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flyfishr
1 Posts |
 Posted - 03/15/2007 : 15:56:59
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Hi,
I am looking for some clarification. I have am in the middle of a severe back spasm, where it is difficult to walk and sneezing almost kills me :)
I have Healing Back Pain and have read and am applying Monte Hueftle's book Get Rid of the Pain in Your Butt Now. Both of them state that you should continue on with daily activities, or if in severe spasm to take a pain killer and rest.
Neither of them talk about the next step as to when to resume activity?
Does anyone have some clarification for this situation?
Hueftle's book states that doing exercises as a cure actually exacerbates the problem. So doing a limited activity such as Aquafitness (which helps me stretch my 'bad back')reinforces the conditioning.
Any suggestions?
Thanks
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salamander
85 Posts |
Posted - 03/15/2007 : 19:01:28
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Hi,
When I first got onto TMS, I decided that I fit the profile and was convinced that what Sarno said was true....particularly that I could not hurt myself. I had been suffering with a bad back for over a year and decided then and there to resume my active lifestyle. So I grabbed my tennis racket and went off to play tennis (which is where I initially "injured" myself). To make a long story short, I came back home after playing tennis for an hour with severe back pain, and could not even stand up straight. I was horrified, angry and scared. Even though I never saw Dr. Sarno as a patient, I looked up his number and called him to voice my concerns. He tried his best to reassure me and told me that "yes, I should resume normal activity, but to go slow".
I took his advice and slowly resumed "normal" activity. Eventually I was fine, and except on rare occasions, I don't have back pain. If you are in the middle of a severe back spasm, I would certainly not go full boar on anything. As Dr. Sarno told me...."you wont hurt yourself, but it sure might be painful". The key word here is GRADUAL. Slowly resume activity. It helped me to know that I was not doing myself any permanent damage. I learned, however, not to go too hard in my recovery. Not because I could hurt myself, but so that I could gain confidence in the diagnosis. I took baby steps at first, and then gradually resumed unlimited activity.
Remember, that the purpose of the pain is to take your mind off of of what is really troubling you. Your back pain has become the center of your existance. It's not easy, but you must learn to ignore it and laugh at it. When I look back on how much pain that I was in, it was hard to believe that something wasn't seriously wrong with my back. Today, I'm shocked at how painful TMS can be. Good luck in your recovery.
Regards,
Doug |
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shawnsmith
Czech Republic
2048 Posts |
Posted - 03/16/2007 : 12:15:00
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In his taped lecture, which I have, Dr. Sarno says not to resume physical activity until the pain is virtually gone and then slowly and gradually resume activity, backing off a but when the pain resume. Although I do understand the reasoning behind why he says this (the development of conditioning), I personally went ahead with resuming activity anyways.
In my very humble Dr. Sarno does not always give the best advice, maybe because each case is different and he is trying his best to give a one-size-fits all-advice.
*************
Sarno-ize it!
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Victoria008
USA
26 Posts |
Posted - 03/18/2007 : 15:19:01
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My recovery has been one step forward, two steps back, but I thank God for those steps forward, for awhile there, they were ALL back! Anyway, last Monday I was all geared up for lots of paperwork, mostly taxes and finances. I hate doing this because I am having a lot of financial problems right now. I felt pretty good when I woke up, just the usual morning stiffness, but then my lower back started aching. I kept working but the pain got worse. I had not done anything strenous. The pain got worse and worse and I was just sitting down! I got up to go to the bathroom and could barely walk! Like I had a big crick in my back, hips and legs. My reaction to this sort of thing is always fear. I became fearful and then depressed and just gave up on my work. I had this one day off to get a bunch of stuff accomplished and I had to instead just lay on my hot pad all day. I was disgusted but also very worried. What about tomorrow when I had to go back to work? I own a cleaning business, and I could not miss, like I said before, I need every penny right now! So in the morning I felt just a little better but still in a lot of pain. I told myself I had to work, so let's see what we can do. I talked furiously to my brain. This is harmless, this is temporary. What is going on emotionally? The Saturday before my sister told me she has started drinking again (We are both recovering alcoholics}. We are very close and this really upset me. Could there be a connection? Then I did some gentle back stretches. I went to work moving slowly but surely, telling my body to stretch, sending blood and oxygen to the painful parts. By the end of the day, I felt so much better! So I agree with others, that you don't want to push yourself into agony, but you have more control over your body than you think. It is important to keep going, for me the mental attitude is the most important thing.
Victoria |
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shawnsmith
Czech Republic
2048 Posts |
Posted - 03/18/2007 : 16:08:59
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quote:
Originally posted by salamander
Remember, that the purpose of the pain is to take your mind off of of what is really troubling you. Your back pain has become the center of your existance.
I think sometimes, on this otherwise excellent message board, we forget this important piece of insight, and it is the central point of Dr. Sarno's message. If we (and I include myself in that "we") spent more time and energy writing and thinking about the possible sources of our pains instead of going into the surgical details of the pain itself, it would go a long way towards bringing about recovery. Many people will write long and detailed paragraphs about an ache, pain or some new symptom, but tell us very little, or add on a small footnote of "oh by the way, and I am stressed about this or that thing in my life," as if it is an after thought. In addition, many people start freaking out and surf the internet looking for possible explantions for their symptoms. In my opinion this is very dangerous and keeps one involved in the physical. There is a lot of alarmist crap on the net and one should be careful when consulting such websites.
When the pain becomes the locus of one's attention and there is fear in making the slighest movement, as it may enduce even more pain, this is the brain's way of keeping us involved in the physical and not thinking about the emotional source behind the pain symptoms. And remember, the pain is indeed a symptom of something that is taking place on the inside. It is there to distract our attention and we must fight back and draw our attention away from the pain and unto its possible emotional sources. No one said it was easy, and even Dr. Sarno has said it is difficult. But the fact that so many people have recovered after persistent effort is testimony that his methods work. It takes longer for some than others as the respressed emotions may be quite painful and very resistant to exposure.
In my own case I believe I have uncovered a lot of important unrecognized issues in my life which were previously ignored or repressed, but I continue to be a victim of pavlovian conditioning which is a real bugger to shake, despite all the self-talk to remind me of what is taking place.
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Sarno-ize it!
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Edited by - shawnsmith on 03/18/2007 19:25:23 |
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tennis tom
USA
4749 Posts |
Posted - 03/18/2007 : 17:12:13
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Thanks for the EXCELLENT Sunday posts Victoria and Shawn!
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weatherman
USA
184 Posts |
Posted - 03/18/2007 : 20:17:54
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quote:
In his taped lecture, which I have, Dr. Sarno says not to resume physical activity until the pain is virtually gone
I think this was a fumble on his part, and contradicts most of what he says. I know in my own case, when I've had some long TMS thing going on, the pain often didn't start to go away UNTIL I resumed physical activity. Waiting until the pain is gone before you resume activity sounds like a recipe for failure (the really acute pain, maybe, but "virtually gone?"). You may find yourself waiting for a train that never arrives.
Weatherman |
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Severe Pain
