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 True world benefactor merits Nobel Prize
    Carol Lazar
    November 25 2008 at 05:58AM 		Get IOL on your
mobile at m.iol.co.za

Watching our brilliant Bok display against the English provoked a discussion about stiff necks, a common problem for rugby players and, in fact, many South Africans.

If it's not injury, arthritis, rheumatism or anything more serious it's probably a lousy pillow, was the common consensus.

That afternoon, I checked my pillow. Was it lumpy or bumpy? No. It was slender and firm. But was the filling correct?

They say down is good, but my husband is allergic to down, so he'd have to sleep somewhere else. Mmm. A down pillow definitely has its advantages.

"Try the multi-pronged attack," said my good friend Betty, a font of knowledge. My ears flapped with vigour.
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She suggested an ice pack and some proactive exercise.

"Stand with your back against a wall and straighten yourself so your shoulders and the back of your head are touching the wall. This should be your posture while you are walking. Then take this posture to bed and your stiff neck will vanish."

Well, the theory is fine - but it's not easy if you share your bed with a partner who likes to snuggle, cuddle and sleep in the spoon position. It was impossible.

"I'm emigrating," I said to my spouse. His eyes lit up.

"Are you serious? He smiled like a shark.

"Absolutely," I responded.

"I am moving into the study to sleep alone, because I have to lie flat to get rid of my stiff neck."

His jaw dropped.

"I thought you were thinking of going a little further," he said.

"Siberia. They say cold is good for a stiff neck."

He was not joking.

Instead, I moved onto the floor.

"Firm is good," said Ezra Bong, a backologist.

He also advocated daily slow rotation of my head, as well as gently lowering my ear towards my shoulder on each side.

"The secret is to do everything slowly," he added. "And if it hurts, stop immediately.

Actually, Bong had several other ideas. He suggested I place pressure on the pad of my big toe for 30 seconds several times a day to alleviate the stiffness.

Bong also suggested a hot pad and then, for exercise, rolling up a towel, placing it on my shoulders and gently tilting my head backwards.

"Moist is also good," he added and suggested swimming or lying in a jacuzzi and gently moving my head from side to side.

"And nothing," he said, "beats a regular massage with a little oil".

As you can imagine, with all this necking, life is pretty hectic. For instance, it's difficult answering the phone when my head is rotating.

But, I did find time to see the new James Bond movie this week - I loved every minute - the critics panning it are a pain in the neck.

Anyway, watching 007 doing his thing was the perfect place to exercise and gently introduce my ear to my shoulder.

"If you don't stop moving your bloody head I'm going to decapitate you," said the person sitting behind me.

I restrained myself from zapping him with the back of my head James Bond style, and instead kept my head upright.

But it was my friend Mai Ling who suggested a Chinese home remedy her grandmother recommended.

"Take a spoon and place it in oil. Then sit down and get a friend to gently scrape your neck up and down with the spoon for a few minutes. The scraping moves the blood in the muscles and relieves your stiff neck."

Oil? Spoon? Does it work? Mai Ling's grandmother deserves the Nobel Prize.

    • This article was originally published on page 12 of The Star on November 25, 2008
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