Why I think I have Chronic Shoulder Pain
Every night when I go to sleep, I first lie down on my back, straighten and stretch out those legs, ensure only my head is on that pillow with my neck forming a bridge between the raised head and lowered shoulders and finally that my arms are raised over my head and have fallen hopelessly at the head-end of my cot. Aaah! That pleasure when you can feel those shoulder muscles and neck stretch just before you fall asleep.
I have figured out why that last step before I fall asleep is the most crucial one.
These shoulder muscles of mine are the least used and yet the most used muscles in my body.
I remember even my first day, at the gym, when I was allowed to use the machines after spending an entire month doing just cardio. When I started on those machines, I was ready to take on the world! — a world that weighed 10 lbs or less cause first day right, can’t lift anything more with my skinny bone-y structure. Started with the biceps of course, and then came lat, triceps and then finally shoulders. All machines posed a challenge, but I stood my ground and went through those reps like I was the underdog training to fight Apollo Creed, except when it came to my shoulder muscles. I just couldn’t bloody lift. In a rep of 15 counts, I could barely finish 5. That’s when it hit me that I barely find real need to use those muscles.
I’ve a desk job that involves a lot of typing that doesn’t even use my strongest human asset — opposable thumb, let alone my shoulders. In my job I never found a reason to use those shoulder muscles beyond the involuntary movement of my hand while walking up and down or to lift the phone to talk which has also become minimal with these bluetooth earphones. Have never been the initiative taking kind in school or college or at work, so never had the reason to raise my hand when the teacher asked a question to the class or when important work assignments came up and people were asked to volunteer to take up tasks. But, what am I gonna do about it? Right?

My shoulder muscles are also the most used muscles. I use them almost all the time without really using them through a slight and momentary raise to express doubt, ignorance, or indifference. In other words — a shrug.
This sophisticated gesture has become a response of its own and doesn’t even need words to accompany it. In fact, lesser the words, the better the impact.
Q: What did you do when you saw that man steal from the poor?
A: *SHRUG* What can i do?
Q: What do you want for dinner?
A: *SHRUG* I don’t know.
Q: Were’t you the one saying that you’ll change the system?
A: *SHRUG* Who? Me?
Q: How was that your meeting with your boss?
A: *SHRUG* Usual.
Q: If you don’t like the current state of things, why don’t you do something about it?
A: *SHRUG*
With social media taking over, we have already cut down the time we spend with fellow human beings, and when we do, interact with a few, who has the luxury and time for words? Psh!
This response, physically, doesn’t add anything to stretch out these muscles, but in fact allows them to contract more and more.
In our daily lives today, I don’t see most other people stretching this muscle either. They’re either typing away (like I am right now) or they’re driving/riding or they’re….basically not lifting their arms over their heads or even to that shoulder level.
THIS is a real problem. And being in a lethargic city that is perennially stuck in traffic doesn’t really help.
When was the last time you stretched out those shoulder muscles completely and did something? It need not be raising your hand to volunteer as a leader for a revolution, but you can start with just simply raising them to stretch them out or catching the disc from mid-air or even twirling that girl you like into your arms.
I think it’s time to stretch those muscles and get some real work done.
