(I wrote this note 16 years ago and it just resurfaced on FB memories.)

I went to the Physical Therapist yesterday because my neck and back have been stiff and sore a little since a car accident I was in a few weeks ago. Nothing dramatic, but I was getting headaches too. The PT had me lay down on the table. She asked me to lay straight on my back.

“Am I straight?” I asked. “Do you feel straight?” was her response. I asked again and she responded the same way. Not a good response.

She then started pressing and massaging my back, shoulder and neck muscles. After a few minutes, she asked, “Do you feel straight now?” Hooked up at the ceiling tiles and saw that I was lying exactly perpendicular to them. I said, “It looks straight–am I straight?” “Yes,” She said,

“You are now straight.” It didn’t feel the same, but it looked right. How strange to be crooked and not even know it.

My brain and muscles somehow made adjustments, but they were off balance a little and there was tension in my body. The first doctor I had seen had given me some pain killers and muscle relaxants, but they only masked the pain of the situation. I also did not want to become dependant on them. While I have been able to do most things without too much trouble, I simply was not right. The PT said that my muscles were trying to protect me from injury again, but were over compensating and she and I would have to work with them to get things back in alignment. I was also given some exercises to do to strengthen the muscles holding everything in place. Her work on my muscles yesterday caused them to be a little sorer today, but hopefully in the end, our work will relieve the pain and more importantly its cause.

I couldn’t help but reflect on it as I left the clinic, sometimes the hardships that we go through in life knock us out of alignment. In an attempt to avoid getting hurt again we tense up and avoid situations or doing things that will expose to pain again. We become stiff and although we might get through life, we can not fully enjoy it and do not have full range of movement. We can not see that we are a little bit crooked, because we become used to seeing things that way. Sometimes others have to tell us that we are off. We can compensate a little, but we still feel pain and a general sense of uneasiness. We can also mask our hurt by burying ourselves in activities, or distractions that only cover up the symptoms and may even cause harm to us in the long term. Finding help is the right thing to do, even if it is expensive, embarrassing or temporarily uncomfortable.

Getting the right help is important too. Just as some doctors do not have the time or expertise to help you in the way that you really need it, some people in our life are better equipped to speak to us than others. I think we should seek out those who care about us and are living well themselves and see if we can not help getting better aligned.