GET (UN)KNOTTED!

 I played tennis this morning but gave up after an hour because my back was sore and I had difficulty turning my head. The problem is a kind of knot in my upper right back just below the shoulder. I looked it up on-line and found this:

Muscle knot treatment

• Rest. Allow your body to rest if you have muscle knots. 
• Stretch. Gentle stretching that elongates your muscles can help you to release tension in your body. 
• Exercise. Aerobic exercise may help to relieve muscle knots. 
• Hot and cold therapy. 
• Use a muscle rub. 
• Trigger point pressure release. 
• Physical therapy.

Well, I'm not resting any more than I usually do. No doubt I'll nod off this afternoon while reading or watching TV.

I have tried stretching but find that lying flat out on the wooden floor helps better, The problem with this is it scares The Old Girl when she enters the room as she thinks that I've 'kicked the bucket'

I did get some exercise playing tennis and after that went to the golf course (see below).

I don't know about hot and cold therapy but do know that a hot bath with Epsom salts helped yesterday.

I don't know what a muscle rub is but suspect that The Old Girl will thump me if I ask her for a rub.

Ditto for "trigger point pressure release". It sounds rude.

I'm not going to go to get physical therapy. This would involve waiting around for ages for a physiotherapist who will then put a hot pack on your back and tell you to: - do all of those other things listed above.

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I bought a set of golf irons and bag last night on Trade Me. My current clubs are OK but I've broken the 4-iron and lost the 8-iron. I've been looking to replace these but buying them individually, even second hand, is expensive. The set I bought - 2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9 irons plus sand wedge and pitching wedge cost $53. They are of good quality - Dunlop Maxfli but are old. The bag is nice quality leather although a bit worn.

I picked them up from the seller after tennis and went to the golf course to try them out. At home I have about a thousand golf balls but in this bag - nothing. I had to find a ball first to try out the clubs. I took an 8-iron and walked down to my favourite stream where, sure enough I found two good balls. I used these to hit two damned good 8-iron shots to the 4th green with one landing and rolling onto the green and the other embedding itself just next to the green. The course is extremely wet after all the rain we have had and it was muddy and slippery. I slipped over due to the fact that I was still wearing the flat-soled tennis shoes and managed to wrench both knees - my bad one and the other one (don't tell The Old Girl!)

Although I only hit two balls and only used the 8-iron, I'm happy with the clubs.

With my back giving me gyp and now some knee pain I'm going to have a long soak in a hot bath laced with Epsom salts and Radox. See: HERE

No doubt I'll nod off.