| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Rmff |
Posted - 02/18/2009 : 09:07:26
Hi there,
I’m hoping to get people’s thoughts on my current situation, regarding injuries and what the problem is, in order to help give me a sense of direction as I’m at a loss of what to do next.
For the last few years I have been playing tennis full-time in order to try and fulfill my ambition of becoming a professional. However during the last 2 or 3 years I have been continually hit by injuries, including lower back problems, tennis elbow, shin splints and shoulder impingement, which I am still suffering from and have been recommended to have surgery for.
Most of these have been treated by various physio’s and specialists with techniques such as exercises, acupuncture, massage and cortisone injections. They seem to provide temporary relief but by no means a permanent solution and I struggle to get rid of any of the injuries fully.
Recently a former coach suggested I read healing back pain by Dr John Sarno. Having grasped the concept of TMS I can certainly see that it’s possible that I may have been affected by this as I put a lot of pressure on myself each day as well as having expectations from others but I’m not 100% sure this is the problem. I understand that I currently have a lot of repressed emotions due to the current state my tennis is in but I’m unsure if this is really the problem. I don’t know whether my muscles are fatigued from all the sport I play or whether they are suffering from TMS.
Thanks for taking the time to hear me out and I would be very interested to hear any thoughts.
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| 5 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Dave |
Posted - 02/20/2009 : 15:15:30
quote:
Originally posted by Rmff
I understand that I currently have a lot of repressed emotions due to the current state my tennis is in but I’m unsure if this is really the problem. I don’t know whether my muscles are fatigued from all the sport I play or whether they are suffering from TMS.
It is common to have doubts. The majority of people cannot accept TMS as a diagnosis.
Why not give it a shot? What do you have to lose? Commit to the treatment suggestions outlined by Dr. Sarno and try your best to believe in the diagnosis. If you see improvement then perhaps you can avoid the surgery.
However, for the treatment to work, you need to banish the doubt as best you can. You need to convince yourself that the TMS diagnosis applies to you and be completely honest with yourself. The repressed emotions that lead to TMS symptoms are much deeper than you realize. In addition to pushing through the pain, you have to explore the underlying psychological issues that cause you to put pressure on yourself to exceed. Those same drives that can make one a great athelete may also cause TMS. |
| Rmff |
Posted - 02/20/2009 : 13:39:10
First off I would like to say thankyou to those who replied.
Hilary I found some of the posts on that link to be very helpful as it's encouraging to hear of the success that people have had. Also thanks for the link to people working here in the U.K, I was unaware of any until now.
As a few of you have stated I think determining whether or not there is a real injury or TMS is perhaps the most difficult step.
Hottm8 the doctor who's been treating me thinks that all conservative measures have been tried so he would like to precede with surgery. My dilemma and hesitation over whether to have it or not comes from a doubt as to whether it's really the problem and also that I have other injuries bothering me, so it's not as though I would then be back to 100%. But these other injuries are ones that should have healed some time ago (e.g tennis elbow)which is what makes me think that perhaps TMS is the problem. As you say it's very difficult to decipher whether or not you have an injury. I haven't had any pain moving around but due to the fact I've had several problems over the last few years I always feel slightly weak in the areas that have been injured previously.
Peg thanks for your comments and observations. The more I think about things I am beginning to think all these various injuries may have been TMS, however there is still an element of doubt in my mind. Which I know will hinder any recovery. Also for me personally one of the hardest things I find is to balance work and play. It's difficult to find an activity that is relaxing or takes my mind away from things. And finally I read your success story and would just like to say well done on what I can only imagine was a very difficult process. |
| Peg |
Posted - 02/18/2009 : 16:17:43
Welcome,
"For the last few years I have been playing tennis full-time in order to try and fulfill my ambition of becoming a professional."
That's a lot of pressure. A set up for TMS.
"However during the last 2 or 3 years I have been continually hit by injuries, including lower back problems, tennis elbow, shin splints and shoulder impingement, which I am still suffering from and have been recommended to have surgery for."
If you are prone to TMS, having the TMS personality traits, these may not have been injuries. They could be the various manifestations of TMS (they're in the books). Watch out for that shoulder impingement diagnosis. That's the one I was given 16 years ago. Had the surgery. It didn't help a bit.
My pain didn't go away until I found Dr. Sarno's book, Healing Back Pain, and applied the information to my life. You can check out my success story if you want. I just recently posted it to the success story page.
"Recently a former coach suggested I read healing back pain by Dr John Sarno."
Smart man!
"I don’t know whether my muscles are fatigued from all the sport I play or whether they are suffering from TMS."
You're muscles may get fatigued after your sport, but with rest, they recover. If your pain is due to TMS, you will need to follow the advice in Dr. Sarno's book and it will resolve.
--think psychological not physical
--re-read the information daily initially (not to excess)
--Remind yourself what is going on and try to accept and reduce your fear
--Your pain is due to emotional causes
--make a list of your stresses (past and present)
--balance your life ("Rage Soothe Ratio"), work/play (I mean real play, not tennis, which is more like your job right now)
Good luck,
Peg
In questions of science, the authority of a thousand is not worth the humble reasoning of a single individual. Galileo Galilei |
| hottm8oh |
Posted - 02/18/2009 : 10:56:46
I am a big tennis fan, so it's a pleasure to speak to you via this board.
It sounds as if you have recently discovered Sarno's book. I would advise you to read his other books and/or read them more than once. It can take some time to truly decide whether or not you have TMS or a physical problem. My realization did not happen overnight.
Knowing whether you have TMS or a physical injury is one of the toughest places to get to. If you are a professional athlete, then I am going to assume you have been thoroughly checked out. Pro athletes usually have excellent medical care. For me personally, it was really important that I truly fully ruled out any physical cause for my symptoms. Are your doctors recommending any further testing or treatment for you other than surgery? Do you feel comfortable that you don't have an injury or your injury is healed yet the pain is still lingering or coming from some unknown source? Does the pain move around?
I hope you can find some relief soon. |
| HilaryN |
Posted - 02/18/2009 : 09:37:57
Hi Rmff,
Welcome to the forum.
You might like to have a look at the Success Stories which Forest has been categorising on the TMS wiki:
http://tmswiki.wetpaint.com/page/Specific+Symptoms+&+Diagnoses
Also, there are 3 TMS practitioners here in the U.K. It might be worth you consulting one of them as it really helps one to be sure whether one has TMS or not, and that is the first requirement to recovering. They are listed here:
http://tmsrecovery.com/practitioners/
All the best,
Hilary N |
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