Headache and sore neck and sore throat answers.com

I was with a guy until december, which was our last contact. Did not interact in any way with another man until about last month. He eventually got sick about a week and a half after we first kissed. He says he knows his body and he never “gets sick like this”. He has a spot in his throat which lead him to believe it was mono, but tested negative. He now things it could be chlamydia? The issue is, I have not had any symptoms other than a sore throat for 2 days, and then a few weeks later, a cough and stuffy nose. I get sick very often as I suspect I have had something wrong with my immune system my whole life. Is chlamydia even likely in this case? I only did oral with the guy in December, and have only kissed the current guy.

Two of my boomers relatives drove 3 hours to help me to and from the doctor. There is zero issues with and they are amazing for it.
The issue came when driving there that they literally complained about every little thing from what they didn't like about the dash GPS. A feature of a car they don't like that they've had for a while now. Things most people deal with with ease.
I didn't say anything because in the grand scheme of things it wasn't a big deal.
What really got me was after I had my two hernias patched I of course was and is still in pain and my throat was and is still sore from the tube in my throat.
One of the relatives got a break down of what was done and what I was dealing with afterwards.
This did not stop them from asking the most mundane questions. "Is that house being built?" "How far is your house from here?" "Why are you using the front door and not the garage?"
These in itself isn't that big of a deal, but I don't answer because im in pain and my throat feels like it's covered with with flaming sand.
But what was just crazy to me is my relatvie would ask the question again after I didn't answer, again. They'd call my name as if they are demanding an answer. Sure, they are worried and don't like that I'm on pain, but read the room.
As mentioned above, we get to my place I use the front door instead of the garage. I immediately get questioned twice after I don't answer so I snap bit and say I don't feel like talking because it hurts. The relative of course acts like I was so mean toward them. Disrespectful.
Again, I get they are worried, but they have no situational awareness. They could answer their own questions if they just thought about it for more than a second. But the kicker is the questions we're not important at all. Period.
I sent then a message later apologizing for my sanppin, but no reaction to the apology.

I’m so desperate for help, advice, answers, experiences (anything!) from someone/anyone who may have experienced or is going through the same as me!
In March 2024, I had a horrible sore throat so naturally I went to get tested for strep, Covid, and the flu. My rapid test came back negative for all 3 and the next day I was completely back to feeling great. 3 days later I get a call that my strep culture came back positive but I wasn’t prescribed any antibiotics because I was symptom free.
Early April 2024 I very suddenly came down with a high fever and body aches (with no warning signs or any other cold symptoms). Got tested again, everything was negative and I was fine within 24 hours.
**1 week later on the tail end of my period I developed horrible vaginal pain and sensitivity to the point I couldn’t sit down. My vulva was so irritated that it became raw and was bleeding light pink externally. I went to a woman’s clinic where they swabbed me. took a urine culture, and prescribed me bactrim while we waited for the test results. The test came back positive for strep 2 days later and a very high count of white blood cells (the untreated strep from march travelled through my system south!!! Didn’t even know this was possible). That same day I ended up in the hospital for a fainting spell, confusion, and nausea. After more testing the doctor found that the antibiotic wasn’t treating the infection so he prescribed Keflex 4X/day for 7 days. By day 2 I was feeling so much better (vaginal pain and all other irritations were fully resolved!)
5/1/2024 (5 days after finishing the keflex) I woke up with a severe sore/swollen throat and tested positive for Strep throat AGAIN. Here goes round 2 of antibiotics, now prescribed cefdinir 2x/day for 10 days. 2 days in once again, feeling great and took the 10 days finally felt better than I had in 2 months. I finished the cefdinir this past Friday (it’s now Monday) ….
I got my period yesterday (Sunday) and it was extremely heavy, much heavier than usual. Accompanied by severe cramps. Today mid morning I developed the same exact vaginal symptoms I had before testing positive for vaginal strep A!! The same rawness, tender, swollen feeling all external. Just a pad touching the area is excruciating pain and I can’t even fathom using a tampon.
What could this be? Strep again?! pH imbalance from the 2 rounds of antibiotics?! The blood from my period being such a high pH?! As I’m writing this all out I’m wondering if my period last month is what trigged the symptoms of the vaginal strep.. the month between my periods my vagina was completely healthy and feeling fine! HELP!
(Ive been tested for STDs which have all come back negative. I’m in a monogamous relationship (for 8 years). He was tested for strep orally and the results were negative)

