| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| SarnoFan |
Posted - 10/06/2009 : 23:44:02
I randomly watched "The BIGGEST LOSER" tonight on TV. For those who don't know the show, it is a reality show (like Survivor) where extremely obese people are competing to lose weight by diet and extreme physical exertion in and out of the gym. There are two trainers Jill and Bob who push and motivate these folks. It is very emotional and it really comes down to the battle of the mind to succeed. So.....TONIGHT's episode had a back pain issue come up, and the trainer, Bob, seemingly treated it as TMS. Here's what happened.
A contestant "Mo" is an older man who was on the excercise bike and suddenly his "back went out" He could not continue. The trainer, Bob, narrated that he could see that Mo was in excruciating pain. The scene takes them outside of the gym where Mo and Bob discuss the problem. Mo is dissapointed that his back is keeping him from going on. He's in pain as he talks to Bob. Bob says something like, "So what? Are you just gonna quit?" . Mo says he's been in pain for 20 yrs.
Bob ignores Mo's back problem and instead focuses on the goal and why Mo came on the show. He also told Mo "If you quit and go back home, you will still have the pain."
Then Bob told him confidently to just take an hour break and get back on the bike. You could see Mo's face of disbelief that he got no sympathy for his back. He then narrated on the show that he really had to "screw his head back on right". Meaning, I guess, that for once he has to get past his pain distraction.
The show then shows Mo holding onto the wall as he struggles up the steps to get back into the gym. He gets back on the bike, breathes through the pain, and is fine by the end of the show. He successfully lost his weekly weight and stayed in the competition.
Others on the show suffered other real injuries and got a modified program. But Bob decided to ignore Mo's back pain, since it was obviously chronic, even though there was an acute attack.
It seems that Bob understands that, although there was obvious physical pain, he did not treat it as a structural problem; he spoke to the contestant's "will" and "mind". And the contestant got it! But he obviously had faith in the trainer.
I am so certain that many viewers of the show who are in TMS pain (and don't know it) were confused with Bob's approach. Here was a super obese, older guy with 20 years of pain, being pushed in a boot camp and his back totally went out. He must have injured himself! How did Bob not take this seriously?
I'm now going to watch the next episode now to see how Mo does. |
| 3 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| pandamonium |
Posted - 10/07/2009 : 14:36:23
At the back pain show last Sunday I met an interesting physiotherapist. He told me a story about one of his patients who'd had some pain in her knee and had seen her GP for it. Out of all the things the GP told her the patient focussed on one small bit of one comment (some words like possible degenerative disease) decided that that was the diagnosis and spiralled downwards accordingly as it spread.
The physio pointed out to his patient what they had managed to focus in on, persuaded them that it was extremely unlikely, and with several more visits the patient recovered in a matter of weeks.
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A beginner's guide to psychology: If it's not your mum's fault.... it's your dad's... |
| skizzik |
Posted - 10/07/2009 : 04:38:50
a good sign that mainstream western thought is moving in the direction that chronic back pain is just that, pain and not the indication something is wrong.
Also interesting that the medical professionals on staff allowed him to continue without jumping all over him to stop. Or that he passed the physical for the show at all.
Unless you have a red flag, the pain means nothing to the medical profession anymore.
I remember the neurosurgeon asking me what my pain level was from 1-10 and my quality of life. And I wanted to talk about Sarno and if this could be psychosomatic. He threw his hands up and said "whoa, listen, I need to know if you're in pain or not, tell me right now!" "If your'e getting along with otc's then you stay the hell away from me."
Whoa, I thought, "stay the hell away from me"..............should'nt he know if I need surgery or not, he said I had a "good one" (herniation). It was up to me to keep this going or not. He was giving me the freedom. ..........................................................................................................................he knows......................................................................................................................................once your'e on the endless cycle of cuts your'e trapped. The rest of your life you'll be tied into him w/ whatever the next treatment will be (surgery, drugs) to get you out of his office quickly, and on to the next patient.
So many people say the doc said I'm headed for paralization, or that I'm f'd up for life.
But did the doc really? Or did you lead him/her there? I got the doc to say, "yes, there is a psychosomatic component", but, after 5min he was desperate to get me outta da office fast. He was in his scrubs for God's sake, and there was fusion hardware laying all over for display. I was in the office, examined, he was now entitled to visit money. At this point I am just meat. I could have asked scarier questions that would have made me come home and say the doc says I have to have surgery, or am lucky to be walking....etc.
I called my wife on the way home. "Sheesh, honey, the doc is telling me in no uncertain terms that it's up to me how much pain I'm in even after seeing my horrible MRI, CT", " he told me to stay the hell away.....wink wink."
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| pandamonium |
Posted - 10/07/2009 : 04:19:13
Fascinating!
But maybe non-TMSers would see Mo as a bully????
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A beginner's guide to psychology: If it's not your mum's fault.... it's your dad's... |
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