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| This is not me. ;-) |
Anyway, I don't want to sound too dramatic, because neither accident left me with major physical disability, so I'm thankful. However, as years go by, I am aware that neck injuries do play a part in my everyday life, and can cause more problems without care. In that care, I include regular help from an amazing chiropractor, and caution in how I do things.
Because of those injuries, my neck is very sensitive to trauma, and it doesn't take much to fit that definition. Inflammation flares up and I have all sorts of symptoms, including pain, headaches, dizziness/imbalance/nausea, and just an overall unwell feeling. Since a lot of the symptoms are similar to those of low-level anxiety, I think I was sometimes confusing the two. After chiropractic adjustments took 'anxiety symptoms' away enough times, I realized the physical symptoms were sometimes due to what was going on in my neck and upper back, not just hormones. I looked up "neck injuries and anxiety" on the internet and found other whiplash victims with the exactly the same complaints. Some doctors try to say it's the pain that brings on anxiety, but those of us experiencing this know that's not the order of things, and that it must be related to inflammation around the nerves. So many of us can't all have the same complaints, and have it be "all in our heads."
The biggest culprit in flaring up my problems is computer overuse....Likely bad posture, having my mousehand stretched out in front of me, tension as I search and write, etc. I am trying to limit my time sitting in this chair, jaw set and shoulders hunched...so if, for the next while, some of my posts seem brief and light, or spaced farther apart, this is why. Just another component to my life's balancing act.
It stinks that you're dealing with all of this. Have you tried yoga? The stretching and breathing techniques are fantastic for both your physical body, as well as for help in relaxing & relieving those inflamed areas. I know there's some controversy regarding yoga & spirituality, but I'm of a mind that you can be a Christian and use yoga for exercise.
ReplyDeleteI tried yoga once...from a DVD. It was so hard to watch and do! I'm pretty sure one doesn't keep the proper posture that way. ;-) My situation really isn't so bad, actually improved from previous times in my life, if I watch what I'm doing and how, and if I don't put off going to the chiropractor.
ReplyDeleteMy mother was in a bad car accident 30-some years ago and I'm positive her "minor" neck injuries are still a major part of what plagues her today. She too, spends a lot of time on the computer for their business of digitizing old family photographs and slides (http://www.apageisturned.com).
ReplyDeleteSo I know there's not much (besides finding therapy - chiropractor, massage therapist, acupuncture, etc.) you can do to relieve it, but have you thought about upgrading your office furniture/supplies to more ergonomic options? For example, you should be able to raise your office chair high enough so that your shoulders don't automatically hunch up when you type (or have a keyboard tray that lowers), or maybe one of those keyboards that better fits the natural posture of your wrists.
Who knows? Adjusting all of those little things might help a little!
Thanks. It's my tired slump that is the biggest problem, I think...Back rounds, shoulders roll in, neck tilts back, chin goes forward. I start out well and the posture disintegrates over time.
ReplyDeleteI should share this comment from JC, because it also contains helpful tips and insights. My new comment program seems to come and go of its own accord, and she can't post unless it's working, so she emails me when necessary:
ReplyDelete"What's with the flippy floppy comment box? The useful one is gone again. :)
This is so interesting!! About anxiety and neck issues, I mean. It makes
sense.
Yes, yoga requires a good teacher to learn. The dvd is good for when
you're already very well trained in the practice. It could be helpful in
keeping yourself in alignment, however, and might be worth pursuing.
You can also do an ergonomic review of your activities, especially
computer, and see what you can do to mitigate stresses. Take some long
videos of yourself using the computer, so that you'll relax and forget
you're being taped, so you can see what you really do. You should be able
to figure out if you need a different chair, a pillow, an angled platform
if you're using a laptop or a box for the monitor for a desktop, if you're
sitting hunched, perhaps a remote touchpad you can hold in your lap if
you're carrying tension through your shoulders when you mouse.
Also, for hunching, especially at this transitional age, make sure you can
see correctly. You might need computer glasses that are specifically for
the distance that you optimally sit from the screen.
Not that reducing excess computer time is a bad thing! It's just that
pain is bad. :)
The potter is Miriam Krombach. She taught my friend Mollie (she of the
cabbage soup) to pot. I won one of Miriam's seder plates, which had been
donated to an event. It's HUGE, and beautiful, and excellent
craftsmanship. I think you'd like it, except for the blue. :) You can
see smaller ones, on her Etsy page:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/MiriamsKiln?ref=pr_shop_more
The site doesn't show a lot of her work, but some of the breadth."