We want to retrain the muscles and the brain, disengage certain muscle from over firing and engage those deep muscles that for whatever reason, (probably trauma, whiplash, surgery) stopped working.
I expressed concern about the pain I feel (up my neck, sharp into base of neck) when doing shoulder blade squeeze exercises, because my surgeon said I should specifically avoid heavy lifting, pulling down, arms up or extended repetitively. I worry that I'm causing compression because of what I feel when I do the exercise. After a moment of silence, the response was, "...sometimes, when you are told something by a medical professional, a doctor, its not necessarily for the long term, but for the healing phase. Honestly, your painting a room (which I did last week) is way more motion than that exercise, so I wouldn't worry about it."
When I asked if being on traction diminishes ear/neck/head pain, does that mean there is something pinched in my vertebrae? "No. Your system, your nerves, are overloaded; like they are being irritated and rubbed by muscle fiber, but that's different from a nerve pinch."
Quite often he says: "It's o.k."
(sometimes I want to rip my crummy arm off and hit him with it when he says that, because it does not feel o.k....my fellow TOSers can appreciate that).
I do appreciate the reassurance, it's just been so many years of this deal that sometimes it's hard to trust that it is in fact, o.k.
That's good, you're on Healing Road now!
Part 4 soon, Gentle hugs~
