so i’ve been seeing a physiotherapist about my neck pain. on my first visit she hurt me for a short while (which restored my ability to look left as far as i can look right) and she gave me some stretches to do (which made me look like a gimp at my desk)

yesterday was my second visit, where she taped my shoulders back. that’s where it got interesting.

it’s rather like wearing a very snug sports bra, that’s somehow only snug across the back. if i begin to slouch, the tape pulls against my skin and i have to straighten up again. so, it’s keeping me sitting up straight at my desk (which is pretty much the whole point).

the tape also pulls if i begin to lift and tense my shoulders – which is what i tend to do when i’m under stress. so for two days i have a very distinct indicator of my stress levels, and because i’m able to recognise that i’m getting stressed, i’m suddenly aware of all the other side-effects of it. and that’s also interesting.

for one thing, my neck gets tense, which was fairly obvious as it was the source of my pain anyway.

for another, my jaw gets tense, which is interesting because my dentist recently decided i have a TMJ problem that he thinks is caused by grinding my teeth in my sleep. i was dubious of that fact so i didn’t rush ahead and spend the £500 he wanted me to spend on a brace to wear at night. and i’m glad i didn’t, because i don’t think tooth grinding is the problem, i now think it’s directly related to my stress levels.

so that’s all very interesting. but how do i destroy the root cause?!