Most recent migraines.
Somehow or another, I managed to get migraines 2 out of the last 3 weeks after hockey. I've been stretching regularly, seeing the chiropractor and massage therapist at least once a month. It is frustrating considering the months past I've had no migraines. I haven't changed my diet or exercise habits recently, however, work has been significantly more stressful; working over-nights, increased workload and responsibilities etc.
The first migraine I just dealt with; no meds, no ice, no massage, I just waited it out. The second mirgraine, I tried the same approach as the first, except I massaged and stretched my neck myself. I massaged my neck by folding my hands behind my neck (like I was praying) and used my thumbs to massage both sides of my neck. This significantly helped with the pain. At some point it felt as if the pain went away. Unfortunately I could only massage my own neck for so long. Regardless, the amount of time I was able to spend massaging significantly reduced the overall pain I was feeling.
It seems I keep my stress in my neck and stretching might not cut it for preventing these migraines. Moving forward, I'm going to try and add the self-neck massage into my normal routine to see how that helps.
Are you injured?
I've been lucky with injuries throughout my athletic career. More than often, my biggest complaint is chronic soreness cured by a few days rest. By the end of the summer I had A LOT of low back pain. I dialed down my training and started stretching like a mad man but but it never got better.
Fast forward to mid-October, after visiting a sports chiropractor I had started to feel better (he told me I needed to stabilize and strengthen my abs--and I agree it was an area I had neglected). I should've knocked on wood after telling my chiro that I felt great. I re-injured myself doing Back Squats and thought my days of heavy lifting were over.
I looked all over the CrossFit message board for people who were dealing with the same issues. It turns out, I was not alone and I found a link to a post from Mark Rippetoe that offered a solution to my problem. I used this protocol and felt better after 10 days and was back in the gym working hard after two weeks (PR'ed Jackie by 44 seconds!) I think my injury was a result of weak abdominals, poor sitting position (have you ever seen the way lifeguards sit in their stands), overstretching, and not enough consistent strength training. I'm working on fixing these things to avoid anymore speed bumps in my training.
How to Improve Your Posture | Mark’s Daily Apple
I love good posture articles; especially ones that fall in line with my school of thought. This article from Mark's Daily Apple suggests that conventional notions regarding what is "good posture" may actually be wrong.
The key to avoiding back pain (and, it turns out, achieving healthy posture) lies in the pelvis. Or, rather, the key lies in the positioning of the pelvis. Popular posture advice tells us to tuck the pelvis, to bring it forward. Tucking the pelvis is conducive to achieving that arched, S-curve back that the experts say is healthy and natural, but it’s actually counterproductive to sustainable, healthy posture. Gokhale blames medical professionals for that one, suggesting that the constancy of seeing patients with poor posture (which is almost everyone in developed nations) has conditioned doctors to consider the average S-curved back as normal and actually ideal. It’s not, though. The ideal posture should be mostly straight (or J-shaped, with the bottom curve of the “J” representing the curve of the anteverted pelvis), and it should be effortless and natural.
Strengthen your neck watching tv.
I'm ashamed to admit that on my first visit to the chiropractor, he told me that I needed to strengthen my neck. I was a little embarrassed; I thought my neck was strong. Maybe it was, but just maybe not in the right way. It's pretty normal for someone who sits at a desk 8 hours a day to develop bad posture. I see it every day. People walking around slouching forward.
Next time you watch TV, try laying on your stomach on the floor or bed, so that you're looking up at the TV. See if you can do it for 15 minutes straight. How about 20? 30? You might be surprised at how difficult it is.
First migraine since starting chiropractic care
This past Sunday was the last game of our season. I skated hard and got a migraine an hour or so after the game. This was the first migraine I've had since starting chiropractic care. Prior to the game, I did notice my neck was rather tense, despite my efforts to keep it loose. My last adjustment before Sunday was probably 7-9 days prior. I spent the next few days in bed with the flu. (Sunday night really sucked). Monday-Tuesday I had a fever. We're thinking the extra tension in the neck could be a result of the oncoming illness.
I got adjusted today. Will keep you posted.