Seasonal Neck Pain

It seems like once again my neck is acting up and causing me grief. The funny thing is, the last time it hit me was around the same time a year ago. I remember because I could really feel it on the ice and on the slopes, though last year I wasn't playing hockey, just coaching it. I'm seriously thinking of taking My Mentor's advice and going to the chiropractor, because while the pain is not unbearable, it's pretty severe, and it's constant. I'm still trying to figure out what exactly is setting it off because for most of the year it was manageable, but those glory days are over.

One thing that seems to aggravate it is an up and down motion, which is a constant when you're skiing and going over bumps. I remember last year going down the hill and wincing the entire way down. Eventually it must have jarred something into place because the pain wasn't as bad by the end of the day, but it was still there. I played hockey last night and it was really flaring up during the game. Since it manifests itself as upper back pain, which is nearly impossible to reach, I find myself doing all these awkward stretches in order to get some relief. None of them work but that doesn't stop me from trying. My teammates must think I'm a nutcase, and they wouldn't be too far off in thinking that.

Oh well, we'll see how I end up dealing with this. I'm trying to avoid too much Advil, which doesn't actually do much in the end, anyway. Sometimes I think I was just meant to suffer because I do such a good job of it. Just ask my family.

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Until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to Carole Haswell for the pic.