I’ve been experiencing chronic neck/back pain for months. It’s worst in the morning when I first get out of bed. Some mornings I have muscle spasms that require me to do some stretching, often on the floor, before I can even get around.
It’s not (usually!) bad enough to consider medical/surgical intervention. It’s not usually even bad enough to regularly take medication. Occasionally I’ll pop an ibuprofen, or very rarely a prescription muscle relaxer. But it’s been manageable with movement and a cheap impact massage gun.
Lately, I’ve been feeling worse for longer. I’ve been waking up at night because rolling over hurts. I’ve been dreading going to bed. Sometimes stretching doesn’t help. Sometimes I have headaches for days at a time. It’s frustrating and exhausting, and I’m over it.
This week I’ve managed to find at least a little relief. I’m tall and heavy, and I’ve been slouching most of my life. The other morning I forced myself to really stand up straight with my head up and my shoulders back. It felt amazing. So I’ve been trying to keep at it.
I’ve been really working on my posture this week. I’ve been making sure to get up and walk around a couple times an hour. I’ve been working on keeping my head high when I’m seated, and even when I’m lying down. I’m sore from making my back and shoulders work harder, but it’s helping. I’m 10 years and 80 pounds past feeling great when I get out of bed, but I can just get up and start my day instead of building in time for pain management.
It’s enough of a relief that I think it’s time to talk to an ortho and maybe get some imaging done. I’m guessing a nerve in my neck is compressed, and I want to make sure there isn’t anything more serious going on. I’ve been avoiding it because our insurance deductible went up 1000% this year, which means I get to pay through the nose to hopefully find out I’m fine.
But hey. Today I’m feeling pretty good.
