My stiff necks

About three times a year I have back spasms. Neck cramps too. Specific stiffness and tightness that throws my whole day off. It is usually caused by some type of sudden, herky-jerky motion. My freshman year of college, during the first week, an acute case of stiff-n-rigid neck was caused by a few minutes of over zealous headbanging. (It was 1994). I couldn't sleep, walk, eat, breath very well for a week. I would sit down in class next to a stranger and say "I'm sorry I smell like Ben-Gay, I have a stiff neck". Long live rock-n-roll, eh. The last nasty one I had I got when stepping out of the shower just oh-so oddly that my neck went "waahhhhhhttt!?"

This morning, was going well. I was a few minutes ahead of schedule. As I was riding the elevator alone to the second floor I suddenly did an impromptu dance routine. The doors closed and I did a double pump of my fist down toward the floor, knees slightly bent, head quickly bobbing back and forth. I may have even sung a few bars of some song. The more religious would say I was moved my the spirit. What ever it was, it was not from my frontal lobe. This was something deep, archaic. I think I felt my medulla pulsate. The entire event only lasted 10 seconds. I quickly realized something was wrong.

I moved ahead as the door opened. As I began my morning lecture the problem worsened. My breathing was truncated, my left arm would jerk back if I overextended it, simply pacing back-n-forth was taxing. After the class I swallowed 800mg of Advil and ate two donuts. This didn't immediately relieve me. I searched the local stores for a tennis ball to rub on my back, but couldn't find any. I was thing of asking if they sold massagers, but I think that is worse than telling people I stink like menthol.

So now I am simply waiting for it to go away. Practically speaking I have found that activity and movement are better for these than remaining motionless. Wait...I think the Advil is kicking in.