A few months ago, I screwed up my shoulder. I still have no idea how, or what exactly happened, but it was pretty awful.
Now, I’m the sort of person who usually doesn’t go to the doctor for stuff like this. Especially during COVID and all. I have a tendency to wait until I’ve got two or three things wrong with me before I go in to the doctor. But after a couple of months of limited range of motion, spasming pain, etc. I decided to break down and have the doc look at it. “Strained muscle!” she told me, and sent me to physical therapy.
That turned into six weeks of poking and prodding and stretching, and learning weird new exercises to try and help with the thing (I also discovered that BioFreeze Gel is awesome). It seemed to be improving a little. Felt like it was moving in the right direction, at least. I still got spasming, shooting pain along my shoulder and bicep if I turned it the wrong way, or lifted something awkwardly. But it seemed like it was getting incremental better. So I figured I’d just keep doing the exercises and hope for the best.
Flash forward to yesterday when I’m hanging out on the patio enjoying a little sunshine, and rereading Stephen King’s Rage for the first time in 15 or more years. (I just read Later a couple of days earlier, and it got me inspired to revisit the Bachman Books.)
There I am, right in the middle of a particularly tense scene in the book. (Without spoiling it, I’ll just say that the main character is seriously pushing the buttons of the school psychologist. It’s a really well-written scene, and extremely tense). And I realized just how tense it was getting because as soon as it was all over I felt myself relax, and there was a crack! from my shoulder. A joint-popping of epic proportions. I guess I’d been tightening up my upper body muscles as the scene progressed, and let them go all at once.
And damn if my shoulder doesn’t feel great now, almost a day later. Still a little sore, but it’s basically almost back to normal.
So, if anyone ever tells you that reading horror stories is bad for you, you can send them this link.
Of course, studies have shown that reading horror stories and watching horror films can have psychological benefits as well.
In the words of the late, great Bob Wilkins, “Watch Horror Films: Keep America Strong.” (Or read horror stories. Whatever makes you happy.)
