Ouch!!

The pain was so intense I couldn’t lift my arm to dry my hair, and even worse applying mascara was impossible. This was a disaster. So I put myself in my patients’ chair and told myself sternly what I needed to do.

1) Start herbal anti-inflammatories immediately and take small doses frequently
2) Take high strength fish oil capsules 6 per day
3) Apply copious amounts of Arnica cream twice daily
4) Cold compress morning and night
5) See my osteopath ASAP!!

Within three days I could lift a hair brush and even apply mascara if I supported my right arm with my left and leaned against the mirror. A break through!

Ten days later (and three visits to the osteopath later) this truly tear-jerking pain had disappeared.

Impossible to accurately identify the cause. Okay, I admit I may be partially to blame. As you all know I am an ardent vegetarian. Could a deficiency of Omega 3 be partly responsible? Or could all those bicep curls I have been doing (it’s true!) over the last 12 months, be the culprit. Perhaps I was not paying sufficient attention to execution? Or was it just a random act of acute pain.

Certainly I am now much more focused on using my left arm more frequently. If you are right handed, it’s astounding how much we push that poor right arm to do all the work… opening doors, doing up seat belts, brushing teeth, carrying the shopping, moving that mouse… so an attempt to become a little more ambidextrous is my birdsong for 2014… less right, more left!

Pain can occur spontaneously seemingly out of nowhere. The key is to act fast, and put your repair plan in order without a moment’s delay!