry my tension.

For some unknown reason, this time through, my left shoulder/neck is exceptionally irritable around my shoulder blade, such that my range of motion when turning my head to the left isn't as far as it ought to be, and I can't do a normal head circle (a neck loosening move I try to do with some regularity). I can't figure out how to stretch it out, much to my frustration. It was somewhat better (but the apparent source of the problem refused to go away) after metahacker (one of brynndragon's two nifty roommates. In theory, there is a third, but I'm not sure I've met the third roommate. That, or I just don't remember them due to insufficient interaction) kindly massaged at it for a while.

There were far too many parentheticals in that last paragraph.

I'm suspecting that - as with most of the time when I get nasty cricks in my neck/shoulders - there isn't much to be done. Massages help, but don't make it go away. Same with muscle relaxants and pain meds. IIRC, they goes away on its own, although I'm never sure why, or why they happen.

And, much as it feels like something needs to crack, cracking my neck (which tends to happen whether or not I try to cause it) seems to only make it worse.

I hate my muscles. I wish they would stop randomly getting irritable! (not that this a new behavior; I can't remember a time when they _didn't_ do this)

Comments

[randysmith]

Have you tried shiatsu/pressure point work? I/psongster have some success with that (on her body).

[wispfox.livejournal.com]

As best as I can pressure point myself, yes. But I only know pressure points instinctively (which is better than not at all), and it's hard to do it effecitvely on myself!

[randysmith]

You might want to check out a shiatsuist, then. psongster has one she's reasonably happy with, if you want a recommendation. There are times when pressure points work wonders. Other times they don't do much, admittedly, but it's probably worth checking out if this is in the first class.

[dilletante.livejournal.com]

if you find something that helps, i'd love to hear about it. i've been having weird neck-stiffness problems lately myself. first noticed when i discovered i couldn't hold a telephone between my neck and shoulder anymore (yikes!)...

[wispfox.livejournal.com]

Well, my next thing to investigate is chiropractic. It's been a _LONG_ time since I've been to one, so it might be helpful.

[saluqi.livejournal.com]

I get good results from osteopathy, if you could get a personal recommendation from someone local you could also give that a try.

[metahacker.livejournal.com]

Did you end up trying heat? The more I think about it the more that might help; heat (and purposeful relaxation), followed by massage...(Must! Fix! Everyone! Sorry.)

Have you ever investigated Alexander Technique? It might also help, if this sort of thing happens regularly. It's basically techniques for guided relaxation, and learning how to live life in a (kinesthetic) fashion that doesn't cause you to tense up again.

Re: housemates...galaneia's the one you met; <lj user="hfcougar" does, in fact, exist, but didn't get home until just after you left... ;-)

[wispfox.livejournal.com]

Trying heat - not this particular time, but I have in the past with this kind of problem. It seems to be about time, and everything else (including heat) just helps reduce my discomfort. That said, you have reminded me to use the heating pad I have at work with me. :) (and getting massage - other than by me on me - usually only happens when I go to a professional. Too few of my friends massage, and I tend to forget to ask those who do)

Alexander Technique: Nope, not investigated. I do relaxation techniques, although not regularly enough. I would _love_, however, to learn to pervent myself from getting so damn tense in the first place! Before I start investigating, do you have suggestions for where to look?

housemates: noted. :)

[metahacker.livejournal.com]

There's a website (http://www.alexandertechnique.com/) which has a bunch of links, but it's sort of an experience thing; self-teaching is a little tricky -- though I suspect a motivated geeky type could pull it off.

Basically an AT teacher walks you through relaxing your muscles, and then through repeated exposure you learn via muscle-memory what "relaxed" feels like, and what sorts of motions to use for sitting, standing, walking, etc. to avoid tensing up muscles unnecessarily. I only got as far as walking before I ran out of funds to continue lessons, and I've mostly forgotten what I knew...but it seemed to work while I was able to apply it. (I still apply what I learned, but not on a minute-by-minute, reflexive basis like I think the goal is.)

re: housemates -- I guess I missed a > -- hfcougar is the other one who you didn't meet.

[wispfox.livejournal.com]

self-teaching is a little tricky -- though I suspect a motivated geeky type could pull it off.

Yeah... but my ability to retrain myself in anything relating to my body awareness is... not good. Better when I'm not the only one paying attention to it, but still poor.

That said, thanks for the link!

And, as far as housemates, I could see all of what you wrote in the email it sends me. :)

[dancingwolfgrrl.livejournal.com]

I also highly recommend AT, especially if (as it sounds like) the problem has to do with posture or how you habitually use your body. I personally like teachers associated with Alexander Technique International (http://www.ati-net.com/) a little better than those from AmSTAT (http://www.alexandertech.org/), which is more traditional. ATI teachers are also probably more likely to talk in a comparatively direct way about energy in your body, which you might find useful!.

Anyway, here's (http://www.ati-net.com/list_members_states.php?StateProvince=MA) the list of ATI teachers in MA.

Another possibility is Feldenkrais (http://www.feldenkrais.com/), another body-awareness, postural retraining kind of thing...

[wispfox.livejournal.com]

I've someone from the previous link that I'm going to try out next Thursday. If she doesn't seem right to me, I'll investigate the list you gave above. :)

[ayalanya.livejournal.com]

as a side note, my world just shrunk considerably. i've known metahacker's (fiance? S.O., certainly, a term that i learned from her when younger) since i was about...6 years old. her brother and his wife are people who introduced me to the SCA (along with the mother of the aforementioned siblings, though she's mostly just been there, as opposed to poking me in vague directions of interest).

[wispfox.livejournal.com]

Hee! Neat. :)