Muscle spasms.
I have them.
I don’t remember a life without them.
I use aids to help; medication, heat, ice, massage, adjustments, foam rollers, etc.
Some days are worse than others. At times they get so bad you can see my muscles contract.
Yes, I drink water. Lots of water.
After years of having them, you begin to wonder if you are going crazy and the pain and discomfort is all in your head. Do they even happen or am I just super sensitive to life?
I can finally tell you they are real.
Very real.
Thanks, biofeedback!
I am going to assume most of you are unfamiliar with what biofeedback is. I will quickly explain it’s process.
Biofeedback is a treatment where we learn to control body processes that are normally involuntary.
Remember my dysfunctional ANS … & the fact that my body doesn’t have the ability to control my heart rate, blood pressure, temperature, etc. correctly?
Well, muscle tension is also one of those involuntary processes.
However, biofeedback is a tool that can teach me to have a bit more control over the process.
I had my first biofeedback session on Thursday.
It was so cool.
My specialist, Mark, is incredible and absolutely loves what he does which makes my time with him just that much more enjoyable.
Results?
We found it is incredibly hard for me to breathe and relax my muscles at the same time. Which pretty much makes it impossible to relax because I have to keep breathing in order to live. At times, my shoulders were so tense there were no readings…off the charts I guess you’d say.
Why is it so hard for me?
1. The simple act of breathing can cause rib dislocations so I automatically keep things tense to avoid that. I compensate
2. .My ANS is just too fragile to concentrate on two tasks at once. Overload.
Hopefully by the end of this program I will be able to learn techniques to control these things a little better and be more conscious about what my body is doing….or isn’t doing. HA!
BONUS:
We also found that if I totally relax my shoulders, my left shoulder actually slips out of joint. Not a full dislocation, a subluxation. So, that’s great. Something we will work on with PT.
Iwill try and get some video (if they allow me) of one of my biofeedback sessions so you can see how it works. If I am unable to record, I will break the process down in either a blogpost or a vlog.
Back to clinic tomorrow for my first full week!
Remember, "Count your Rainbows, not your Thunderstorms!"
xoxo Kirsten 💕