Currently I am a bit sick and I am coughing a lot. The coughing doesn't get in the way of work or any daily tasks too much, so i'm not too worried about that. I AM worried about the incredibly sore throat I have gained from the constant coughing I have been experiencing and it's getting concerning. If anyone here has a temporary solution to this that I can repeat many times a day, would be an amazing help to my day to day life right now.

75 female, Caucasian. 5'1, 165. Reddish sores, some bleeding, some scabbing and healing across neck and upper back, possibly from stress. Noticed from 3 months ago. Existing medical issues - not much to speak of. Recovering from hip replacement surgery about a year ago. Hospitalized for COVID in 2022. Still get cough/sore throat.
Here is an image of what we're talking about with sores seen on cheek, neck, upper chest.
Haven't touched alcohol or tobacco in several years, although was regular with both. No recreational drugs, Meds: simivastin, atenol, biotin, D3, valium, another for blood pressure, and cholesterol. fiber powder. trazadone. Son is helping me with this post. Thank you for any and all input.

My neck gets stiff and sore from my vertigo, which then cause my head to ache, when then makes my vertigo worse. I’m so over this crap

So, I maybe have fudged my resume a little bit. I told my employer I could speak Spanish.
I COULD speak and understand it, but it’s just not very well anymore. They expect me to talk to one of their clients in Spanish. I have mentioned I’m not as confident as I used to be. I’m freaking out!!
My co-workers who are a part of my small team are giving me shit, and saying “they only hired me bc they thought I could speak Spanish”. I definitely won’t lose my job, but I don’t want to come off as a liar.
To be VERY fair, I can do it if I think really hard. I just don’t like doing it in front of other people!! I find it embarrassing. My native language is Telugu (some Indian language). I can understand it 100%, but I just don’t speak it well. I could speak it fluently younger, but I grew up learning American. My entire family gives me shit, so it’s a sore spot. Whenever I tried to speak, I’d get made fun of.
So, how do I get out of it and play it off as a sore throat!?

My budgie was sick and passed away and I was wondering if I may have caught psittacosis from him since I was searching up the symptoms of it and it said that you may have symptoms after 4 days and it’s been 4 days and my throat is sore, my nose is runny, I have a small headache, my back hurts, I keep sneezing and I have chills. So I was wondering if I have it or if I am mistaking it for something else?

Hello,
I’m a 30M and in 8/2020 doctors found a 0.9cm TR4 nodule on the right lobe of my thyroid. It was brushed off. Fast forward to 5/2024.
I started suddenly noticing pain near my thyroid when swallowing or bracing. I also started feeling a strong sensation of something in my throat on the right side. I also feel swelling in my neck (though no swelling visibly noticeable). That side of my neck feels tight and sore. It spans from my thyroid all the way to my ear.
A new ultrasound shows that the nodule has increased from 0.9cm to 2.0cm. It is still considered TR4. This growth happened in just about 4 years. This is all the ultrasound said. No mention of lymph nodes. Biopsy to follow.
My questions:
1) Does this growth rate increase likelihood of cancer?
2) Does this growth rate increase the odds that if malignant, it has spread?
3) I don’t see anyone else describing symptoms like I have. Could this mean that if malignant, it has spread?
4) If benign, will I need surgery or ablation to have relief from these symptoms?
Thanks! I will update this thread with my results.

