| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| positivevibes |
Posted - 12/11/2008 : 18:56:12
I am curious whether any of you have also experienced this.
If a part of your body has been hurting for a long time (or hurting on and off), do you still feel a "shadow" of the pain on days when it doesn't hurt at all? In other words, a sort-of phantom pain?
I have experienced this in my lower back, and it's really weird. I prove to myself that my back does NOT hurt at that moment, but for some reason, I expect a painful feeling, and it feels as if it "should" be hurting, even though it doesn't.
It reminds me of the pain that amputees feel in a leg that is no longer there. Some sort of nerve memory.
How do you get rid of this? Any ideas? It's really annoying. I keep telling my brain to stop it! |
| 2 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| armchairlinguist |
Posted - 12/15/2008 : 10:39:45
Hey PV,
I know exactly what you mean. I went to speak at the Sorehand (SF) RSI support group recently about my experience with the Sarno method (and incidentally, met Nate McNamara which was an honor!). While there I started to get this pain ghost in my arms. I feel it other times when I think about the pain that I once had. Sometimes thinking too much about it activates the actual pain again. I actually was triggered at the forum by talking about my experiences and watching people do all the things I used to do - wearing gloves, resting their hands carefully on soft objects, etc. There's a particular spot in my upper forearm that's especially likely to get sore or get the ghost of soreness, along with one in my thumb pad.
Luckily, it went away promptly afterwards. It's very strange! It doesn't happen to me too often. I would guess the key is that when you start noticing it, that's a good time to distract yourself by thinking about something else (whether emotions or just getting on with whatever you are up to. Sort of like not "checking in" on pain all the time -- BB65 and la_kevin had some great stuff to say about that aspect back a while ago.
--
What were you expecting? |
| youngstreet |
Posted - 12/12/2008 : 12:09:03
Hi there,
I know exactly how you're feeling. I suffered a lingual nerve injury (causing painful tongue) five years ago due to a wisdom tooth extraction. It hurts every time I speak.
I think I should be physically healed by now, but I think I won't let go of the pain until I've mentally reconditioned myself. My body believes I should be in pain, and I believe my mind is creating physical pain symptoms as a result. I have to force myself to continue with normal activities (in my case, speaking) and I believe that in time, the pain memory will dissolve and I will feel physically better. It sure hasn't happened overnight, but things are slowly getting better.
Good luck. If anyone has any tips in how to reduce the pain/nerve memory, please do share.
Steve |
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