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UK james
United Kingdom
37 Posts |
 Posted - 11/26/2004 : 14:10:58
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Dear all
Just discovered this great site so I thought I would share my experience with you as it may help others...
I am a 26 year old male who from the age of 21-25 yrs suffered from excrutiating low back pain. The main love of my life is football (soccer). When I was younger I was continually told I would be a professional and this was always my belief and aim in life. The actual pain became worse after sitting (especially driving) and sleeping - to alleviate the pain I needed to get to the gym and stretch - although this would never totally shift the pain. A lot of the time the pain would start with a strange sensation...my low back / hip would 'lock' and I would need to 'clunk' it back into position. Strange I know.
Prior to my back pain I suffered from exremely painful heels at around the age of 13 yrs that was put down to growing pains. Then at the age of 16 I started to strain my groin (inner thigh). The result of this was large periods of time not playing football, huge amounts of money spent with physios etc. I could play in a match at the weekend but due to what I thought was some kind of inflammation I could not train during the week - this put me nehind other players who became fitter and stronger. I continued studying at school and just as well as by the age of 17 my football career had derailed due to the injuries. I went to university to study and at the end of my first year had a mesh hernia repair to give my groin more elasticity (there was no actual tear though). I felt great after this but as soon as I started to play again my groin and hip tightened up agaian. I was so gutted. In desperation I went back to see the surgeon who said the success rate of such ops was 99.9%. I left his office not knowing what to do. However, I carried on doing what training I could (swimming at 6am etc) in the hope one day it would go.
Somehow, my groin pain developed into low back pain in the third year of my uni course and persisted until one year ago when thankfully I discovered TMS through a Manchester physio.
Whilst I am totally grateful and amazed and mystified by being pain free I am also frustrated at having never known about Sarno and TMS before. Who knows what I could have achieved?
What caused my TMS? Various things I guess. Parents divorced and had a turbulent relationship when I was younger. Self-imposed pressure of becoming a football player. I am hard working and conscientious and hate people thinking bad of me. I currently put myself through the wringer with a really tough job just because it pays well and gives me a higher status than friends.
If anyone has any questions about my experiences I will be pleased to assist.
James
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Edited by - UK james on 12/05/2004 12:07:43 |
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tennis tom
USA
4749 Posts |
Posted - 11/26/2004 : 16:12:38
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| Welcome to the TMS Forum James. Thanks for sharing your story. I'm sure it will be encouraging to others. Your mentioning of "growiing pains", made me wonder if they are a form of adolescent TMS? The pressures of childhood are probably underestimated. Our resiliency, both mental and physical, when we are younger are probably greater to overcome and bounce back from it. |
Edited by - tennis tom on 11/26/2004 16:34:14 |
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Tunza
New Zealand
198 Posts |
Posted - 11/26/2004 : 16:53:04
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Thanks for your wonderful post James. You will make a lot of people's day when they read it.
I'm fascinated by the locking and clunking you describe in your back as one of my hurdles to get through is believing that TMS could be causing the painful locking I get in my elbows (I have to force my arms straight sometimes which results in a loud snap) and the catching in my shoulders (if I try and swim freestyle I end up not being able to bring my arms over as they catch at the shoulder).
Do you still have any clunking/locking at all or did it disappear with the pain?
Kat |
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mala
Hong Kong
774 Posts |
Posted - 11/26/2004 : 17:52:20
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Your mentioning of "growing pains", made me wonder if they are a form of adolescent TMS?
I actually remember reading in Healing Back Pain that Sarno actually believes growing pains are a form of tms.
It's not hard to believe as children who are pretty sensitive at that age are under tremendous pressure from parents, school, peers etc.
Imagine what a child must go through if he or she has parents who don't get along or if there is bullying at school or pressure to excel, etc.. Must be quite traumatic.
Good Luck & Good Health
Mala |
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UK james
United Kingdom
37 Posts |
Posted - 11/27/2004 : 06:10:54
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Kat
The 'locking' / 'clunking' of my hip / back stopped with the pain. I presume that the area was blood flow deprived and therefore lacked warmth and lubrication. Not one doctor / physio knew what it was until I read MBP. Bizarre!
James
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tennis tom
USA
4749 Posts |
Posted - 11/27/2004 : 10:33:40
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James, that is the same conclusion I came to with my right hip. According to TMS theory, it was in a constant state of "mild" spassm. Harmless but at times excrutiatingly painful. My thought at this moment is to call it a "hot-spot" rather than regional.
As you say the muscles lock up in the region. The propreoception in the region says "it's injured", don't use it, circle the wagons (the muscles) around it in the mistaken thought to protect it. The bursas don't do their job of creating synovial fluid to lubricate the joint. Like a car engine, with no oil in it, there are going to be a lot of odd sounds and sensations-- clunking, crackiing and popping.
The docs, with the evidence, of x-rays in hand, convince us wrongfully, (accept to their wallets), that it is fatal to the joint. Amputate and excise the offending, bone on bone joint and put in a shiny new ceramic and titanium part.
It's very difficult to stand up to the overwhelming "scientific" bombardment of evidence for gettng a "space age" hip. I just played tennis with a retired doc who had two of them--doc's firmly believe in surgery themsleves. The promblem for me is that I have yet to see anyone sprint faster on new hips than I can on my one old one. Also after 10-20 minutes of walking I prove to myself that it is TMS because my limp goes away, the muscles loosen up and the pain goes away.