I know is a dumb question but, I have been fighting cancer (Erwin sarcoma) for a year and finally they say it's terminal,
the pills I was taking are not working anymore and now I just need to wait being days, weeks , we do not know.
The worst part is that I am always extremely tired , it's hard to get out of bed , and have lots of issues with my throat.
One of the things I love is eating but can't because my sores in my mouth.
So I am quite sad and frustrated...
Anyway I am at the hospital and really tired , hard to do or eat anything thinking about my death and panicking, usually I calm down cuddling a bit with my wife ...
Anyone like this ? Maybe something to distract myself, meds ? I don't know like I said it's a bit of a stupid question. Thanks

My crypts seem so deep that I think they go all the way through my tonsils lol.
I only realized I had tonsil stones like 2 weeks ago when they were so bad they were giving me a sore throat. And at first I really wasn't good at removing them, but I've gotten better and better at it.
I keep removing a bunch, and then I notice more, but eventually I need to give my tonsils a break from poking them.
It seems like every time I start investigating I find at least one big stone and a bunch of tiny ones. So my question is, are they forming large stones like every couple of days? Even though I have good oral hygiene and gargle with salt water? Or were they just REALLY bad when I noticed I had them and so there's a lot of really deep ones coming to the surface?
Either way it's so annoying. I feel like I can never get all of them!!

I did EASE expansion with Dr. Kasey Li. This is what my EASE experience has been like.
This is a pretty niche and long post, but I’ve been going through this expansion process as a 32 year old woman, going through my first week of expansion. I figured I’d share my experience as I know how much I was eating up these posts during my research. I also made a video that's a bit less detailed if that is more digestible.
Here is a breakdown of my experience day by day.
Day 0, Wednesday:
Had surgery at Stanford hospital and aside from a mild billing heart attack they gave me, it was a great experience. Kind, knowledgeable staff, great bedside manner. After surgery I woke up and could immediately breathe better. Nasal breathing feels like moving from a coffee straw to a regular size straw. Swallowing and talking were out of the question with the TPD in my mouth though. Took about 90 minutes to wake up and then I was released.
The first night was ROUGH. I maybe slept for 4 hours. Woke up repeatedly with bleeding. Finally stopped trying to sleep and reached out to Dr. Li at 6 am because my mouth was FULL of congealed blood.
Day 1, Thursday:
I was supposed to have my first follow up appointment on Friday, but due to the bleeding Dr Li came in bright and early at 6:30 am. He responded to my 6am text within 5 minutes and was like “How soon can you get to my office? I’ll be there”. We rushed over and he gave me some local anesthetic injections and cauterized the surgical site. He made sure I was very comfortable and that the bleeding had stopped before sending me home. The rest of the day went pretty smoothly. Swelling got much worse this day. Had to ice pretty much constantly to keep it down. Definitely uncomfortable but I had really good pain management.
Day 2, Friday:
Had my official follow up appointment and he turned the device for the first time. Turning was weird but not painful. Gave me some more injections as I had had a bit more bleeding on the opposite side. The swelling got intense this day. My cheeks were huge and hot and I was having a bit more jaw pain. Dr Li said my pain and swelling would peak around 48 hours and that was definitely the case. I just took my meds, rotated between ice and heat and overall had a smooth day with some bleeding again over night.
Day 3, Saturday:
