| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Shary |
Posted - 04/21/2007 : 09:00:38
I have been living with a frozen left shoulder (adhesive capsulitis) for over a year now. It isn't as painful as it was, but mobility is only about 50 percent of what it should be. I've been to various doctors and PT's and had all the tests done. All it did was get worse. Several months ago I had to stop taking all pain relievers because they were making me bleed. At that point I realized that the so-called improvement I had achieved through PT was completely artificial because the pain relievers were masking the symptoms. After getting off everything, I was pretty much back to Square One. My board-certified homeopath has helped the most, but even then it's a drop in the bucket.
I know this is another manifestation of TMS, and maybe the GI tract bleeding is too. Maybe at some level I don't feel deserving of a normal, healthy body. (At what point does TMS become rampant paranoia?) In any case the bleeding has stopped now that I mostly don't take anything. At any given time, one or both shoulders hurt, my mid back goes into spasm, my neck hurts, and my left SI joint, my left butt cheek and my knees all hurt. I also have the tender points Sarno discusses in his book, Healing Back Pain. No doubt that I have classic TMS, given my mental and emotional history. I suspect I've had it most of my life and something finally pushed me over the edge into meltdown. Sometimes the back spasms get bad enough that I have to take low-dose diazepam for a day or two. As a muscle relaxant, it's about the best and safest but I hate the stuff. If I take it for more than a day or two at a time, it causes depression when I quit taking it. It also makes my mouth so dry I can hardly swallow, but at least it doesn't make me bleed. To say I'm a poor candidate for meds is an understatement. If one person in a million gets a side effect, I'm that one person.
Most of these sore places are uncomfortable but tolerable. They come and go and move around a lot. But it's the shoulder that concerns me because its immobility has also locked up most of the left side of my back. This has caused spasms severe enough that I've partially lost control of my bladder a couple of times. (Thank god I was home at the time!)
Last night I pulled up all the info regarding frozen shoulder from this forum, but some threads are several years old. Although this is just another manifestation of TMS, it appears from the comments I read that Sarno's approach doesn't work well with frozen shoulder. I've also heard from different sources that it eventually goes away on its own, even if you do nothing for it. (Does anyone know if this is true?) Then, supposedly, you can work on regaining mobility without the excruciating pain. Has anyone that still posts on this forum had luck in getting rid of a frozen shoulder? If so, how did you go about it? Did you rest it? Did you exercise it? Did you just ignore it until it got better? What do you feel helped you the most?
I'm fairly new to this forum and find that both my own posts and the comments of others have helped considerably in getting me reacquainted with the many skeletons buried in my emotional closet. But this shoulder thing has me stymied. Any help would be appreciated. |
| 15 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| shawnsmith |
Posted - 05/02/2007 : 07:54:00
Trigger Point Therapy = Plecobo as it does not address the root cause of the pain. As long as you concentrate on the physical pain and start given it names (like Frozen Shoulder) other than TMS then you are missing the point and the pain continues to serve its function of distraction.
*************
Sarno-ize it!
************* |
| Shary |
Posted - 05/02/2007 : 07:51:19
My thanks to everyone who has responded with suggestions. I have tried trigger point therapy a few times, with poor results. I'm never able to locate more than one or two tender places and efforts at rolling a ball between my back and the wall have only made me incredibly sore. I've come to the conclusion that I don't really have a trigger point problem. I have TMS. As for the shoulder, I do keep trying to increase mobility, but as Jeneymic indicated, it clamps down if I push too hard. Meanwhile, I've received numerous assurances that frozen shoulder will thaw out on its own, so I've stopped trying so hard. And maybe that's really the best therapy. |
| shawnsmith |
Posted - 05/01/2007 : 18:12:16
My wife was diagnosed with frozen shoulder. Clearly TMS. Fully 100% recovered.
Many people think that specific TMS diagnosis (such as Frozen shoulder or sore feet etc) have separate treatment method but this is incorrect. No matter what your TMS manifestation, the same general admonishments, as found in Dr. Sarno's books, apply.
*************
Sarno-ize it!
************* |
| art |
Posted - 05/01/2007 : 16:31:42
Shary,
I admire your commitment to the TMS approach. There's simply no doubt in my mind you're going to be well served by that, and will see vast improvement. Acceptance of the TMS diagnosis is really 90 percent of the battle.
|
| armchairlinguist |
Posted - 05/01/2007 : 16:22:36
FWIW, my mom had a friend who also had frozen shoulder and that friend is the other person who recommended Sarno to her. The friend found that her frozen shoulder was TMS. It certainly can be, and is one of the specific syndromes that Sarno mentions.
Shary, I hope you're on the way to being better!
