The machine that goes 'ping'!

It finally happened today. After a year-and-a-half of avoidance, I visited a Japanese physio-equivalent. I have been a little naughty lately you see - I have been stretching and carrying on as usual, but I have also snowboarded and taken part in a snowball-throwing competition (albeit in a gym with bean-bags for snowballs) and have somehow managed to anger my temperamental neck.

After not sleeping so very much for a few nights and a few days of headache, the inability to rotate today drove me to consult the school nurse on where best to get myself seen to. She recommended a wee chiropractic-type clinic (where I ran into my JTE - it is obviously oft-recommended) and so I trotted off with Nori (without whom I would have been lost in the scary maze of stretching contraptions and needles, dear Nori) to get chiropratored.

I wanted some neck-work done, but as soon as the man started prodding my back I knew all was lost. My back is just too bung to resist and he had a lot of fun popping and realigning bits (no girl can be told too many times that she has the back of a 60 year old) and then it was was time for ye olde acupuncture... or so I thought. Ye olde it was not. In Japan, ancient Chinese medicine has met bit shiny machines that go 'ping!' - each needle was hooked up to an electrical current and I spent 20 minutes twitching involuntarily from hair-line to knickers-line. There is no sensation quite like having quivering needles electrocuting one in the neck - and I am quite convinced this is a good thing. Then to calm my twitching I was given an a full body hot-pack... which would have been quite pleasant were it not for a few strategic needles placed to keep me awake. Throughout, I was told to let them know if any of the needles were hurting, unfortunately when I complained at a few of the particularly achy spikes, the fellow would pinch one of my belly rolls and say "That hurts, the needles are just a bit uncomfortable" (Or something to that effect, it is hard to concentrate on Japanese when you are concentrating on keeping still). I felt vindicated when all the ouchy ones bled when they took them out.

But the end result... I can almost see over my left shoulder, something I haven't been able to do for quite some time. I also have wee aches where there were no aches before though. I will see if I have nightmares about vibrating electric needles, and then decide if I shall return.

Not scary needles

Scary needles