Woke up with more (but far less) congealed blood in my mouth. Texted him at 9:20 AM to see what I should do and he texted back immediately saying meet me at the office at 10. Performed injections to stop the bleeding, cauterize, rinse and repeat. He sends me home. Still eating only a liquid diet. Still swollen. But not uncomfortable like it was. Not really icing much at this point, mostly focusing on heat, and feeling pretty human. Can go on walks and had a tiny bit of pasta (the most solid food I’ve had at this point). There is a tiny bit of bleeding at one point but it stops quickly and I go about my day pretty much normal and for the first time have no bleeding through the night!
Day 4, Sunday:
Slept great, no blood. Swelling still very present but going down. Was able to walk around, get around the city, virtually no jaw pain until about 4 pm when truly out of nowhere my incision site where the appliance is placed starts bleeding AGAIN. I quickly try to gently catch the blood by packing in gauze trying to stop the bleeding and avoid going into the office as it was Mother’s Day.
It bleeds through the gauze for 1.5 hours and I finally reach out to Dr. Li. He once again responds almost immediately and tells me I can come into the office or try and stop it, but that his preference is always to see patients in person. I try to get it to stop for about another hour with a couple false stops, but I’m unsuccessful yet again, so I make my way to the office where he meets me at almost 8:00 PM. He is very kind and understanding and just says “Shit happens, I’m there for my patients”.
He injects me, cauterizes it again, tells me I should stop talking advil as that can be an anticoagulant and is just very kind and understanding. I was supposed to have my second follow up on Monday morning, but he turns my device for me for the second time that night instead to try and avoid me having to go into the office again the next day. Turning is still uncomfy but not painful. He waits with me to make sure the site is stable, and then waits with me outside while wait for my ride.
Day 5, Monday:
Woke up with no blood in my mouth, swelling still going down. Pain levels very minimal. Breathing feeling smoother. My left TMJ (which I’ve had issues with in the past is more crackly and sore than usual, so I’m watching that carefully. So far so good. Just staying in bed and hoping to make it through the day/night with no bleeding.
Impressions so far:
I’ve had the most bleeding of any patient Li has had by far. Not totally sure what that’s about, and I’m sad I had to be the first, but the way he responds and handled my case made me SO HAPPY I just spent the money and went with him. No other doctor I've ever had has given me this level of care.
He is expensive, but he is worth EVERY penny because when you’re his patient, you feel like a priority. I traveled for the procedure (meaning 3 weeks away from home) and was really out of my element and comfort zone and had more complications than most of his previous patients (he said about 5% have repeat bleeding after surgery, but that the amount I had was an anomaly.)
My breathing is better, and will continue to improve as I expand. Even with the TPD device in that is taking up most of my palate, I have so. much. more. space for my tongue. It feels really good! My bite is weird now that my upper jaw is larger and that’s going to take some getting used to. And my TMJ is a bit sore.
Things to avoid week 1:
No straws. No vigorous exercise. No lifting over 10lbs. No hot foods/drinks. No hard/chewy foods. No nose blowing. I’d recommend staying away from herbs like garlic or ginger as they thin the blood I don't know if that was part of my problem, he said sometimes these things just happen and there was nothing I did wrong, but I'd just recommend staying away from any foods that can thin the blood and research them ahead of time. I'm vegan, and now I know that a lot of fruits/veg can thin the blood. So if you're veggie like me or try to eat a lot of "health foods" tread carefully. Have lots of gauze on hand.
Ask me anything. I'm here for another 1.5 weeks and am pretty bored. Happy so answer any questions about Dr. Li or EASE!