--
Wherever you go, there you are. |
| Shary |
Posted - 05/01/2007 : 14:17:15
Jeneymic, Thanks for your helpful suggestions. I disagree that frozen shoulder isn't TMS-related, however. I have also developed pain in the OTHER shoulder. It has been trying to freeze up too, but I'm a little smarter this time around and I haven't let it. Frozen shoulder can probably result from injuries, but in my own case, there isn't any physical reason for it. TMS is about the only thing I can attribute it to. |
| Jeneymic |
Posted - 05/01/2007 : 08:56:12
Hi
I had a post previously but would like to update it and hopefully it will provide some new insight.
Frozen shoulder can last a year or more. It is very different with everyone.
It requires patience(lots of) and as many modalities as you can do...such as trigger point therapy (I do this twice a day with a tennis ball pressed between the wall and my scapula, shoulder and deltoid. It REALLY works out the "knots". Also, use heat alternating with ice. Ice no more than 10min and best after excercising.
Go thru strectching every day. Do not stop.
Proceed slowly. If the shoulder gets aggravated it will clamp down.
Massage is important since everything gets bound up. I go once a week and feel so much better after.
I DO NOT believe frozen shoulder is related to TMS. Although rotator cuff may be related. Frozen shoulder is different. It is scar tissue build up. It is stubborn and difficult but does GET BETTER.
Focus on treatment and healing. Forget the TMS thing especially for now. Visiualize heat and healing in the joint as you excercise.
This info comes from me...an RN and previous TMS back sufferer.
You can do it. Good luck. |
| Shary |
Posted - 04/22/2007 : 10:01:38
wrldtrv, thanks for your response. Regarding medical stuff, I'm not a fan of allopathic medicine. I have to be truly desperate to see a doctor or take meds of any kind. Even the PT I mentioned is slightly nonstandard in that it's far less aggressive and doesn't rely on a hundred reps of a hundred painful exercises when your muscles are so tight you can almost feel them shredding. My TMS (and I'm convinced it is TMS) did make me desperate enough to go the traditional route but results were nonexistent. Probably all it did was prolong real recovery.
I agree with Armchair's idea of using the Trigger Point Therapy Workbook, because I DO have trigger points, even if they are caused by TMS. Also, my emotional self has the need to do something physical, even while I am steadily clearing out that cluttered subconscious closet. As long as I am convinced of the cause of my pain, I don't think this would be counter-productive.
Thanks again for the input--and for even reading my post! I've unloaded way more than most people want to know about someone else. And for anyone who appreciates privacy and dislikes sympathy and/or pity as much as I do, this has been a humbling experience as well as a cathartic one. (My pain was actually somewhat diminished when I got done posting.) I hope there are others out there who will benefit. |
| wrldtrv |
Posted - 04/21/2007 : 22:43:02
Shary--I've had "rotator cuff" probs a few times over the last several years. Same shoulder each time. It wasn't officially frozen because it was only immobile and very painful the first few days.
The fact is, I'm more suspicious now than ever that these shoulder episodes were psychogenic rather than injuries because each time there was no injury. They occurred out of the blue. The last time (several months ago) was really funny because when it got bad enough and I finally made an appt for PT it miraculously got 80% better before the first visit and now is nearly 100%.
You describe not only shoulder pain, but lots of other things, along with heavy stresses to match. Sounds like they're related to me, though you should prob rule out the medical stuff.
Finally, if you look at my "Relapse" thread of a couple of weeks ago you will see the truly amazing the power of the brain (negatively and positively) affect the body. TMS? Sure; that or whatever you want to call it. |
| Shary |
Posted - 04/21/2007 : 16:20:34
Thanks to all of you for responding. What I'm doing, physically, is as much as I can. Some days that isn't much. Otherwise, I'm reading everything I can find that might help. I've read Healing Back Pain, the Mind Body Connection three times. I have ordered MBP and Learned Optimism (by Martin Seligman), though not yet TDM. I will see if I can find The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook, and I'm planning to resume PT, even though it hasn't previously helped much.
Mostly, at this time, I have mediocre days and worse ones, and then some days I'm really leveled. I can't remember the last time I really felt good physically. I don't sleep well because no place is comfortable for more than a few hours. I spend half the night in bed and the other half in a living room lounger. I try not to get depressed about it, but sometimes it's pretty difficult.
I've been doing a lot of journaling, although at this point it's more a mental exercise than a written one. I've upchucked every hidden emotion I can remember and have gone through them with a finetooth comb. As a result, I've mulled over some pretty painful, hard-to-face realities. (Maybe sometimes you have to get worse before you get better.) For instance, I'm presently involved in a case of life insurance fraud. I think I will come out okay in it. I might even come out smelling like a rose because I wasn't the only one defrauded by a crooked agent. But resolution is slow. Another painful thought that I've avoided is the knowledge that I may have to end a long term relationship that is frequently demeaning and less than healthy unless I can override my fear of confrontations and learn to stick up for myself. Unfortunately, these aren't the only pots on the stove that are boiling over. I also have a mildly disabled adult son who has a lot of social/emotional problems. My need to help him sort out his life has been overwhelming.
