The Little Piggy Who Cried Out from the Stiffness in the Center of Its Neck, Shoulders, and Back

Constantly plagued by stiffness in my neck, shoulders, and back, and when it got bad, my fingertips would go numb, and before I knew it, it had become the norm—that was the condition I realized had become a daily occurrence once I reached adulthood.

Is it because of bad posture? Desk work? Lack of exercise? Menopause? I can find plenty of leads online.

However, even if the hardware (physical skeleton) format is the same, the size, weight, operation, and environment are completely different.
And so, the era when I could be fine even with accumulated stiffness in my neck, shoulders, and back has ended, and other problems have started to arise from the stiffness in my neck, shoulders, and back.

This is my own record of a long battle to resolve shoulder stiffness and the like (Project X style).

Shoulder stiffness? It's amazing, isn't it! Transcending the ages.

When you go to get your hair cut, there are places that will massage your shoulders, right? My shoulders are usually so stiff that it surprises them. I was even proud that a woman's slender fingertips probably wouldn't stand a chance!
Could it be that my shoulder stiffness is actually supporting my neck? Maybe my shoulder stiffness is even integrated into the harmony of my whole body? I used to think things like that.

However, the numbness in my hands was bothering me, and when it was bad,

• I couldn't turn my bicycle key. I couldn't feel the feedback of how much force I was applying.

• It was hard to type on the keyboard. It felt like my strength was draining away, and I wasn't pressing the keys even though I intended to.

• I couldn't flip through paper to hand it out. Surprisingly fatal for someone working in an educational setting. I felt the damage slowly creeping in.

• I couldn't sleep on my side. Because it would go numb if I did.

• I couldn't lie on my stomach. Because it would go numb if I did. Reading a book while lying down was impossible.

• It went beyond numbness to pain.

It was like that, and it had been steadily eroding my QOL.

Although I went to the hospital, no diagnosis was made.

I'm the type to go to the hospital as soon as I'm worried, so I went to quite a few.

• Small orthopedic clinic: Could it be carpal tunnel syndrome? They said, but when I looked it up online, it seems there is a tendency for symptoms to get stronger at night or in the early morning, but I felt that didn't fit at all. If anything, it felt better when I was sleeping, and the fingers that were most numb would change from day to day.

• Neurosurgery/Internal Medicine: I went suspecting nerve compression in my neck. They looked at it in detail with an MRI, and while there were places where the space for the nerves in my neck was slightly narrowed, they said they felt it wasn't enough to cause numbness. Also, they said I had a really straight neck!

• Gynecology: I went thinking it might be due to menopause. At that time, they looked at the number of eggs with an ultrasound and told me that menopause was still a way off.

• Large orthopedic hospital: Another MRI scan. This time they took it in a posture that easily causes numbness, and could it be thoracic outlet syndrome? was the feeling, and although I was given vitamins and medicine to promote nerve recovery, I felt almost no effect, and I often forgot to take it. I am still continuing to go there.

Furthermore, I also tried acupuncture and moxibustion. After all, you have to look at problems from multiple angles.

• Acupuncture Clinic:Thick Chinese needles. The healing crisis after the treatment was intense, with severe nausea, so I gave up on balancing it with daily life. However, I received a hint: Changing my pillow might make a big difference!I got that tip.

• Seitai (Bodywork) Clinic:I went to several. I was told that my whole body was too tireding. I was told that if things continued this way, before worrying about my hands, my hip joints and knees would be ruinedI think. They said my whole body was so stiff that even my fascia was completely locked up. Regarding my hands, they said, Could it be scalene syndrome? Isn't the pectoralis minor involved too?.

• Aroma Massage:I went after seeing stories online about numbness being cured by massage with lavender oil. It might have been the most pleasant experience. They carefully loosened me up from my head to my shoulders, and since that therapist was an inquisitive type, the two of us thought about this and that, and I would try various approaches at home by myself before the next session, have them check the results, and then have them provide treatment tailored to that... we repeated this process.

Furthermore, what I used in combination with aroma massage was

• ChatGPT:During the aroma sessions, I would have the teacher tell me the sensations they got from actually touching my whole body, and based on that, we would think together about things like, 'If I stretch here...', and then I would have the AI teach me stretches to stretch those parts, and I kept doing them. I input the massage tools I have at home and asked things like, 'I'm so exhausted today that I'm already in bed, can I stretch this part while lying down?' or 'I did what you said, and now this part is asserting its presence!!', and an AI that endlessly gives me stretching instructions is the best. Plus, even for a small stretch, it praises me to death when I do it.

I got a 'This might be the best you've ever been!' from my orthopedic surgeon.

Because of that, the numbness in my hands, which had been going on for nearly 10 years, improved, and I even got praised by the orthopedic surgeon I've been seeing for a long time. However, they said, 'You're not an elderly person yet, so don't be satisfied with just getting a little better, let's aim for zero symptoms!!', so I thought about it even more.

First, about the scalene muscles

The areas shown in this diagram are all places that are either stiff or feel uncomfortable!! However, there are parts where the finger areas with symptoms overlap and parts where they don't.

Next, about the pectoralis minor muscle

This is also a part that feels like 'it's sluggish'! However, this also doesn't overlap completely. But, since the orthopedic surgeon suggested the possibility of multiple causes, when I try overlapping both, it seems perfect.

The neck and the base of the arm...

And that reminded me of the pillow that was pointed out at the acupuncture clinic.

I ended up writing in a rambling way and it got long, so I'll continue next time.