I just wanted to outline what happened to me recently so that I can reiterate to everyone the importance of stretching before hooping! I do a lot of poi hooping in particular, and I am always trying out new moves that put strain on the muscles in my neck, back, and shoulders.

I had a pain that ran between my neck to a space between my shoulder blade and my spine. At first, it just manifested itself as a pain when I turned my head to the left. It happened twice before, and I felt like I just slept on it funny. Then it reared its ugly head in a more extreme way. It was more sore than previously, but I continued to hoop. The following day it was worse. I feel asleep that night just fine, but woke up practically unable to move. I couldn't lay flat on my back without pain. Getting up from the bed was so bad that tears popped into my eyes. I couldn't turn my neck or chest from side to the side. I couldn't hold anything heavy. I couldn't even lift my left arm to touch my face without extreme pain. I thought it was a pinched nerve, because the pain was so extreme, and felt deeper than sore muscles.

When the PA was taking a look at me, she touched a spot on my neck that sent a shot of electricity down the nerve. Their assumption was that a big knot in my neck and tension in my shoulders is causing the muscle to constrict around a peripheral nerve that runs through my shoulder. They prescribed muscle relaxers and 3 days of bed rest.

I should add that I work a stressful and physical job. I know a lot of the tension in my neck is due to the stress I feel at work, and I have had previous sore muscles and muscle strains from the physical exertion at my job. However, I know that the hooping (and my lack of stretching) was a big aggravator in this incident.

I know its going to be an uphill battle, because the neck tension and lack of stress is never gonna go away until I get a new job. I am considering physical therapy so that I can have a professional look at the moves that I do, and help me create a stretching and warm up regimen that will prevent this from happening in the future.

Moral of the Story: YOU MUST STRETCH BEFORE HOOPING! I guess we all have to learn this lesson sooner or later.