Neck Update

As I'm sure enquiring minds what to know - I thought I'd write a quick update about my neck. :) I was able to get an urgent appointment at Western States Chiropractic College's Outpatient Clinic. After a little confusion regarding which person I was actually seeing, I got situated with a nice gal who might have been new. :)

I explained what I was feeling and she was able to complete my sentences and then pointed to the specific muscle on a poster. Silly little Levator scapulae! Apparently it's attached to the 2nd and 3rd (or was it 3rd and 4th?) vertebrae, which explains why I was having trouble moving my neck.

To treat, the clinician use a therapuetic ultrasound (different than a diagnostic ultrasound used for pregnancy... but I think different only in the amount of megahertz used... more in this case) to relax the muscle. She also applied a topical anelgesic (ie - a painkiller) to the area and used the ultrasound to allow it to penetrate further into the skin and into the muscle. She said this was so that I'd be able to drive. After the ultrasound, she adjusted my neck and checked and adjusted the rest of my back.

She also used what's called an activator to talk my muscles into relaxing. I've never actually seen them, but they're some sort of metal tool that sort of "thwacks" the insertion point of the muscle. This action is supposed to confuse the muscles to the point that they give up and just relax. After all this, she adjusted my feet (a first time for me... but GREAT!) and gave me some tips on improving my form.

15 hours later, I'm still a little tender but have my range of motion mostly restored. I'm going to get a good night's rest tonight and give my long run a try tomorrow. 6 miles in my hometown. :)