Had a virus about a month ago (typical sore throat and sinus pressure) directly followed by strep a week later. Took Amoxicillin and cleared it up then throat started hurting again a few days after the antibiotic and has been red and started getting these blister looking things appearing. (Top one in the pic is healing up but the bottom one just appeared today). Checked in with ENT and he gave me magic mouthwash. It helps soothe it but he didn’t really say what they were. Any suggestions on what’s going on? Just a byproduct of the strep from several weeks ago?
I have Ankylosing Spondylitis and take cosentyx monthly. I’m due for my cosentyx shot but don’t want to take it if I’m still sick. No fever and I feel fine besides the mild throat irritation.

i’ve been taking stool softeners everyday and my throat just feels like it’s full of phlegm and it’s find of sore but i don’t know if it’s from the pills

I’ve been experiencing a ton of different symptoms for a while, for over two years I’ve had a lot of gastrointestinal distress like constipation and diarrhea, severe stomach cramps, gas and gas pains, nausea, etc. For the past year or so I’ve started to feel really run down and sick, like I have the flu or something. I’m always fatigued and resting doesn’t help, I have muscle pain all the time especially in my back and jaw, aching and cramps in my legs and arms, I’m always overheated and sweating, I get unexplained skin issues like rashes and redness, my lymph nodes feel sore and sometimes swollen, I have tachycardia. Just generally I usually do not feel physically well.
I’ve been seeing a new therapist for probably about a month. I’ve been talking to her about how my health issues have been affecting me and how tiring it can be to deal with doctors and how being fatigued and in pain 24/7 makes it really difficult to go about my regular life. I just checked the billing paperwork from my last session and realized she diagnosed me with Hypochondriasis. And I’m kind of spinning out now, like is she right, am I just making all of this up, what if I’m just crazy and paranoid and delusional??
It’s just that I never used to feel like this, like obviously I’d be tired sometimes and get headaches or stomachaches occasionally like a normal person, but I felt overall physically well. But now I feel like I’m sick or in pain a lot of the time, my muscles and joints are always intensely hurting and aching, I’m constantly having painful GI episodes that derail my plans and I’m stuck on the toilet feeling like I’m going to pass out, and the fatigue is not just tiredness, no amount of rest helps. I just mean that I didn’t used to feel like this, this isn’t my “normal”, my daily life is being disrupted because I don’t feel well.
But based on the diagnosis of hypochondriasis, it says you have a lot of symptoms but tests come back normal, which my blood tests haven’t shown any glaring issues so I guess that means it’s psychosomatic? And there are some symptoms of the disorder, like thinking and researching about your health and seeking out different doctors and tests, that I also have, because I have symptoms that are impacting my life and I want to figure out how I can feel better.
The diagnosis of hypochondriasis also says that you get anxious about minor symptoms like fatigue. But my fatigue is not a minor symptom, when I say fatigue I don’t mean tiredness or sleepiness, it’s like this constant heavy weight on me, it impacts my daily life because I feel too tired to do normal activities like school and work, and I can’t get through the day without sleeping, and even then I never feel rested. I feel so shitty thinking that my chronic fatigue is considered a minor symptom and I’m blowing it out of proportion due to hypochondriasis.
I’m honestly freaking out, my therapist putting that diagnosis on my chart makes me feel like I’m just insane and I’m questioning everything, I don’t know what to do or think. I keep getting told this is all in my head

Here is an article I recently published on my Substack. If you'd rather read (or listen to an audio version) it outside of Reddit, you can do so here.
Why jump rope isn’t already touted as a leading running drill tool is completely beyond me. But then again…
I'm by no means an "experienced runner"—having started running in 2021 at the age of 34. So, at the time of this writing, about 3 years.
Despite this, I managed to silver-medal my age group in my first race ever.
And it was a 10k. And I was wearing barefoot-shoes.
And I had only been running before that race for about 3 months.
How the heck did I manage to pull this off?
The answer eluded me for a while. Then I remembered—ah, I’ve been jumping rope nearly every day for 2 years.
But how do those connect?
But first, why the heck would some guy start jumping rope at age 32?
About 2 years before I started running, I took up jump rope really just as a fun outdoor hobby.
Even though I was pretty inactive and a bit overweight, that’s not the reason I started skippin’.
One day, I came across some footage of boxer Lulu Hawton doing some jump rope training.
In addition to her seemingly effortless rope handling skills and rhythmic footwork, what caught my eye was a giant grin that spread across her face about 45 seconds into the video. While she was probably skipping to warm up for a match or a training session, something was abundantly clear.
She was having a blast.
And this was from a prize fighter! None of the usual boxer mean-mugging—she looked more like a kid on a carousel.
So, after buying a $10 jump rope on Amazon, I took to the driveway in my swim trunks (yes, I was so inactive, I didn’t own gym shorts).
And…whoo, did I suck.
After a few months of making puddles of sweat in my driveway as well as wheezing sounds so loud that I’m surprised the neighbors didn’t whistle EMS, I eventually got pretty decent at it.
And I lost about 45 pounds in 6 months—probably also from making some lifestyle changes merely to make jump rope less of a slog. Not the original plan, but hey, not too shabby.
After about a year, I found myself constructively critiquing other people’s beginner jump rope videos.

• “Unlock your boxer skip. Then you’ll be able to skip forever without getting tired.”
• “Here’s how to do Double-Unders, though they’re overrated.”
• “You’re skipping like it hurts. Relax and skip easy. Smile every once in a while and you’ll feel it all over.”

