Friday 19 November 2004

Pic of the day: One should always be careful where one puts one's hands, for the good of everyone's health. This is not least true about me. (Screenshot, however, is from the anime Daa! Daa! Daa!.)

More physicality

Today something actually happened, namely that I went to physiotherapy again. Not very exciting, I agree. I have noticed a pattern already: If I go to work first and then to physiotherapy, I will be very stiff and sore afterwards. This is probably because at work I have already made my muscles into an armor. I do that automatically when I go to work.

For some reason, even though the pain is in my right wrist and right side of the neck, the therapist will massage both my shoulders and much of my back, on both sides. But he doesn't touch my wrist.

The first half hour I spend lying on my back with some hot and humid stuff under my back and shoulders and around my neck. It presumably heats up the muscles before the massage, so I won't get hurt so much. I can live with that. Today, however, the heat was extended all the way down to my butt. I wondered if this meant that, starting today, he would massage my butt as well. Nothing can be left untried for the benefit of my wrist! This did not come to pass, however. Perhaps next time. OK, probably not. Which is surely the best for both our health.

Regular readers will know that I don't like being touched. An exception can be made for hugs by close friends. But if you try to tickle me without sufficient warning, my body WILL try to kill you without asking me first. And it is amazingly good at it. I crushed the nose of a young girl I liked on such an occasion. I think the damage is no longer visible, but it was for a while. What can I say? Before I have registered that you are tickling me, my body is already moving, and fast. It could have gone far worse. Today I was at least prepared, but each time his hands came too close to my sides, I stiffened. That can't possibly be good for my health. No wonder physiotherapy has no positive effect on me. That, and it's worthless if you can move your own limbs. Or perhaps that is just something I believe ... an inverse placebo effect. But no less effective for that.