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Singer_Artist
USA
1516 Posts |
 Posted - 06/15/2006 : 09:28:56
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Hi Everyone. I am a singer/artist living in Vegas, from NJ. I have suspected that I have TMS for years. 2 weeks ago I was bending over to get an ice pack off my knee when my neck started. It seemed a benign movement but my concern was that from being over protective of my neck for so long I may have weakened some muscles, hence the setback. 1 1/2 years ago a high speed chiropractic adjustment put me in bed for months..Now some of those symptoms are back including a startle reflex wherein the slightest unexpected sound makes me jump and tighten and freeze up my neck even more..I cannot look up at all..Finally after over 2 weeks I am starting to get more motion looking left and right? Has anyone ever had such limited range of motion in their neck accompanied by intermittent pain in the arts, fingers and tingling and burning...Thank God the tingling and burning has calmed down, but it got worse after i had 2 Nucca chiropractic adjustments..THe chiropractor said it was normal and I was retracing previous injuries..I felt worse, but then a few days later a little better, however, the jumpiness and some neurological symptoms like my head moving a little while laying down were back. Thank God that part stopped, was very scary..I am up and around more but totally afraid to look up or move my head too much. It is my birhtday on Sunday and a friend wants to take me on an Alaskan cruise. I want to go sooo bad but i am afraid that the plane ride and car rides (taxi) will make me worse..ie..the bumps, etc..I don't know what to do..There are no therapists or doctors in Vegas for TMS..how i wish i were back home in NJ..I have no family here either and it's tough financially from all of these injuries i have been dealing with or is it just TMS..My neck feels a little better today but now my knee is bothering me..And the only thing i did was receive a foot massage with some pulling on my leg and now it's the knee! I don't know if i should try Nucca again or Physical therapy to get motion back in my neck or just go the TMS way completely...I think i need some therapy to deal with past and present issues..Being a broke and injured artist is not how I saw myself in my 40's..Hope someone can help..God bless,
Karen |
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tennis tom
USA
4749 Posts |
Posted - 06/15/2006 : 09:57:42
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http://www.tarpityoga.com/directory.html#CA
Hi Singer_Artist,
Your's is a sad but typical TMS story. See the above link for TMS doctors and therapists. No TMS docs in Nevada that I know of. You will have to go to L.A. If you have insurance, it may well be covered.
A few years back, I participated in a TMS group lead by Dr. Bruce Eisendorf in Santa Cruz, Ca. There was a singer who traveled from Las Vegas. I'm assuming it was someone else. Is there something in the water in Vegas that gives singers TMS?
Good luck, hope this helps,
tt |
Edited by - tennis tom on 06/15/2006 10:00:56 |
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Singer_Artist
USA
1516 Posts |
Posted - 06/15/2006 : 11:22:39
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For Tom, thanx!
I think that might have been me at Dr. E. in Santa Cruz...What a coincidence...Not sure how to reply back to you so I tried to send an email..Thanks so much for your response!
Karen |
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ralphyde
USA
307 Posts |
Posted - 06/15/2006 : 12:25:38
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Karen,
It seems to me from your post, that doubt and fear are a big part of your current situation. TMS will try to keep you in doubt about whether your symptoms are physical or emotional, and it will keep you in fear of further pain. Accepting TMS as the cause of your pain is the crucial first step to healing. Without acceptance, TMS will remain hidden and still in control. As Dr. Sarno says on p 81 of HBP:quote:
One has to confront TMS, fight it, or the symptoms will continue. Losing one's fear and resuming normal physical activity is possibly the most important part of the therapeutic process.
He also says that you must quit the physical treatments which give creedence to the idea that the pain is physically caused.quote:
"The principle is that one must renounce any structural explanation either for the pain or its cure, or the symptoms will continue. Manipulation, heat, massage, exercise, and acupuncture all presuppose a physical disorder that can be treated by some physical means. Unless that whole concept is repudiated, the pain and other symptoms continue. HBP p. 81."
Best,
Ralph
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Edited by - ralphyde on 06/15/2006 14:32:27 |
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Singer_Artist
USA
1516 Posts |
Posted - 06/15/2006 : 12:39:45
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Thank you Ralph,
You show great insight into this disorder...I just wish I could move my neck more..I cannot look up at all, if i try it just gets more locked and more muscle spasms...The movement left to right is a little better as long as i don't get startled...Still totally confused as to whether to go to Alaska or not...
Take care,
karen |
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FlyByNight
Canada
209 Posts |
Posted - 06/15/2006 : 17:31:38
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Singer.
8 months ago I was exactly in the same situation you are right now after doing PT and osteopathic adjustments...
What I can tell you is that TMS AND conditionning are certainly part of the process that occurs to you right now
Keep reading the books. Also the Tapes by Monte Hueftle (www.runningpain.com) helped me a lot to decondition the neck spasms. I still have a lot of work to do, but at least I can now move my neck more 'normally' even if there is still some restriction and pain.
P.
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armchairlinguist
USA
1397 Posts |
Posted - 06/15/2006 : 18:11:43
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Singer,
I recently had to make the choice of whether to continue with physical treatment or go the TMS route completely. I was lucky because I already felt better when I had to decide, but I was very concerned that I might be wrong and I would relapse -- and my job basically depended on my making the right decision (I had RSI symptoms, and I am working at a computer 8 hours a day).
I decided to abandon the treatment (chiropractic and targeted massage therapy) and have since gotten 99% healthy and the minor residual pain no longer stops me from anything.
If you think about it, your story says that chiropractic hasn't done much to help you. First you feel worse, then you feel a bit better, then worse! What your chiropractor said about "retracing" old injuries sounds like bunk to me. TMS can occur on the site of old injuries (the better to convince you it's a real injury) but I see no logic to a claim that spinal adjustment should cause pain in old places. Why doesn't it just help you feel better?
Mine claimed that he thought there were both TMS and mechanical factors (computer keyboard) involved in many cases. I call bunk on that too; it's an unnecessarily complicated explanation -- and I can do anything I want now. But it helps him feel like he's doing something for people...possibly ditto your guy. In other words, they are motivated to say (and probably genuinely believe) whatever keeps you coming back and them believing they are helping. So they are suspect, and their claims should only be accepted if there is strong logic and evidence on their side too.
Maybe you should ask your friend for a rain check on the cruise. Take some time out now to do some TMS work -- then hopefully you will see results pretty soon and be able to go on the cruise once you are feeling more comfortable and confident! |
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Singer_Artist
USA
1516 Posts |
Posted - 06/15/2006 : 18:53:22
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thanx flybynight and armchairlinguist for your replies...I so appreciate it! God bless,
Karen |
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Topic |
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Neck & limbs, TMS vs. Nucca, pls. help?
