Physical therapy & medieval torture

I would’ve cracked early under a torturer’s ministrations during the Middle Ages if my first 3 days of physical therapy last week provide clues as to my ability to withstand pain. 🙂

My therapist is much nicer than a medieval giver of pain, and of course, she’s attempting to eliminate it! We joke about the cervical traction device she’s put me in. I told her it might give me some ideas for my novels. That piece of equipment uses traction to stretch the neck to decrease the compression of the discs and open the canals where nerves are being pinched. It’s an unusual feeling having the thing inflate and push the base of your skull out the top of your head.

Okay…that’s not what really happens. The therapist knows how much force needs to be applied and my skull is still firmly fitted in my head. It’s just a bit uncomfortable.

Then there’s the massages, which would feel great if the nerves weren’t hypersensitive, inflamed and/or pinched. Can you say ‘OUCH’?  I did. Numerous times. *sigh* It will get better but in the meantime, I’ll be giving away state secrets. (Good thing I don’t know any.) But I won’t be telling you or my therapist the climax of Battle Scars. You’ll just have to read the novel. Of course, if I don’t get this posted and use my remaining computer time to work on it, I’ll never finish the revisions.

Enough about torture, er, physical therapy. Enjoy a bit of spring in Kansas. (Because it’s supposed to snow here tomorrow.)

Torture image “Streckbett”. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons – https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Streckbett.jpg#/media/File:Streckbett.jpg

  1. Jadey Avatar
    Jadey

    Ouch indeed! I have to go for regular deep tissue massage for a damaged hip (I was 19, loved sport and thought myself invicible!) so I know what you mean about enduring pain in order to eliminate pain. Bear with it as, speaking for myself, it does eventually start to work to some degree or another.

    Thanks for the lovely picture 🙂

    1. Char Avatar

      That invincible things causes all kinds of problems!! Ouch for you, too!

      1. Jadey Avatar
        Jadey

        Yeah, especially if you can’t spell invincible, lol!


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