| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| avik |
Posted - 08/12/2013 : 16:01:37
This seems to be one conundrum that I cannot figure out.
Ignoring TMS is really the only thing that works for me.
That said, I am also an amateur bodybuilder/power-lifter and I need to constantly stretch my muscles.
My TMS "Achilles heel" was always my neck/trapezius spasms, which I have had for 20 years. Stopping my ridiculous stretches to alleviate my TMS neck pains is what finally allowed the pain to subside.
I did not have a single neck pain for a year and then I had a spasm in the gym a couple of months back that was "caused" by what I was doing (i think) but was shockingly similar to my usual TMS pains.
I dont even want to start with Drs because I know what they are going to tell me.
The pain has subsided but now I magically have a new pain that is closer to my shoulder but still involves some of my older pains (making it all very suspect).
How can I stretch my neck and upper back for gym/workout purposes while simultaneously ignoring the TMS? I am finding it nearly impossible to not bring my attention to the TMS inflicted areas while just doing basic stretches. Also, if my TMS uses the gym to "attack" me, how in G-ds name do i know what is "real" and what is caused by TMS?
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| 7 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| icelikeaninja |
Posted - 08/14/2013 : 11:22:00
Well said Dave, I think many people need to hear this and actually believe it.
As Alan Gordon said we have to go against or logical thinking and what we were conditioned to believe and feel.
Also another biggie is monitoring the whole damn thing. I am deconditioning myself with this.
**Sure I can lay down on a bed of nails and not have pain but why am I having back pain when laying down on a soft mattress? |
| Dave |
Posted - 08/14/2013 : 11:15:11
quote:
Originally posted by avik
I did not have a single neck pain for a year and then I had a spasm in the gym a couple of months back that was "caused" by what I was doing (i think) but was shockingly similar to my usual TMS pains.
You must understand and accept TMS will give you the pain you expect at the time you expect it, in a way that maximizes your belief that it was caused by physical activity. Of course you can certainly injure yourself during a workout, but it is also possible that the activity was simply a trigger for TMS.
Do not overthink it. If you are "trying to figure out" what pain is TMS vs. what is physical, then you are undermining the recovery process by focusing on the symptoms at all.
You cannot "know" what is "real" and what is caused by TMS. You have to take a consistent approach regardless of the symptoms you feel at any given time. |
| plum |
Posted - 08/13/2013 : 03:37:16
avik, in a similar dilemma here. In mitigation I have been pushing myself and the pain is a bit of old and new. I'm resting for a few days and following the RICE protocol, then I'll judge it.
Here is a thread from the wiki that may help you untangle matters. The participants are runners and the question of whether or not a pain is tms or real runs throughout. There are a couple of links along the way that are worth reading too.
http://www.tmswiki.org/forum/threads/making-it-to-the-boston-marathon-2014.1885/
To this I would endorse Back2-It's words. Best not to overthink and good to acknowledge that the traps are magnets for tension. I never take tightness or soreness seriously when it manifests there. Once I do and start neck stretching etc, then I'm firmly in the tms hell-hole.
Maybe you can include some yoga which will stretch your whole body without any particular focus on the upper back and shoulder area. As Ice suggests, plank work is great. A few gentle rounds (building in tempo if you desire) of Sun Salutation is a comprehensive full body stretch. |
| Back2-It |
Posted - 08/12/2013 : 21:53:15
quote:
How can I stretch my neck and upper back for gym/workout purposes while simultaneously ignoring the TMS? I am finding it nearly impossible to not bring my attention to the TMS inflicted areas while just doing basic stretches. Also, if my TMS uses the gym to "attack" me, how in G-ds name do i know what is "real" and what is caused by TMS?
Just stretch, for God's sake, in the course of your workout. Same as you might do as if there were no pain. Do not overthink this. No stretch is going to do any harm unless you gain a fear of the fear of the pain --i.e., unless you become anxious about it, and a "second fear" creeps in. Your tightness and pain is "real", but so what? You either will accept it as benign or begin to fear it. Don't fear it, because it is benign, in my humble opinion (official "Next Adventure" disclaimer -- I am hypothetically describing a case similar to yours  )
Traps are among the first muscles to react to any stress, and maybe you even strained it a bit during a workout.
"Bridges Freeze Before Roads" |
| icelikeaninja |
Posted - 08/12/2013 : 21:41:49
Iam not a doctor but I believe sarno states that's sprains etc go away after a few days not months.
Have you taken time off.
In ask why because secretly as weight lifters there is a sense of insecurity . Especially competition with you putting stress on yourself.
Its constant perfectionism.
Working out no longer keeps me stress free for long, actually have to journal and gonzo therapy .
Just saying take a real break from the gym and then see if its Tms or not
**Sure I can lay down on a bed of nails and not have pain but why am I having back pain when laying down on a soft mattress? |
| avik |
Posted - 08/12/2013 : 21:13:54
quote:
Originally posted by icelikeaninja
This makes me laugh. The other day I walked very far and lifted some heavy things but nothing I couldn't handle.
All weekend I was in tons of back pain . Now I jog a lot and do crossfit so why so much pain?
Probably because I wasn't enjoying what I was doing.
I hardly stretch if at all, been in the bodybuilding game since 97'.
If I do stretch for Tms purposes maybe you should warm you on an elipitical and do some push-ups. Get some light blood in the area.
I think you know the game of Tms by now,
Curious, why do you work out?
**Sure I can lay down on a bed of nails and not have pain but why am I having back pain when laying down on a soft mattress?
I would say equal parts: looking good, feeling good, stress relief and competition/sport.
I am not sure I understood your post but my problem seems to be that my TMS is "hiding" within my gym routine.
Meaning, it uses my weightlifting as a cover, so that when/if I get a TMS pain, it makes me doubt that it is not in fact TMS and maybe as a result of my lifting.
I hate that I am back in this cycle....after over a year of not a single neck pain.
I just have some doubt in my mind, as I lift quite heavy and isnt it possible I have just spasmed my neck/trapezius?
I am going to do my best to just ignore it and maybe some spend some time journaling. Ive gotten lazy in my pain-free-days...I probably have to let out some anger/stress...
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| icelikeaninja |
Posted - 08/12/2013 : 16:24:09
This makes me laugh. The other day I walked very far and lifted some heavy things but nothing I couldn't handle.
All weekend I was in tons of back pain . Now I jog a lot and do crossfit so why so much pain?
Probably because I wasn't enjoying what I was doing.
I hardly stretch if at all, been in the bodybuilding game since 97'.
If I do stretch for Tms purposes maybe you should warm you on an elipitical and do some push-ups. Get some light blood in the area.
I think you know the game of Tms by now,
Curious, why do you work out?
**Sure I can lay down on a bed of nails and not have pain but why am I having back pain when laying down on a soft mattress? |
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