But how did that turn into running?
Though jumping rope is inherently enjoyable, 30-minute skipping sessions of staring at the wall without something in your headphones can be a bit drab.
One fateful day, about 2 years into being student of the jump rope, I began listening to the book Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen by Christopher McDougall.
Even before I got to the end of the book, running—just like jump rope— sounded fun**.**
Yeah, I know that sounds counterintuitive—unless you’ve read the book.
“I knew aerobic exercise was a powerful antidepressant, but I hadn’t realized it could be so profoundly mood stabilizing and — I hate to use the word — meditative. If you don’t have answers to your problems after a four-hour run, you ain’t getting them.”
Ok, ok—I’ll bite.
I proceeded to dive into all of the normal “Couch to 5k” running programs I could find and took my jump rope to a nearby park with a 1k walking path—sprinkling in running between jump rope sessions.
But something wasn’t adding up.
There was a lot of advice about walk-running to build endurance until one could run a block, two blocks, a mile.
Not to brag, but I wasn’t experiencing most beginner snags.
**“Ah, I know why—**I did most of my newbie wind-sucking two years ago!”
This isn’t to say I wasn’t still periodically sucking wind but after two years of consistent boxer skips and double-unders, getting gassed felt like part of the fun and not a medical emergency.
I also felt much springier than the average beginning runner—able to run for miles all over the city in the most minimal of footwear.
And so, I tried my hand at my first race—a donut-themed 10k. And silvered in my age group.
(Ok, there was only two of us…but my time was still respectable. 😂)
Running became an amazingly freeing activity, like getting my driver’s license for my legs.
But I still didn’t understand why running was coming easier to me than the average newcomer.
Digging still deeper, I unearthed another exciting revelation—this time from multi-decade sub-3-hour Boston Marathon runner and one of the foremost running experts on the planet, Dr. Mark Cucuzzella.
“Running with a jump rope is also an amazingly simple drill for posture, balance, and rhythm.”
In other words—form. Overall technique.
Digging a little keeper and experimenting on myself, I discovered just how similar proper running technique and proper jump rope technique were.
Both require:

• An upright, chest-leading, elbows-back, joint-stacked posture
• A soft mid-foot landing directly under your pelvis
• A quick loading and unloading of “leg springs” from your tendons and ligaments to reduce “stickiness” and wasted energy
• A proper supination (roll out) followed by a quick pronation (roll in) of the feet to help launch one’s body
• A steady core without dropping hips from side to side to reduce energy “leakage”

