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HopefulAli
Canada
16 Posts |
 Posted - 07/09/2011 : 22:14:15
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Hi gang,
Disheartening turn of events over here. I emailed Schubiner explaining my knee pain recurrences and mentioned that I wanted to see him instead of giving into the temptation to see a physiotherapist as I would have done in the past, and he told me that seeing a physiotherapist (to stretch, strengthen and increase flexibility) is okay in conjuction with the MBS approach. I was shocked! I thought that Sarno tells his patients to avoid physiotherapy bc it keeps the focus on the body instead of the psychological, but maybe this is where their approaches differ.
The day I received the email the pain in both of my knees got quite bad- I tried to talk myself out of the pain in the former "good" knee for weeks, but it started aching consistently and popping, so now both of them hurt, along with my right hip.
Saw the physiotherapist today and he said I have tracking problems in both kneecaps- showed me how the one kneecap pops in and out of the socket and how that contributes to the pain and discomfort.
Having trouble walking today... I want to limp on both sides. Also trying to deal with mounting feelings of panic about chronice pain.... it's hard when you feel all those demons rushing back.
What does this mean? Is my problem truly physical? I talked myself out of back and shoulder pain yesterday and today- both of those I KNOW are TMS. I read on one of the Q and As here with a TMS physician that knee pain tends to TMS about 50% of the time.
Has been extremely stressful week on a personal note so maybe that is contributing.
Would appreciate any thoughts.
Thanks |
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Dave
USA
1864 Posts |
Posted - 07/10/2011 : 11:20:44
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There is a fine line between doing physical therapy/exercise for general health versus symptom relief. The danger in going for physical therapy is that it reinforces the belief that there is a structural problem that needs to be addressed in order to gain relief from symptoms. Perhaps there are some TMS sufferers who can undergo such training with the firm belief that they are doing so for their overall health and strength, and not to address structural issues that are causing pain. Maybe someone who has successfully treated TMS for many years can do this. However, if there is any doubt that the pain may be due to structural issues, undergoing physical therapy can undermine recovery.
I believe your experience bolsters this argument. Why would your symptoms suddenly get worse after reading this E-mail?
Dr. Sarno prescribed physical therapy for his patients early on, figuring it could not hurt. His success rate increased dramatically after he stopped this practice. I believe it is very difficult for the mind to put aside the structural diagnosis, when a physical therapist is telling you that the pain can be attributed to structural issues. The brain siezes every opportunity to make you believe the pain is due to physcial and not psychological causes. You are giving it such an opportunity by allowing yourself to be led down the physical path by a therapist.
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Javizy
United Kingdom
76 Posts |
Posted - 07/10/2011 : 11:55:57
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I think a lot of physiotherapists are as bad, if not worse, than physicians when it comes to chronic pain, and certainly aren't worth what they charge. I've never felt glad to have seen one. You go there each week expecting some improvement, and when you're in the same position two months down the line, you find you've lost a lot of your morale along with £500 or so. It's easy to see why Sarno is against it.
That said, even if your hair is getting all the nutrients and vitamins it needs to be strong and shiny, if you don't wash and brush it, it's still going to look bad. You could think of your TMS treatment as the nutrients, and a bit of knee-friendly exercise as your comb.
My two tips (asides from sacking the therapists) would be to balance your hamstrings and quadriceps, and make sure your pelvis is in a neutral position. All too often hamstrings are much stronger and tighter than quadriceps, and this can pull the joint out of alignment and put undue stress on one side of the cartilage. If your hip joints are ahead of your knee joints (check in the mirror from a side angle), then you're probably hyper-extending your knee joints and again causing undue stress. This can again be related to tight hamstrings, but also to the way you habitually tilt your pelvis. If you have neither of these problems, then you should definitely pick up the nearest Sarno book and start reading it! |
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salamander
85 Posts |
Posted - 07/10/2011 : 14:57:36
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I don't know exactly what a physiotherapist does, but....
I believe that if you feel pain in your knees, you will automatically start to "favor" or limit the use of that knee. This is what I believe is referred to as "splinting". It is the body's natural way of preventing the joint from becoming further injured (or what it believes to be injured). Even if your problem is TMS, the result is the same, ie, the body is naturally "splinting" the knee and as a result you can lose range of motion and more importantly muscle. As your muscle atrophies, you are bound to lose some function. Which brings me to my point....
I truly feel that some physical therapy (if you want to call it that) is necessary to help your leg recover. Most importantly it will help you regain muscle mass, which will in turn allow you to better return to activity. All of this will reinforce confidence in your body and promote recovery.
As TMS dictates....there is nothing wrong with you physically. Instead, remind yourself that you are doing excercises for you knee in order to maximize your ability to do the things you love to do. In your instance, I think it would be just as benificial to just go to a gym. However, if you are not knowlegeable on the ways to excercise the joint, then I suppose physical therapy, or better yet, a personal trainer could be of assistance.
Doug |
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knee pain now in both knees; saw physiotherapist
