Neck pain is no fun, as I’ve recently re-discovered. Keep reading to find out what happened.
First, some background. I love my pillow so much that I travel with it if we drive for vacation. This trip was no exception. My husband and I traveled to lovely Santa Fe, New Mexico, with my beloved pillow in the backseat of the car.
All went well and then it was time to leave. As we started our trip back home, driving through lightly falling snow, I realized that I had left my pillow in Santa Fe. We were 15 minutes away and, of course, had already checked out of our hotel, but since it was going to be a long day of driving, I opted to not turn back and add 30 minutes to our trip. Ugh. I sure regret that decision.
Background
In case you’re wondering, I require an especially flat pillow because I am mostly a stomach sleeper. I know, I know. This is the worst possible way to sleep, position-wise. After returning safely home, I decided to order a new pillow from Amazon, but, of course, I thought maybe now was the time to try something new. (I’m really not sure why I decided to try something new since the old one was great.)
First Trial
Anyway, I ordered a different brand, one that had 4 foam layers. The idea is that you can remove one or more layers to make the pillow the height you need. While waiting for my new pillow, I used various flat things to sleep on or I slept without a pillow at all. Long story short, between these improvised pillows and my new pillow, I ended up with really bad upper trap and neck pain and limited range of motion.
Back to Original
So I ordered yet another pillow, the same type I had left in Santa Fe. But my neck still hurt from all the other trials. While the new pillow is great, I am still recovering from the mess I made. What a pain.
I certainly learned my lesson. Pillows are important! I see clients all the time who have pain because they “must’ve slept wrong”. I’m healing but it has been a lot slower than I would like.
What I Do for Neck Pain
I thought it might be useful to talk about what I do when I have neck pain. (This isn’t medical advice. Just telling you what I do in case it will help someone.)
- Exercises from Bob & Brad. These guys are PTs and they have a YouTube Channel. They are my go to for pain. Here is the link.
- I lie in this contraption for 15 minutes a day. Here is the link.
- I taught my husband to do a Fascial Distortion Model technique on my neck. (Sorry that I can’t post a link for this one, but you can come in for an appointment and we can see if it helps you.)
- Epsom Salts baths. These really help relax my muscles. For those that don’t like baths, I hear there is Epsom Salts roll on and cream. I haven’t tried them but it is worth a shot.
- Usually, I’d go get a massage, but I haven’t had time. Sigh.
- Biofreeze roll-on feels really nice.
- Here is a link to my new pillow in case anyone wants one.
I hope this helps! If you are a new female client and you’d like to schedule, best to text my business at 972.813.9083. (I accept male clients by referral from current clients.) Established clients can book online here.