On chronic pain

Six years ago I took a nasty tumble on a bicycle. Thankfully I only had a mild concussion. So my brain is mostly, probably, ok. But another issue I’ve dealt with since is chronic neck pain. I work at a computer all day, so I’m not doing my spine any favors. But still, the crash caused neck issues ever since.

I’ve dealt with it the best way I’ve known. I’ve sought profession help for it, taken things to manage the pain, and bought different pillows to try and account for better sleeping posture.

But still the pain and issues around my neck have persisted. A small side effect of all this has been the inability to crack my neck. Now, I’m not a medical professional in any way, so don’t take anything I’m sharing as advice. But to me I considered it a bad thing to not be able to crack my neck. As a kid I got rather good at it. In the years since my accident I’ve been unable to crack my neck. In fact, I’ve often been incredibly careful to turn my head and avoid any sudden movements.

Recently I started a series of stretches, including neck stretches recommended by a (YouTube) doctor. The results have started to help. I’m feeling less pain, and slowly, little by little, actually able to gently crack my neck again.

I appreciate the small wins.