Over the last 2 weeks I have made more incremental progress with shoulder and scapula mobility. This is very important, especially as I practice archery. Correct shoulder alignment is crucial in archery, as it significantly improves your accuracy. It also means being able to have a repeatable draw, anchor and arrow release using your skeletal frame to carry the draw weight from a bow. As part of my daily routine, I do neck, jaw and shoulder mobility exercises. This is done before I go to the gym for my strength training. What has changed recently? Neck mobility and comfort levels. The biggest problem has been deep-set tension in my neck and shoulders. Being consistent has allowed me to be more mobile in general, and the tension has shifted from a general sense to more isolated areas. This means when I do add more intensity to my training, I am not experiencing the same level of tension in these areas, and my recovery periods are shorter. With each passing week I can focus on specific areas which need more attention and each improvement means less discomfort.

Let's get to know each other. You can use the following simple format. Hello, my name is ________, and I am from ________. My goal is to have ___ pain-free days. What is the craziest migraine experience you have ever had?

I have focused on improving the mobility of my shoulder, trapezius, and scapula over the last couple of weeks. As part of my focus on improving range of motion, I have enhanced my middle back mobility through a combination of muscle activation exercises during my mobility training. This improvement in my back mobility has allowed my scapula/shoulder blades to move more freely. The added benefit has been that my trapezius and shoulder mobility have improved, which in turn reduces the pressure on my neck and shoulders. This additional mobility has made my neck feel more relaxed and mobile. I am seeing a chiropractor tomorrow, and it will be good to see how much neck mobility I have compared to the previous visit a couple of months ago. My neck feels significantly more comfortable, and I no longer experience the same general stiffness I had before. I do have some muscle strands or areas which are still experiencing some tension, but as this improves, I expect the comfort to improve and additional functional mobility to increase. There are areas on the back of my neck that require ongoing attention, but it's not nearly as immobile and tense as before. I am doing more muscle control and contraction exercises, which help activate my back muscles. This helps when I do mobility work, and it improves the range of motion in my back. It has a knock-on effect of reducing neck tension, and I am working on incremental improvements in mobility and control. @Deon Wantenaar I know you mentioned issues with your back and I'm wondering how this will help you with that going forward.

This certainly was the case for me. It took me 3 months of rehab work, which included massage and some stretching work to release the tension. The majority of my focus was on jaw and neck massage and it solved my issue quite quickly. I was very lucky that I didn't have any damage to my jaw or my jaw joint. This meant resolving the issue was more straightforward. Have you had issues with TMJ and migraines? Leave a comment and let us know if you have been able to resolve your TMJ issues.

This sounds counterintuitive, but there is method in my madness. I took up archery as part of a bucket list activity, and since I had a local club to join, I made it a regular hobby. I do Olympic-style recurve archery, and this was an initial challenge as the load into my shoulders and neck triggered migraines, which complicated my recovery. What it did do was slowly develop strength in my neck and shoulders, which over time aided recovery. I had to make sure I followed up with additional neck and shoulder massage and mobility work. I can give you more technical detail about my bow setup for those who are interested.