And so many other commonalities. The list unraveled before me on every run.
And like running, without proper technique, jumping rope just doesn’t work—though the consequences are different.
For a jump roper, due to the lower impact, the risk of injury is quite minimal.
Most newbie rope slingers will report sore calves, slightly tender Achilles tendons, and the odd shin splint if they go full Rocky at it. No need to worry, though—most of these injuries see themselves out as the skipper becomes more experienced.
However, for runners, the injury story is more severe.
The next time you’re at a park with a good path, take a seat on a bench and watch the runners. See if you can spot folks reaching far out in front of them with straightened legs—smashing heels into the pavement.
This style of running results in everything from screaming knees, plantar fasciitis, lower back pain, to hips issues.
But why do all of these occur to new runners, but rarely to new jump ropers?
Most new runners commit a major physiological no-no when they begin their running journey: they treat running like fast, aggressive, airborne walking.
“Well, what is it supposed to be?”
Synchronized jumping.
Simply put, proper running is nothing more than a series of coordinated single leg jumps through space with each landing compressing the springs for the next stride.
To compare this synchronized jumping to the aggressive airborne walking of heel-led running, you can test these in just a few seconds.
Step 1: Stand up.
Step 2: Kick off your shoes.
Step 3: Jump up and down three times.
How did you land?
Probably on your mid-foot, knee bent slightly, with your weight stacked above your pelvis.
And did you use your compressed “leg springs” to launch you into the following two jumps?
Oddly enough, if you were to add a jump rope to this, you would on your way to spinning side swings like Lulu Hawton.
If you were to take this same technique one foot at a time moving forward, you would be running in a way that increases speed, preserves stamina (springs!), and drastically decreases your likelihood of injury.
Let’s try the same test with a few tweaks.
This time, jump, but land on your heels.
Your knees probably remained fairly straight and you felt the impact in your ankles, knees, hips, and possibly even your lower back.
Now, imagine attempting to jump rope this way.
It simply doesn’t work.
Not only would there be no second jump due to the lack of spring but the pain would stop you in your tracks—even in cushioned shoes.
But if jump rope technique and proper running technique are nearly identical, what are aggressive heel landings doing in running?
While a jump roper landing on their heels would resemble Frankenstein’s monster in an express lane to an orthopedist, this is how many people perform the aggressive airborne walk—aka, a heel-striking, over-striding run.
But why do we run this way? Well, our shoes let us get away with it.
Thick heel cushioning and a bit of forward momentum do a great job of masking the pain of repeated blows against every joint up the chain—for a while, anyway. Eventually, the chickens come home to roost in the form of stress fractures, meniscus tears, plantar fasciitis, “runner’s knee,” IT-band syndrome, and more.
Not to brag (and maybe to knock on some wood), I have never experienced any of these injuries in my three years of running.
Is this because I’m some kind of running genius with all of the cheat codes? Haha, I wish! It’s simply sheer luck that I started out with jumping rope before running—an activity that shares the same injury-preventing techniques.
So, are the shoes totally to blame? No.
It is possible to run with proper form in shoes with raised, cushioned heels. But it’s not as easy.
When your heel is totally cushioned, you will be able to run with a heel strike in the same way you can hit your head against a brick wall while wearing a football helmet. And in both instances, it will eventually become less about the forces outside of the foam and more about the forces inside the cushion against each other that do the most damage.
“So, how can getting a jump rope help me become a better runner?”
Jump rope is a tremendous training tool for runners for the same reason why running barefoot can also be helpful—the feedback is immediate.
Though running with inefficient and injurious form is possible, the feedback from doing so isn’t so immediate. When it comes to jumping rope, however, you won’t get through too many skips if you don’t learn to utilize the springs in your legs. The rope doesn’t pull punches.
So, get a rope and get started.
If you’re new to jump rope, I would recommend acquiring two pieces of equipment.
Firstly, find a jump rope with a little bit, but not too much, weight to it. The weight will help you feel the position of the rope during it’s entire rotation and remain in better sync with your wrist spins
My favorite rope for this purpose is a 7mm PVC model called the Hererope, which costs a whopping $15. If you find this to be too thick or heavy, a cheap 5mm PVC model will work as well.
Secondly, to protect your rope and provide a nice jumping surface, I would recommend a large foam-rubber exercise mat. My favorite is a massive 78” mat for $32—which is probably the cheapest jump rope mat you will find.
When it comes to footwear, barefoot is ideal. This will help strengthen and mobilize your feet—including your likely overly-supported neglected arches.
And just how does one begin to jump rope?

• Keep a tall posture—imagining a string pulling you up from the crown of your head.
• Your chest should open, elbows back, hands about a fist’s width from your pockets.
• Jump from the balls of your feet, only high enough to clear the rope. When landing, let the skin of your heels “kiss” the floor—touching without taking on weight.
• Keep your knees slightly bent, using every landing to load your springs for the next take-off.
• Keep the cadence quick to maximize spring recoil. To help, listen to a song that’s at about 160 beats per minute, such as the song “Hey Ya” by Outkast (or a song of similar tempo) to get a feel for the speed for skipping rope. (For running, many recommend using “Rock Lobster” by the B-52s for cadence tempo reference.)

Start with short seasons hopping with both feet—maybe 30 seconds on, 30 seconds rest. Aim for minimal muscular activation, instead, using the recoil of your tendons and ligaments for suspension and launch as much as possible.
From jumping with both feet, move onto learning an alternating leg bounce—essentially a jog skip. Right, left, right, left—all while keeping an imaginary belt level with the horizon.
By now, you’re essentially running in place with an extremely efficient technique.
Now, apply your jump rope skills to your running!
This is going to seem quite bizarre, but it is possible (and even beneficial) to take your jump rope for a run.

