A pain in the neck

http://news.yahoo.com/story//nm/20080820/hl_nm/back_pain_dc

I saw this and was curious. My back is all jacked up. I almost never don't have neck or back twinges. Thank the gods it's never gone to full fledged pain. But I know it's going there. So I thought, if this is a non-surgical technique, I'd give it a try. So I went to my library and looted all the books on the Alexander technique (a big 4), before any other Yahoo News readers could get there. And I can tell you right now, they're probably going straight back.

I'm flipping through the pages, and even though they were over in the self-help/diet/exercise books, these apparently are actually meant for performers (actors, singers, dancers, etc.). Um, okay. Whatever. I'll give 'em a try anyway. But if actors know so much about taking care of their backs, please explain Elizabeth Taylor to me. Liz is a martyr to the backpain. Anyway. So, I'm flipping through the books and I see a couple of references to how discovering the source of your bad posture and physical habits may unearth the bad memories of what caused the bad posture in the first place. And you may need help dealing with the feelings. Urhh, wha? Um, hell no. My feelings need to stay crammed down in a little corner where they belong, thank you very much. Possibly hence the back pain. Or it could be just that I slouch a lot at my desk, and my desk chair at work was designed by the Marquis de Sade. So back to the library with that lot.

Then I looked at the book that was right next to the ones on the Alexander technique, which I just picked up because I liked the name: The Vance Stance. Very catchy. Now this one had a lot of stuff about having owl eyes in your hips that you have to keep open, and a bucket in your pelvis that you shouldn't let tip. Yeah, I didn't get it either. But what I did see was a part about how 90% of all back problems come from locking your knees. Very, very bad stuff this knee locking. Which, of course, I do.

And in fact, I know exactly when I started locking my knees. It was back in Baptist school. We'd have to stand praying with our eyes closed for 10 minutes. For a kid who is already clumsy, standing with your eyes closed is pretty hard. No visual cues. So I'd end up falling over. Which is evidently poor manners when you're praying. I remember a teacher telling me I needed to push my knees back as I was standing. And they've been locked ever since. Voila. Back pain. I'm telling you, just one more way Baptist school screwed me up.

So, now I'm trying to train myself not to lock my knees. Harder than it sounds. Because after 30-something years of doing the wrong thing, suddenly doing the right thing feels wrong. And I've looked in a mirror while I'm doing it. Standing with your knees bent looks entirely goofy. But I'm still going to try it. Nobody ever died of looking goofy. And, you never know, it might help.