Ergonomics
May 13, 2008 The Story of My Life
I have a headache from working on a desk that isn’t set up ergonomically. I did manage to find a chair that wasn’t as tippy but it’s still kinda low so my neck is hurting. Such is life.
I have whiplash from two car accidents. The first one was from a woman who missed a stop sign (she was drunk) and the second was from when a woman turned left in front of me. (She said she just wasn’t paying attention.) I got a $500 settlement from her insurance company and gleefully bought a Cannondale racing bike. Now I wish I’d hung in there to get a little bit more because that was 21 years ago and my neck still hurts.
Chronic pain bites. I get scared sometimes because I already have some disc degeneration in my neck and one expects it’ll only get worse. Acupuncture helped a lot but it’s outside our budget right now. Meanwhile I take a lot of ibuprofen but not as much as I’d like to take because it can be hard on your stomach. So I pretty much have resigned myself to hurting all of the time. That sounds so dreary but I’ve gotten used to it.
I’ve been thinking though about how pain limits me — interfering with sleep and exercise and other activities. There are things — like raking — that I can’t do for long or I’ll pay for it for a week. IF I still had that Cannondale racing bike I couldn’t ride it because my neck couldn’t take it. Sitting next to someone — say at a movie theater or dinner — means I’ll be in pain by the end of the event from having to turn to look at them (so I try to sit across from people when I can).
Anyway. I hope to get back to the acupuncturist because I’ve had the longest, most encouraging results there. Chiropractors, physical therapists, traditional MDs — none of them have been long-term help. These miracle balls have helped a great deal though and I’m glad I found them. Frankly it’s one of the things I find difficult about working on-site — no miracle ball break when my head starts hurting really bad. But at least I have it to look forward to when I get home!!
Possibly related posts
Tags: acupuncture, chronic pain, elaine petrone, miracle balls, neck injury, neck pain, whiplash
