The Dull Parts of the Week

[tiggymalvern]

I know how truly desperate you all must be for me to tell you about tedious medical stuff, so here's the summary version of my visit to the physio on Weds.


Poke prod, play with neck. Result - she says I'm too stiff and immobile at the top two thoracic vertebrae, so C5 and C6 in my neck, being the first truly free vertebrae above the ribcage, are moving excessively to keep the range of motion. So the plan is physio to free up the restricted areas combined with exercises to strengthen my neck muscles. Now I have to try and prick my ears like a dog 200-400 times a day. Hope the physio's more successful than the ear-pricking!

For now at least I avoid experiencing the rack, but I get to stick with the aching shoulder.

Comments

[tiggymalvern.livejournal.com]

Medical dealings usually are! And now it's deeply boring and annoying for you too, because you all get to hear about it - I like to share :-)

[tameiki.livejournal.com]

Ack! I wouldn't even begin to know how to go about moving my ears. Does any of this alleviate the pain at all?

[tiggymalvern.livejournal.com]

I suppose if I was a dog and could move my ears, those muscles would already be well developed XD

None of it does anything for the pain, but the ache's fairly low level and I can ignore it easily enough except when I'm trying to sleep. I'm altering my sleep patterns to work with that!

[solo.livejournal.com]

Prick your ears? How are you supposed to do that?

[tiggymalvern.livejournal.com]

That's what I thought when the physio said it - but when I tried to lift my ears towards the ceiling, the muscles along the back of my neck tensed, so the wiring's obviously still in there, even if the function isn't. Which is cool.

[solo.livejournal.com]

You realize that I'm going to spend the rest of the day sitting here with a constipated expression on my face as I try to prick my ears...

[tiggymalvern.livejournal.com]

Another service rendered to the world :-)

[jo-lasalle.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry that's still bothering you. Physio is such a bore.

(Prick your ears? That's good for the neck?)

[tiggymalvern.livejournal.com]

At least she's left me with exercises that can be done while I'm driving or watching TV or absolutely anything. I just get this slightly constipated look of concentration on my face XD

If you're a dog, the muscles that steer your ears are all layed out along your neck, so I can see the connection. It's just that my ears don't move, no matter how hard I try!

[jo-lasalle.livejournal.com]

It's just that my ears don't move, no matter how hard I try!

That's also why I was asking... but re-reading the post, I realise it wasn't actually part of the advice from the therapist, no? (Hey, it was very early in the morning here. *g*)

[scathachdhu.livejournal.com]

Ouch. Best of luck!

[tiggymalvern.livejournal.com]

Other people live with a lot worse. It's making me give more consideration to being nice to my spine, though, I want it to last me well over forty years yet!