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stayfit65
54 Posts |
 Posted - 08/19/2013 : 19:39:12
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Hi,
This morning I went to lift something and the pain I felt took my breath away, and immediately I can hardly walk. Now tonight everything is stiff and painful in my low back...how can I stay confident in knowing that this is just a true back strain and nothing else? And that it will heal up just fine over a few days? I know we don't talk about pain symptoms here, but can anyone relate, where they have been improving in their TMS journey, but then had a true injury that set them back? I could really use some encouragement...
Thanks,
Stayfit |
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alangordon
USA
23 Posts |
Posted - 08/19/2013 : 20:31:56
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In these situations the best intervention is to not obsess about it. If you threw your back out, it'll get better in the next week or two. If it's a TMS reaction, as long as you don't get consumed with it, it will lose it's hold on you and it'll get better in the next week or two.
Often trying to figure out whether it's a real acute injury or TMS becomes the new preoccupation. It's okay either way. As long as you don't let yourself get all caught up in it, it'll fade.
If there's a part of you that thinks you may have done structural damage, that's really unlikely. An orthopaedic specialist recently told me that generally discs herniate gradually, over time. And that to herniate a disc acutely, one pretty much has to fall out of a second story window.
Acute back injuries due to lifting something are generally muscular in nature, and gradually heal over a few weeks. The least beneficial thing that you can do is obsess about your recovery. |
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eric watson
USA
601 Posts |
Posted - 08/19/2013 : 23:51:01
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Man Alan Gordon that's great advice man, so true.
This is exactly how I had to look at it to heal and exercise.
Stayfit65, I went through this for so long trying to get back
to my exercises-
It will take some time for your body to recondition to the time like before you had the tms so hang in there ok, know what Alan said is true
and after your body heals in a week or two. This time when you start back to exercise, do it all in little baby steps ok. That's where I was messing up anyhow, I thought ok - im going to go out here and give it all I got. Well each time I did, I hurt for like 2 weeks
Now I thought after like 6 months "ok im going to start with yoga, then very, very light weight" im talking like 10 lbs. ya know. Then as time went by the exercises didn't hurt much at all and now a full year later I can almost lift what I lifted before the tms.
For instance, now im doing squats and deadlifts with no pain and in the past these exercises would lay me up. Now I have it in the bag. Listen when you heal, start back as light as possible and move up 5 lbs. twice a month- within six months you can double that. You'll see, it'll be sweet.
There's no problem with talking about pain, I had to and Ace, Tom, Steve and many others coached me so, stay course.
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Edited by - eric watson on 08/19/2013 23:55:16 |
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stayfit65
54 Posts |
Posted - 08/20/2013 : 04:23:15
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Thanks, I have been a fitness instructor for 28 years, and having to sub out my classes is really hard for me. I teach mostly indoor cycling, and I really want to teach tomorrow. Today is better than yesterday, so yes, I believe it is a strain. Part of my TMS personality is indecision. Should I or shouldn't I? I am thinking I shouldn't, and give myself a week off to see how I do. But then the guilt sets in...you know? It is hard being Stayfit... |
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Dave
USA
1864 Posts |
Posted - 08/20/2013 : 06:48:30
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The important thing is how you react to this occurrence. When you felt the pain did you immediately shift your thoughts to the emotional realm and think about what might be troubling you that you are not fully facing up to?
It seems your mind immediately went down the path of injury and strain. While this may certainly be the case, sometimes if we get acute pain in response to a common everyday movement it can be a TMS attack in disguise. And if this was such an attack, and it succeeded in getting you to go down the physical/structural/injury path, then it is working.
I used to get attacks bending over the sink while brushing my teeth. Before Sarno I would attribute it to my "bad back" and I'd take Advil and go to the chiropractor and baby myself for a few days. After Sarno I laugh about it, say "nice try" to my brain, and think about what is bothering me that might have led to the TMS flare-up. The pain rarely lasts more than an hour or two.
During the recovery process you must expect the pain will continue, get worse, or move around. This is a good sign. It mean the unconscious mind is "upping the ante" to try to get you off the path of your newfound knowledge and commitment. Take a consistent approach no matter what you feel at any given moment.
While I appreciate Alan's advice to not obsess about it, I also believe that phrases like "threw your back out" and thinking about herniated discs are contradictory to TMS recovery. |
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Ace1
USA
1040 Posts |
Posted - 08/20/2013 : 10:24:53
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Hi Stayfit,
I believe that TMS makes certain parts of your body temporarly dysfunctional that if you use them in that state of dysfunction, it can cause a real injury that takes time to heal. I'll give you an example about myself. I went on a deep sea fishing trip sometime ago. I was doing fine, but there was a point where I developed that dysfunctional state in my chest, but what I did is despite that feeling I pulled fish up even harder, instead of stopping for a second and getting my mind in the place it should be first. At that point I developed a severe pain and it took like 6 weeks to go away completely. I couldnt even sleep on that side of my body bc of the pain. Whats funny about it is that it behaved just like TMS, in times of tension it would be at its worst. I went about my business kept working on tms, took it easy on myself and the pain and it just faded away. |
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tennis tom
USA
4749 Posts |
Posted - 08/20/2013 : 13:33:49
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quote:
Originally posted by Ace1
...Whats funny about it is that it behaved just like TMS, in times of tension it would be at its worst. I went about my business kept working on tms, took it easy on myself and the pain and it just faded away.
TMS is the VOLUME CONTROL for the pain. |
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stayfit65
54 Posts |
Posted - 08/22/2013 : 18:04:04
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| I just wanted to give you an update. Tonight I was back in front of my fitness class. The pain in my low back has just sort of melted away over the last three days. I decided that I am going on with my activities as much as I can...no matter the pain, it can just come along with me!!! I did spinning and swimming yesterday, no problems. Tonight was a weight lifting class...again, no problems. So, it would appear that I had what Dr. Sarno calls an acute attack. It did scare me a bit, but now I don't think it will again. Thank you for all your encouragement. |
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eric watson
USA
601 Posts |
Posted - 08/22/2013 : 19:10:09
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quote:
Originally posted by stayfit65
I just wanted to give you an update. Tonight I was back in front of my fitness class. The pain in my low back has just sort of melted away over the last three days. I decided that I am going on with my activities as much as I can...no matter the pain, it can just come along with me!!! I did spinning and swimming yesterday, no problems. Tonight was a weight lifting class...again, no problems. So, it would appear that I had what Dr. Sarno calls an acute attack. It did scare me a bit, but now I don't think it will again. Thank you for all your encouragement.
Sounds like good news, Great.... |
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Real back strain--need encouragement
