ABSOLUTE ASCENDANCY

Commencing operation . . .

Overview

From the end of 2017 to the middle of 2018, I had a nasty case of chronic lower back pain. I tried everything I could think of to mitigate the anguish, but nothing seemed to work. I took pharmaceutical drugs, saw various sports therapists, underwent physiotherapy and visited an osteopath. I tested all manner of flexibility exercises and tried a few Pilates classes.

Nothing worked.

Eventually, an old work colleague recommended a chiropractor. I was desperate, so I took his advice and behold; the pain was gone after 2-3 sessions! Now I wasn’t entirely in the clear. Unfortunately due to being flatfooted and the hardships I have put my body through over twenty years of being a martial arts practitioner, my neck and hips are not perfectly aligned.

Denneroll

I wear a pair of Birkenstock shoes most of the time to provide orthopaedic support which helps with the hip imbalance and better stabilises my knees. As for my neck, one of the chiropractors I used to see gave me a Denneroll to help shape my neck correctly. A Denneroll is basically a foam pillow you lie down on – the protrusion is positioned underneath your neck such that it forces the correct curvature.

Initially, I was told to use it for only a couple of minutes each day with the aim of progressing to fifteen minutes. The first time I used it, my neck ached all day afterwards, so the Denneroll is not something to be taken lightly. It took a few months but eventually, I made it to the full fifteen-minute recommendation, and while my neck still isn’t perfect, it is definitely stronger than it once was.

Caution

As mentioned earlier, the Denneroll is no toy, and I would recommend seeking professional advice before starting to use one, as it can likely cause damage to your body if used incorrectly. There was a stage where I would use the Denneroll each day for a single session of thirty minutes. After a month of doing so, I noticed I started having pain in my right rhomboid muscle. I couldn’t figure out what was causing the pain, but eventually, I realised it was due to overusing the Denneroll. I took a break from using it for a month, and the pain subsided. Nowadays, I stick to a fifteen minute session each day as before, and the rhomboid muscle ache is rarely felt.

Conclusion

The Denneroll is a fantastic tool to help strengthen your neck. Especially as a fighter, the neck needs to be strong and flexible to withstand blows to the head. If you do decide to use one, I suggest starting at a single minute and gradually building your way up to fifteen minutes. Don’t try to go beyond that though as it could have negative consequences as I experienced previously.

Mission complete – Overlord Drakow signing out.