Pardon the lenght but I want to get some advice and feel as much info as possible will help. I have had some TMS issues in the past in a variety of manifestations and I fit the personality profile perfectly. Recently I accepted a job which will be a complete change of career. I am scheduled to leave for training to be a federal law enforcment agent in Jan. This is something completely new for me.
I have always been an avid weightlifter and am in great shape. Knowing this training was on the horizon I have continued to keep fit but have been paranoid about injuring myself. In fact in what was supposed to be my last work-out with weights (as not to risk the injury I was so worried about) I injured myself. I stopped martial arts training 2 months agot for fear of an injury. I did not notice any pain until I was at home hours later and got some milk out and had pain at the front of my shoulder and down the arm. Recognizing this as a possible biceps tendon strain or rotator cuff strain I immediately limited any activity that induced this pain. There was no pain at rest. I of course did my research on the net and self diagnosed with the above. Doc says the same strain-tendonitis need to rest...Interestingly after a week of almost no using the arm and no more pain when reaching overhead I began to develop more general achiness all the time, and pain when I slept. I still hadn ot resumed normal activities. I got all the symptoms I read about but did not have initially and should not have developed as i was resting, icing etc. It has continued to get worse even though I have continued to rest. Ironically one night I began to get similar pain in the opposite shoulder and red flags went up for TMS.
Naturally I have been obsessing about this pain given my deadline to begin training and it of course has continued to get worse although I still no longer have any pain in the full range of motion like I had originally, leading me to believe if I had an injury initially it has healed. Just aching and burning. throughout the front and now sides of shoulder and arm. There are periods when I am pain free then I start asking for the pain and it obliges.
I have also had doubts and fears about failure in my upcoming training and have had TMS hit me big time in the past in a similiar situation. It has TMS or not it has completely distracted me from any thought of my upcoming training beyond simply my ability to participate at all.
Now to my question (finally). Is it possible or in anybody's experience to have an actual injury turn into the basis for TMS or did I have an injury at all. It was the self-fulfilling proficy. I feared an injury, literally was thinking about it during the workout and a few hours later I got pain on movement. This goes away with rest and then I get generalized tendonitis pain no matter how much rest, NSAIDS, ice, heat etc. I use it stays. I am freaked out because I leave for training soon and I obsess about it constantly.
If this had been just a random gradual onset I would be 100% sure it is TMS but there is a mechanism and possible injury. Again this makes an ideal cover for TMS. Your thoughts.
bdog when you really injure yourself you will know it the second it happens. Your "injury" sounds like TMS. Even if you did slightly injure yourself, you are young and in good shape and that kind of injury should heal within days.
Thanks Electraglideman. You are right. Sometimes I think access to so much info gives one's mind plenty of symptoms to throw at you when TMS starts. There is so much out there to validate a physical cause and then sometimes you just have to think about the big picture and realize it does not make sense to be in pain.
Shoulder issues
Posted - 12/30/2007 : 10:04:55
