I'm so sorry to hear that! It was a constant battle for me too ... some days were okay, others were horrible. And it was so hard to explain it to anyone because on the outside I looked "fine." I had terrible stomach pain (probably from stress) and when the doctors couldn't diagnose it, I spent days in bed. But I think that was more from the depression, which was really the hardest battle of all.

From what I've been told, I hit the left side of my forehead (on another football player's shoulder) and then fell straight back. I blacked-out so I don't remember. I got whiplash from the back of my head hitting the ground and bouncing back up (no helmet because it was just flag football). As my body tried to compensate for the pain in the left side of my head, my right shoulder started to take the strain. The muscle between my neck and my shoulder just got tighter and tighter. That was one area the massage therapist had to focus on ... of course by the time I saw her, I was a mess and it took a lot of time to get "untangled" (at least that's how it felt).

My migraines also got worse as my shoulder tightened because, from what I understand, the muscle contracting blocks the spinal fluid.

With the pain in my right shoulder, my left hip started taking the strain. Basically, there was a zigzag effect. I felt like the more time went on, the more pain I noticed. To some extent, I think that because there was so much pain at the beginning, my mind wasn't aware of all of it (sort of like coping with trauma). There was also the build-up of pain after trying to live with it (or ignore it) for so long.

I am really thankful for my massage therapist. She taught me how to "listen" to my body (watch for warning signs, track triggers, etc.) and take better care of myself. Looking back, I was in so much pain, I was just trying to get through each day. But over time, I was able to implement what she was telling me.

I hope that is helpful! Please feel free to ask more questions. And no rush ... I understand that you have to take it one day at a time! :)