A Pain In The Neck!

 Please see the Japanese translation below!

 The lake pictures are from Lake Chuzenji, very close to Nikko. The stream pictures are from Kawagoe, a very popular location to see the cherry blossoms. Very stunning at both locations! I never cease to be amazed at Japan's never-ending beauty!

On the opposite end of the spectrum has been a real pain in the neck! When I got back from our Oshima Island trip two months ago, I noticed that it was painful to turn to my left while riding my bike. I also noticed that some of the day to day neck movements were strained and a bit painful.

 I assumed that this would go away in a short period of time. Not only did the discomfort not go away, but I started to have some tingling in my left hand and soreness running down my left arm. A sure sign of a pinched nerve. Darn!

I finally went to a local physical therapist  recommended by a friend. That person did some electro-therapy and manual massage. While the treatment felt great immediately after, that did not last and the pain returned. Jeff Giulietti to the rescue! Jeff said that the neck condition was probably caused by all the cycling we did on the Oshima trip. Although my neck felt fine during that trip, Jeff said the damage was done!

Jeff is the owner of Eugene Physical Therapy and was my physical therapist for thirty years. Jeff agreed to work with me by Zoom and email. After a thorough assessment, he gave me a series of exercises that have been very effective. The worst part was that Jeff said no cycling for three weeks!

 What is a 40-45 minute bike ride each way to and from work turned into a series of train rides that took a total of two hours each way! The good news is that I used that opportunity to do my neck exercises as well as other stretches and I got in 6 miles of walking each day. I am always looking for the positives!

I still have some minor symptoms, but my neck is much better and I have returned to cycling. Thank heavens for that!

I hope that spring is going well for you! I think we may have skipped spring here in Japan as we have been having summer like weather.

All the best to you and family and friends!

Bob Reed 

下の日本語訳をご覧ください！ 湖の写真は日光のすぐ近くにある中禅寺湖、小川の写真は桜の名所として人気の川越です。どちらも本当に素晴らしい景色です！日本の尽きることのない美しさには、いつも驚かされます！ 一方、ひどいのは首の痛みです！2ヶ月前に大島旅行から戻った時、自転車に乗っている時に左に曲がるのが痛いことに気づきました。また、日常の首の動きにも負担がかかり、少し痛みを感じました。 すぐに治るだろうと思っていましたが、不快感は消えないどころか、左手にチクチクする感覚と左腕に痛みが走り始めました。これは間違いなく神経が圧迫されている兆候です。しまった！ 友人に勧められた地元の理学療法士のところに行きました。そこで電気療法と手技マッサージを受けました。施術直後は気持ちよかったのですが、その効果は長続きせず、痛みが再発しました。ジェフ・ジュリエッティが助けてくれました！ジェフは、大島旅行中にサイクリングをしすぎたせいで首が痛くなったのだろうと言いました。旅行中は首に問題はありませんでしたが、ジェフはもうダメだと言いました！ ジェフはユージーン・フィジカル・セラピーのオーナーで、30年間私の理学療法士を務めてくれました。彼はZoomとメールで相談に乗ってくれました。徹底的な診察の後、とても効果的なエクササイズをいくつか教えてくれました。一番ひどかったのは、ジェフが3週間はサイクリング禁止と言ったことです！ 通勤に片道40～45分の自転車が、片道2時間もかかる電車に変わってしまいました！幸いなことに、その機会を利用して首のエクササイズやその他のストレッチを行い、毎日6マイル（約9.6km）歩くことができました。私は常に良い面を探しています！ まだ少し症状は残っていますが、首はだいぶ良くなり、サイクリングにも復帰できました。本当に感謝しています！ あなたにとって良い春が訪れますように！ここ日本では夏のような天気が続いているので、春を飛ばしてしまったような気がします。 あなたとご家族、ご友人に幸多かれとお祈り申し上げます。 ボブ・リード

 

Shita no nihongo-yaku o goran kudasai! Mizūmi no shashin wa Nikkō no sugu chikaku ni aru chūzenjiko, Ogawa no shashin wa sakura no meisho to shite ninki no Kawagoedesu. Dochira mo hontōni subarashī keshikidesu! Nihon no tsukiru koto no nai utsukushi-sa ni wa, itsumo odorokasa remasu! Ippō, hidoi no wa kubinoitamidesu! 2Kagetsu mae ni Ōshima ryokō kara modotta toki, jitensha ni notte iru toki ni hidari ni magaru no ga itai koto ni kidzukimashita. Mata, nichijō no kubi no ugoki ni mo futan ga kakari, sukoshi itami o kanjimashita. Sugu ni naorudarou to omotte imashitaga, fukai-kan wa kienaidokoroka, hidarite ni chikuchikusuru kankaku to hidariude ni itami ga hashiri hajimemashita. Kore wa machigainaku shinkei ga appaku sa rete iru chōkōdesu. Shimatta! Yūjin ni susume rareta jimoto no rigaku ryōhō-shi no tokoro ni ikimashita. Sokode denki ryōhō to shugi massāji o ukemashita. Shijutsu chokugo wa kimochiyokatta nodesuga, sono kōka wa nagatsudzuki sezu, itami ga saihatsu shimashita. Jefu jurietti ga tasukete kuremashita! Jefu wa, Ōshima ryokō-chū ni saikuringu o shi sugita sei de kubi ga itaku natta nodarou to iimashita. Ryokō-chū wa kubi ni mondai wa arimasendeshitaga, Jefu wa mō dameda to iimashita! Jefu wa yūjīn fijikaru serapī no ōnā de, 30-nenkan watashi no rigaku ryōhō-shi o tsutomete kuremashita. Kare wa Zoom to mēru de sōdan ni notte kuremashita. Tetteitekina shinsatsu no ato, totemo kōkatekina ekusasaizu o ikutsu ka oshiete kuremashita. Ichiban hidokatta no wa, Jefu ga 3-shūkan wa saikuringu kinshi to itta kotodesu! Tsūkin ni katamichi 40 ~ 45-bu no jitensha ga, katamichi 2-jikan mo kakaru densha ni kawatte shimaimashita! Saiwaina koto ni, sono-ki-kai o riyō shite kubi no ekusasaizu ya sonohoka no sutoretchi o okonai, mainichi 6-mairu (yaku 9. 6 Km) aruku koto ga dekimashita. Watashi wa tsuneni yoi men o sagashiteimasu! Mada sukoshi shōjō wa nokotte imasuga, kubi wa daibu yoku nari, saikuringu ni mo fukki dekimashita. Hontōni kansha shite imasu! Anata ni totte yoi haru ga otozuremasu yō ni! Koko Nihonde wa natsu no yōna tenki ga tsudzuite irunode, haru o tobashite shimatta yōna ki ga shimasu. Anata to gokazoku, go yūjin ni kō ōkare to oinori mōshiagemasu. Bobu rīdo