What I Use to Prevent Neck Pain

I’ve had bad posture my entire life. Growing up, I didn’t know why I always slouched so much. I just knew that I was comfortable that way. Years later, I realized that it’s because of the muscle weakness caused by mitochondrial myopathy.

Last year was the first time that I ever experienced ongoing back pain when I somehow tweaked my neck and lost all range of motion involving my neck muscles. I couldn’t find a single way to relieve the tension. At the time, my uncle had fallen ill. Living in Southern California, my family and I had to take the 605 freeway to visit him in the hospital. If you’ve ever been on the 605 freeway, you know it’s awful. Especially for someone with neck pain. It’s eroded with thousands of potholes. That’s when my mom and I decided it was time to bring me to a chiropractor.

My mom has been getting adjusted by a chiropractor for years because of a car accident. I went to her appointments when I was young, so I knew what to expect. She informed me that I might be sore afterward and that it’ll take a couple of visits to completely get rid of the muscle pain. The doctor was very understanding of my disease and was kind enough to adjust me while I stayed seated in my wheelchair.

I experienced some pain as he put pressure on certain areas of my neck, but after a few adjustments and stretches, I regained most of my range of motion back. I made sure to ask him if there was anything I could do on my own to avoid getting myself into the same situation. He suggested lying down on my back and resting my arms above my head. That way gravity would be working to pull my shoulders back.

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My physical therapist recommended searching Amazon for some sort of brace I could wear during the day to keep my upper back in a more upright position. Quite a few braces are designed to be worn like a bra. This wasn’t an option because it would diminish my independence even more. I wanted something I could wear over my clothing and could take on and off by myself.

Other braces looked like they fit very snug under the armpits which wouldn’t be very comfortable, either. We finally settled on a brace from a brand called BAX-U. The comfortable BAX-U posture support brace is Velcro, so it can be easily put on and taken off. It also has adjustable straps that allow you to choose how far back you want your shoulders to be, and it doesn’t restrict movement.

I love my posture support brace because it’s a simple solution and it relieves me of neck pain. Do any of you have similar stories? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.

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