"The pain just won't go away no matter what I do!"
When your neck starts to bother you again or that nagging ache won’t go away, what do you start to do? What do you do with your shoulder or your back when the pain is really irritating you?
I’ll answer it for you. You move your ____ (insert body part) around, trying to stretch it out (often reinforcing the pain pattern and whatever is irritating it in the first place). Maybe you try to massage it, roll it out, strengthen it or something else….
Does it help? Does the pain actually go away or does the pain stick around or get worse?
If what you are doing is not solving the issue, consider this:
Sometimes prodding, poking, stretching, loading, rolling, etc., can actually IRRITATE the problem and make things worse.
So often I see irritable necks, nerves or muscles that just need to be left alone or given really minimal movement to get better. We think we need to do something to fix it, but maybe that’s not always the answer.
Consider if what you are doing is aggravating the issue. Doing more stuff or potentially irritating stuff to some part of the body in pain may not be letting it calm down the sensitivity. By poking, prodding, stretching, etc., you could be ramping up the sensitivity.
Sometimes less is actually more and the desire to treat more may not actually to be helping.
Try leaving it alone for a few days and see what happens. Sometimes taking a slightly different approach may be the solution you are looking for.
"But Lindsay, I'm at my wits end! The irritation is so frustrating I HAVE to DO something." (I get it. I really do.)
Try:
a heating pad for 10 minutes.
epsom salt bath.
going for a walk.
focus on gentle breathing for 5 minutes.
meditate.
find an activity that you can immerse yourself in that will distract you.