Conclusion: it's a matter of attitude--is the glass half empty or half full. Am I doing damage with each step I take, wearing away the cartelege and getting closer to bone-on-bone or healthfully exercising the hip with each step, unlocking the spasmed TMS muscles? |
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Allan
USA
226 Posts |
Posted - 11/27/2004 : 11:16:01
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| The trainer at the gym tells me that cartilage does not have its own blood supply. It gets nourishment from nearby blood in the area and that exercise is generally positive in helping to maintain and build cartilage. |
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Tunza
New Zealand
198 Posts |
Posted - 11/27/2004 : 13:32:27
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Thanks James,
You have no idea how much your posts have contributed to my growing confidence in the TMS theory for my personal situation.
I believe fully in the TMS theory but my dramatic snap, crackle and pops (louder than the average pain-free person's) cause me to focus on the physical and now I have your experience as evidence I feel so much better about it all.
When you talk about your frustration with not knowing about Sarno etc earlier it reminds me of the grief I went through when I had to give up cycle racing due to arm pain and more recently running due to knee pain. I've got to the stage now after 10 years where I will just be happy to do those things recreationally when I am pain-free.
Do you play any sports now?
Kat |
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UK james
United Kingdom
37 Posts |
Posted - 11/28/2004 : 14:09:14
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Kat
I am pleased that my post has helped you in some way. Whilst I was suffering back pain I used to think to myself I would do ANYTHING just to be pain free never mind road run or play football again - I just wanted the never ending pain to stop. It is still hard to believe but I can now play football better than ever before (I was never really pain free at any stage of growing up) and can run on roads with no pain, do anything in the gym and have total confidence. I think the restrictions I placed upon myself whilst in pain only worsened the problem of TMS, for example, a surgeon telling me to cycle not road run and to only play football if my social life depended on it. RIDICULOUS! I used to constantly think 'if I am in this much pain during my 20's, what will I be like when I am 40+? I envisioned that I would be even worse as the pain was due to structural / aging deficiencies.
I just now want to make up for lost time and am currently trying to switch jobs which will allow me to start playing at a good standard once again as it is really important to me. If you read the soothe / rage ratio part of MBP you will realise that without cycling which is a soothing factor in your life, the rage dominates. This can be applied to favourite passtimes, eating well, socialising VS things like a stressful job or being alone for example.
Take care
James
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jack
27 Posts |
Posted - 11/28/2004 : 15:35:21
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James:
Thanks for your post. I have posted before and I am in the midst of a groin/pelvic situation. I am a marathon runner and I have not stopped running through the pretty severe pain. I don't want to go the route of doctors, physiotherapists, etc. As I have stated previously, I am in a quandry whether or not to stop running to see if the pain goes away. It seems that what separates TMS is the chronicity. Perhaps I haven't given it enough down time to see if it is chronic? I have not stopped running. Though previous responses said that most pains go away by themselves --- I just perseverate about not wanting to take off time from running to prove the chronicity. If I were to rest for 2 weeks and the pain didn't get better, I would sort of know ......
So I have the internal battle right now about making the decision - whether to stop or not stop running. I have not gone to doctors or PT. This is my inner battle - I know if I go to a doctor I will get the "inflammation, need meds. need PT" responses.
Thanks to anybody who can offer some advice.
Jack |
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UK james
United Kingdom
37 Posts |
Posted - 11/28/2004 : 16:45:20
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Jack
In my opinion, the fact that you still have pain lends itself to the fact that you still have some work to do. If you are trying to list all your problems (journal) it may be that you are missing something out...from my experience it is more than likely to be something aout you as a person rather than a day to day issue (financial, for eg). By this I mean you might be subconsciously troubled / embrarrassed about something - something that you fail to write down as it is not immediately apparent. It could be a self-esteem / insecurity issue for example that is causing your internal rage.
Just keep working at it...
James |
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Kavita
USA
47 Posts |
Posted - 11/29/2004 : 08:05:26
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Dear James,
Thank you so much for sharing your story. I think I have only recently truly believed that TMS is the cause of a bunch of ailments -including leg pains I had as a child/adolescent that were diagnosed as "growing pains." I am maintaining a very rigorous exercise regimen (jogging, kickboxing, pilates, and yoga), exercising 6 days a week, but the pain is persistent. I keep telling myself that the cause of the pain is my CNS/brain cutting off oxygen supply to my muscles because of my repressed anger, but I have experienced no improvement. I have stopped physical therapy, never taken meds, and am hoping that in a couple weeks I will see some abatement in symptoms. It is very hard to stay optimistic, but reading stories like yours help people like me better accept the TMS diagnosis and give us the energy to keep fighting this beast - especially because you are a young, active person. Are there any techniques in particular that helped your recovery?
Thanks again. Reading your story will help me not to give up! |
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floridaboy
40 Posts |
Posted - 11/29/2004 : 19:08:07
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| Kavita. I never had much success reminding myself it is TMS and axygen deprivation. I only get relief when I journal and ask my self throughout the day...not just when I am in pain..."what am I feeling right now?" It seems to work better than the reminders of what is going on. I need to do the work BEFORE I begin my training...not during. |
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UK james
United Kingdom
37 Posts |
Posted - 11/30/2004 : 11:29:46
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Kavita
- Continue re-reading MBP / Dr Sophers book.
- Journal each day - write down everything you feel - not just day to day issues such as work issues.
- Continue with what you enjoy, even if in pain.
- Do not take the pain seriously - laugh at it!
- It may help if you have someone to confide in.
- Acknowledge that the traits that bring on the pain are actually desireable and make you a good / successful person (perfectionism, being conscientous etc). However, you don't deserve the pain! People who are lazy, don't care, have no ambition in life don't get it so why should you?
I re-itterate to you that I was in excrutiating back pain for years and this worked for me 100% so it can for you too. It is not physical, it is rage causing the pain.
James |
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tennis tom
USA
4749 Posts |
Posted - 11/30/2004 : 14:00:24
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| Good post UK James, I like your outlook, thanks for sharing it. |
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TMS Success!
