Since the muscles in my left arm don't work, the arm feels heavier than normal and just hangs there. My neck leans to the right to compensate for the weight, and my back goes WAY out of alignment. This meant that I started having migraines after the accident. I never had them before, and they always seem to come when one particular vertebrae gets especially out of whack.
I tried a number of things that helped, acupuncture, chiropractic, floating in a hot tub, and of course different pain & migraine drugs.
The thing that has helped the most though, is a massage every two weeks. If I go 3 weeks I start to hurt (as I was reminded after going to England and missing my usual appointment recently). If I stick to that schedule, my headaches never get worse than a couple of Advil's worth. I can deal with that.
It took me a while to find the right massage therapist, which is why I've included a link to Renee Lewis' site:
It's important to find someone with experience doing injury work. She also works a lot with athletes, so can help with the aches & pains I get from training, too.
I have to mention that along with massage, exercise has been my biggest pain reliever. Even running, which I was afraid would hurt my neck when my arm bounced, has helped my pain level. I've often gone out with a mild headache, and had it disappear mid-run. Besides all the happy endorphins I'm getting, I think the activity helps keep everything loose and healthy.
Now I usually feel pretty good when I'm active--no wonder I'm a fitness addict :)
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