Originally Posted by Nolina

Hi Dabbo, ouch, that sounds just miserable, I'm sure you really didn't need this today.

The only thing that truly helps me when my traps/neck/head flare like that is a good trigger point/deep tissue massage. Other than that the next best thing for me is an ice pack around the shoulders (ice works better than heat for me - I know others prefer heat), and muscle relaxants as BarnBurn said.

These won't help tonight, but for future flares here are some of my favorite products/tricks to help:

1. ElastoGel Ice/Heat packs - http://www.elastogel.com/hand,_wrist,_shoulder.htm - i have 3 or 4 different kinds, the shoulder one, hand mits, etc - love them!

2. Trigger Point Massage Ball - http://www.tpmassageball.com/products.php - use this to work out tight spots on your traps and elsewhere by leaning up against a wall with the ball between yourself and a wall. You can also use a tennis ball but this works better.

3. www.massageenvy.com - membership-based massage franchise - $39 per massage! best investment i made for myself this year - has really decreased my chronically tight traps/neck muscles & decreased my headaches. According to the website they are opening one in Memphis soon - if it's near where you live, maybe it would be worth checking out.

4. Posture , Posture, Posture - i know you're working on improving this but this one's absolutely essential. Make sure you:
- Sit all the way back in the chair
- shoulders back, but relaxed (not hunched)
- if you have to, set a timer at your desk for every 10 minutes to force you to "check in" with yourself and check your posture, breathing,etc. Sorry to nag.......

Hope you feel better in the morning. If you need to, STAY HOME and rest....
And if you ignore us here for awhile because you're resting & staying off the PC that's actually a good thing ........we'll understand

Get Better!
Nolina