I can't say I haven't made progress toward getting better, because I have. It's just s-o-o-o slow. I guess I need to learn patience instead of getting antsy and stressed out and finding ways to blame myself for being a human being instead Superwoman. I can't believe how quickly I can go downhill physically every time a new wrinkle crops up in this soap opera I call my life, even if it's only a small thing. It can take me less than half an hour to go from feeling semi-decent to being almost crippled. Anyway, thanks for the good tips. This forum has been terrific, both as an emotional outlet and a learning experience. |
| shawnsmith |
Posted - 04/21/2007 : 15:49:56
My wife had frozen shoulder
*************
Sarno-ize it!
************* |
| armchairlinguist |
Posted - 04/21/2007 : 12:19:00
Salamander mentioned trigger point therapy as being ultimately a placebo that often seems effective in the short term, and I have to echo that. You seem to be in a severe enough state that it may interfere with your ability to think psychological. I'd actually recommend that you get the book The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook by Clair Davies and do the stuff that's recommended for frozen shoulder & back pain in there. It may decrease your pain to a point where you find it easier to work with. I am not suggesting this as an ultimate solution but as an alternative to medication. It'll give you more control over your physical state, which can also be a leg up in dealing with TMS, because it reduces the fear of the pain's intensity by giving you a strategy that works quickly to deal with severe episodes.
As far as TMS stuff goes, what are you doing for TMS treatment? Reading the books? (If you haven't read MBP or TDM, they are well worth it.) Journaling? Thinking psychological whenever the pain gets especially bad? Whatever it is, keep doing it, and step it up as much as you can.
--
Wherever you go, there you are. |
| salamander |
Posted - 04/21/2007 : 10:48:23
Shary,
You need to gradually return to activity. If you are like most TMS suffereres you are focused on your pain and wondering if there is some structural problem with your shoulder.
I had what I suppose was frozen shoulder back when I was about 22. I could not move my arm above my waist. I was doing alot of swimming to try and recover from knee pain (which was TMS), and then my shoulder froze up. Two MRI's later and nothing much could be found. I had many tender points and received massage therapy from a guy that really dug into my "trigger points". I went a couple of times a week for a couple of months. At the time I credited him with getting me past this and bought into the "trigger point" therapy. Now, I'm convinced that I had TMS. It is likely that the "trigger point" therapy was a placebo. I know that Sarno says that placebo treatments don't solve the underlaying issue, but I've often wondered if this massage did not help me. I guess that is the nature of placebos....you really never know.
My best advice is the laugh off what is going on with your body and get it moving. Challenge it. The most difficult part for me was believing that so much pain could be caused by the mind. I think Shary that you are still stuck mentally in the physical/structural causes of your pain. To fully embrace the TMS diagnosis you must convince yourself that your body is fine....this is just a cruel joke that the mind is playing on you.
On a side note, a friend of mine was in the navy and managed to get sucked into a jet engine. As a result, his shoulder was badly injured and broken in several places. For some reason he elected to not have surgery and as a result he is unable to extend his arm past chest level (he's lived like this for 40 years). His injury is due to a structural problem and not TMS. The only reason I mention him is that he does not have shoulder pain, despite a rather serious injury. He's just limited in his range of motion.
Better days soon Shary,
Doug
|
| Jeneymic |
Posted - 04/21/2007 : 09:47:53
Hi
I have the same thing. Can take awhile to get over it. Do not stop moving. Excercise it as much as you can. Never stop.
Mine is improving slowly. I am in PT but I also have therapuetic massage which is wonderful for freeing up the shoulder and back muscles. I had a zillion painful knot in the muscles which were worked out.
Try a good therapist...some are more experienced in "frozen shoulder" or rotator cuff injuries. I go 1 to 2 times a week and it has gotten me further than PT.
Good luck
Jenn
PS. GI irritation is from medication. Not everything is TMS. |
| art |
Posted - 04/21/2007 : 09:47:12
I don't know if I have frozen shoulder, but it's been very painful for over 6 months now,and my range of motion is definitely limited...
My approach to it has been to just keep forcing it in the direction of pain. Gradually, it's gotten better, perhaps 50 percent by this point, although it can still be quite painful..For some reason I've not thought about it in terms of TMS so much as simply a weird injury that will get better over time, especially if I don't baby it...
Maybe it's TMS and maybe it isn't. Either way, I'm just going to continue challenging it. If it's TMS this can't hurt me. And even if it isn't, the fact that it's gotten better indicates to me my approach is right...
I know this doesn't help you with your situation, but I thought I'd share a little...I'd not heard that frozen shoulder does not lend itself particularly well to the TMS approach. |
|
|
