Thanks so much for sharing the link. I found the article very interesting and very applicable to my situation. I don't block with the valsalva maneuver. In fact, because I'm a wind player, I don't react with that maneuver even when challenged by the physical excersions in the article. This is, I'm sure because I'm a wind player and have trained myself to control the valsalva maneuver. But I definitely "block" my ability to play by stiffening certain muscles that support my neck vertebrae. Whenever this particular muscle group stiffens, spasm-like involuntary movements in my lips, tongue take control. My neck stiffening is like the activation of the valsalva maneuver in reaction to the need for increased effort. I've noticed my baby grand daughter developing a habit of stiffening her neck. She's only a year old and has three older sisters all close in age. They all fiercely compete for toys, attention, dominance, etc. (It's hilarious to watch!) But, I notice that the baby stiffens her entire spine and body when she exerts an extra fierce effort to get what she wants. I wonder if that's when it started for me, when I was just a baby competing with siblings for attention.
Val