• Start skipping rope on a road or path with the alternating leg bounce. Remember to keep your elbows back, shoulders relaxed, head pulled up as if tugged skyward by a string from your crown and your imaginary belt level with the horizon.
• Then, as though leaning forward just enough to give someone a kiss or have an imaginary umbilical cord lightly tugged, begin to jump rope forward.
• Remember to continue to land and load on your mid-foot—aiming to keep your weight under your pelvis just like skipping rope. Landing on your heels will likely snag the rope and keep your foot on the ground too long.
• As you proceed with this, remember how it feels—the quick foot turnover, the posture, the recoil in your leg springs, the core stability, and the lightness of it.
• In the middle of doing this, simply toss the handles behind you and keep running as though it was still there—still pretending to spin the handles.
• At a comfortable stopping point, run back to your rope—now using your hands in a wood-chop motion to counter balance your leg bounces while keeping your pelvis (imaginary belt) level and stable.

And there you have it!
You may find it quite helpful to return to this drill once or twice a week. Also if you find your form slipping a bit or becoming slugging mid-run, feel free to skip imaginary rope to try to correct your technique mid-stride. It will restore lightness and springiness to your running.
I still find myself bringing my wrists to my pockets and spinning imaginary jump rope handles if I feel my technique is collapsing a bit or if my running is becoming less springy.
And remember, most importantly—have fun. 👍
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I received unprotected oral sex 8 days ago. No symptoms down there. I’m currently going through allergies runny nose, sneezing, and slight sore throat (was worse yesterday then today). I tested on Friday urine and blood (5 days after) and just got my results all saying negative. Did I test too early or should I be in the clear.

Myself and everyone I know has a sore throat, sore butts and overall aches. We’ve all taken at least 9 Covid tests each. Someone tell us why our butts hurt.

Hi, I'm a transgender singer, been on testosterone for six months. To be honest, based on my family members and their puberty voice changes, and me being a soprano prior, I thought my voice would drop to a tenor at most. Nothing that would stop me from singing Tamino, Aaron Tveit and such. Instead, it's dropped to a low baritone (i feel most comfortable in bass parts so far), and it seems to have shrunk a good bit. I find it hard to sing along to most popular music on the radio without breaking into falsetto (that I do not know how to control yet) or without making my throat sore. Not that I did not expect it breaking, but the drop has been shocking, in a good way. Thing is, I'm still an active vocalist, trying to write melodies and without enough money or time to take up voice lessons. So, I was wondering if there were any cis men on here (or even better, fellow tm singers) that would have any tips on how to extend your range and do proper warmups during an active voice change?? I'm really excited to work with this new scale but I don't know how to quite grasp it without causing any damage.

Hello all,
I have been having trouble swallowing and have a very specific pain when I swallow on the right side of my neck under my Adam’s Apple (lower part of the neck). The pain is sore and a bit sharp inside the throat. I can literally point to the spot. It’s not all over…
32M, have had acid reflux for years and a history of smoking. Worried I may have a tumor. Getting a barium swallow as quickly as possible.
Wanting to know if others have experienced similar. If so, did it turn out to be Cancer, GERD, or maybe something else?
Been freaking out because this hasn’t gone away for about a month now…

M18 So basically I had sex with a trans woman around April 12... After I had sex with her I kinda got scared I might have any STD it's almost a month now no symptom at all but 2 days ago i started experiencing sore throat and cough idk if it's because I went out and there was wind and it blew sand on me or it is a late symptom for STDs can anyone tell me if it's a std symptom?

So basically I had sex with a trans woman around April 12... After I had sex with her I kinda got scared I might have any STD it's almost a month now no symptom at all but 2 days ago i started experiencing sore throat and cough idk if it's because I went out and there was wind and it blew sand on me or it is a late symptom for STDs can anyone advice me