Before in my previous post of this series, I touched briefly on posture and health, but many months have passed and I’m feeling much better now compared to then. That’s not to say I never have my off days as the body is always a work in progress that you have to maintain, not a one time transaction.
How Did I Do It?
Like many in Japan seeking to treat pain around the neck and shoulders, I went at first to a osteopathic practice (整骨院 seikotsuin, lit. Bonesetting clinic) that offers treatment, which to my understanding can vary from clinic to clinic. It is mostly done through massage and sometimes chiropractic methods that involve the bones in your neck and spine. Some may even offer acupuncture or massages and strength building exercises meant to boost athletic performance.
Patients/visitors can get advice on what to do themselves in terms of stretches and exercises to do that at least help ease if not prevent the pain and stiffness they’re experiencing.
Other small important things like how frequently you should stand up (at least once every 30 minutes) or hanging down and touch your toes to check your alignment and such were just as critical according to the advice I received.
Unfortunately osteopathic medicine isn’t officially recognized as a form of healthcare 100% of the time and only certain reasons for why someone is eligible to receive selected types of treatments at such practices make it a gray zone for getting help with the pain you’re experiencing.
Anyways long story short, I followed their advice and had my spine and neck cracked occasionally and that set me on the right track. Later on I tried another service that recently showed up as an alternative to the traditional relaxation massage.
The shop had trainers that moved the client’s body to stretch it out and increase flexibility, as opposed to simply massaging while having them lay down the entire time. This active form of massage and stretch is kind of therapeutic and I highly recommend just trying it out if just for the experience.
Of course all these things do cost time and money, and not everything is covered by insurance. So, as soon as I fixed up some of the issues with my shoulder and neck and reconditioned myself to be more proactive about moving around, I stopped going in.
A Look At Time
First off its important to analyze the amount of time our bodies spend in a certain position every day. It’s easy to lose track of time when we are focused on work or absorbed in a game or movie, and etc.
Going by standard full time 8-hour work days, it’s safe to expect that most of us are in a seated posture on a chair working alongside a desk.
People in manufacturing or similar industries might even have it worse if they have to repeat the same motion over and over the entire time while maintaining an unnatural posture in a factory line or some other form of manual labor.
The Body In Motion
In a sedentary lifestyle that is exacerbated by long hours spent in the same position in our waking hours, the human body spends more time locked in certain positions rather freely moving about in the complete range of motion it is capable of.
I think people in modern industrialized societies have so many distractions that they tend to neglect seriously taking care of their own health. Access to medicine and improvements in technology gives people the idea that someone or something else will take care of it for them.
In the long-run people could benefit more if their earlier years had been spent moving their bodies more and less on pain relief and treating other ailments that are put off until later in life. Establishing good habits can take time but it’s worth it in the end.
Thanks for reading! I hope to write more and make a better habit of writing regularly.
One Chance Works 