I have been suffering (ask anyone who lives or works with me) with screaming pain in my shoulders and neck for months now. I have been walking around as if I had books on my head, desperately trying to keep all my movements smooth. I gasp if I move my head to suddenly, squeal if I sneeze and live in dread of my commute where, bike or car, I must keep checking my blind spots.
A hard pillow didn’t help, nor did a soft one. Curling up to sleep was no different to stretching out. On my back; on my side; on my front, nothing. I was living on a cocktail of Panadol and ibuprofen and smelt constantly of heat gel but even if they had made the pain go away (which they didn’t) they still wouldn’t touch the cause of the pain.
I was starting to resign myself to the idea of having to go to the doctor, something I never enjoy doing, if only for the inconvenience but then, about a week ago, I glanced over at my manager of the last couple of months and I had an idea. The kind which makes you slap yourself on the forehead.
Allister is fairly tall, topping six foot with a few inches to spare. He had also complained of a bad neck until we raised the level of his monitors by a few inches, bringing the tops to the level of his eyes. Why it didn’t occur to me at the time that the same solution could be applied to me is beyond me; I guess I’m better at solving other people’s health issues than my own.
So, rather than raising my monitors, I lowered my chair by a few inches and my screaming neck pain started to go away!
A couple of days later I thought I would try moving my keyboard closer to me so I wasn’t stretching to type and the pain in my shoulders reduced dramatically!
I am amazed at the effect these minor adjustments have had on my quality of life! Now, rather than being continually beset by neck and shoulder pain, I can focus on more important things! Like why my ankle hurts when I run… (I am such fun at parties!)
Love,
Jen
My Life, by Jen 