Neck Pain

[Frank Leister]

PDtek@aol.com wrote...

>Yes, sometimes tuning can be a pain in the neck, but I mean literally. I've
>always had some soreness in my shoulder and neck, but over the years it seems
>to get worse, especially when my schedule gets heavy, like now. Most of the
>pain is on the side of my neck corresponding to my tuning arm. After a long
>day, it's difficult to turn my head without pain.
>
>Has anyone with a similar affliction found any effective treatment? I have
>gotten treatments from my D.O. but relief is temporary at best. Any good
>preventative measures, tuning techniques, treatments, medication that anyone
>has had luck with? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Hi Dave:

It sounds like you are straining your trapezius muscle -- a triangular
shaped large flat muscle that connects to the base of the skull, the
shoulder, and down along to the middle back.

A year or two ago I developed pain in the traps and some nasty bursitis in
the shoulder from working too hard on Beethoven's Waldstein sonata.

I saw an orthoapedic doctor, a chiropractor, a physical therapist, and also
took GLA supplements. I think the chiropractor helped somewhat and perhaps
the GLA supplements. However, following a friend's advice, I finally went
out and bought little 3 pound dumbells and began a simple routine of 5
exercises every other day. In a month or two, the results were amazing. I,
very slowly, worked up the weights to 5 pounds, then 8, then 10, 15, and 20.

I'm not a physician (nor am I Arnold Swartzenegger) but the simple dumbell
workout has been very effective for me.

Frank Leister