| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Jeremy |
Posted - 01/23/2008 : 07:31:07
Hi, everybody-
I'm pretty much brand new to the concept of TMS-- just was given the book The Divided Mind over the weekend, and I've read that and went out and got Healing Back Pain and am almost done with that too. Have prowled around the web a lot these last few days also, and have found (I think) most of the major and useful TMS sites, including this forum. From what I can tell, I pretty much fit the profile-- without being yet able to have a doctor confirm it (how do you do that if you don't have a doctor anywhere near you who knows about TMS?), I'm convinced this is what I have.
I've had lower back and hip problems since mid-May. As apparently can happen with TMS, there was no obvious trigger event. The medical doctors always want to know what you *did*; all the forms you have to fill out when you're going that route talk about the "date of the accident." There was no date; there was no accident. It seemed to develop both slowly and quickly; there was no one day that I suddenly realized I had a problem, and yet somehow, sort of all of a sudden, I had a problem. In retrospect, I can identify some emotional stressors that probably tipped me over the edge. But also in retrospect, I can identify a slow-building stiffness/discomfort problem in my hip that had been growing in intensity probably over the previous three to six months.
I have a couple of questions, so you may be hearing more from me in the coming days, but the first one that I'm really curious about is this experience of stiffness I have in my lower back. My pain has never been terribly intense, although I did have a period of time in which the pain in my hip (it's been shifting around, as obviously can happen) would get pretty bad while I was lying in bed. Outside of shifting sensations in the low back and hip/buttock area, my most prominent symptom remains a very stiff lower back. I cannot bend over nearly as well as I used to. And here's me, who had previously been doing yoga regularly for eight years! Of course, all the standard doctors and physical therapists told me immediately to stop doing the yoga back in June. Now that I understand that physical exercise is actually a good thing for my back, I would like to start back up. But I can't even get into a restful child's pose at this point.
I'm not sure how this stiffness relates to TMS. In the books, the talk is regularly about pain and spasms. There seems to be a sense-- which I've also had at times-- of a very specific sensation happening at a very specific time. With me, I can sit and stand and walk and relatively often not feel very much of anything (although I still have my moments of twinges and uncomfortable sensations), but if I try to bend over, yikes-- very stiff. So I'm wondering if anyone has some perspective on how stiffness fits into the syndrome. It's not "pain" I'm attempting to get rid of, and it's mostly noticeable only when I'm trying to bend (which of course I've spent the better part of the last six months trying not to do at all!).
Part of me is wondering if the stiffness might actually have to do with lack of use for all these months. A few years ago, I broke my thumb, and after it came out of the splint, it was horribly stiff. Initially I thought, "Oh great, it's not healed yet," but as it turns out, it was just stiff from being pretty much frozen in place for a number of weeks. I had to do a series of exercises to reestablish its range of motion and get rid of the stiffness.
With my back, having followed (until these last few days) the advice I was getting from doctors and physical therapists, I've been very very careful with my back-- lifting from the knees, not bending over, you know the drill -- and it occurs to me all this might simply aggravate the stiffness, for sheer lack of use.
Anyway, any perspective anyone has on this would be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much for listening, and thanks for being here. I hope to be able to contribute some useful information myself here as the weeks go by.
cheers~
Jeremy
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| 6 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Jeremy |
Posted - 01/25/2008 : 12:58:54
quote:
Originally posted by Dave
quote:
Originally posted by Jeremy
Thanks to all for the helpful input. My next challenge is that I seem to be experiencing an increase in intensity in the stiffness-- often with actual pain attached-- now that I've been actively "battling" my brain on what's going on.
This is typical. Consider it a good sign. Your brain is threatened by your newfound knowledge and is 'kicking it up a notch.' Laugh it off and continue to ignore it.
Thanks for reinforcing that. Yesterday was a terrible day--I think I had more out and out pain, along with great stiffness and random painful twinges, than I can ever remember having. I had to work hard on maintaining the psychological focus, and was not always successful. It seemed almost impossible to find a way to lie in bed without serious discomfort. But the fact that I woke up today feeling much much better than yesterday shows me incontrovertibly how this is all based on my deep-seated emotional state. If something were more structurally wrong with me physically-- as my physical therapist believed-- how could possibly bounce from such a bad day yesterday to a much better day today? |
| Dave |
Posted - 01/24/2008 : 08:57:33
quote:
Originally posted by Jeremy
Thanks to all for the helpful input. My next challenge is that I seem to be experiencing an increase in intensity in the stiffness-- often with actual pain attached-- now that I've been actively "battling" my brain on what's going on.
This is typical. Consider it a good sign. Your brain is threatened by your newfound knowledge and is 'kicking it up a notch.' Laugh it off and continue to ignore it. |
| Jeremy |
Posted - 01/24/2008 : 07:37:47
Thanks to all for the helpful input. My next challenge is that I seem to be experiencing an increase in intensity in the stiffness-- often with actual pain attached-- now that I've been actively "battling" my brain on what's going on. Yesterday was the first day I treated my back "normally" (as in not really really carefully and tenderly) since the onset of the symptoms. Today I awoke with a whole lot more pain than usual. Quite an adventure this is. |
| campbell28 |
Posted - 01/23/2008 : 12:47:10
I got generally more stiffness / tightness than pain (I had RSI), which I also found difficult to begin with as all the TMS stuff seemed to refer to pain. Mainly in my shoulders / neck but I also started to have trouble walking because my hips and legs got so stiff ( a podiatrist gave me insoles which I have stopped using).
It is definitely the same thing as pain - just a slightly different symptom - and can be dealt with in the same way. Don't let the physical therapists scare you. |
| armchairlinguist |
Posted - 01/23/2008 : 10:54:19
Yes, stiffness is a common accompaniment to TMS pain. It can be resolved the same way as pain.
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It's not 100% belief that's required, but 100% commitment. |
| qso |
Posted - 01/23/2008 : 10:22:19
I had a lot of stiffness in addition to all the other symptoms. In my neck, in my back and in my legs. It was like somebody had glued my insides. Bending was also a problem. I was spending a lot of timew trying to excercise and stretch everyday but it made very little difference. However, went the TMS went away, ALL of the symptoms went away at once, including the stiffness. |
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