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steffi
USA
18 Posts |
 Posted - 03/27/2009 : 10:21:19
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| Is there room for PT in all this...if you look at it as simply getting moving again after a long stretch of nothingness? |
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iyusaf
USA
57 Posts |
Posted - 03/27/2009 : 13:12:56
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| I would skip PT and stick to physical activity that is initiated by you rather than by someone else. Do you like to go for walks? Swim? Run? Housework? I was walking back and forth down my hallway all morning last week with my kids marching behind me. It was loads of fun and cheap too. |
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marsha
252 Posts |
Posted - 03/27/2009 : 13:42:28
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Physical Therapy treats the physical.
What would be the point?
TMS is psychological.
Work on you thinking not on your structure.
Marsha |
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Webdan65
USA
182 Posts |
Posted - 03/28/2009 : 19:47:06
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Just my 2 cents. You don't need PT to get moving again. Take a walk, go to the gym yourself. Buy a set of resistance bands for working out. Just get moving and keep the muscles loose.
Don't exercise to eliminate pain, but do it for these reasons.
1. Overall wellness. Exercise is good for your body.
2. Mental health. Working out changes the body chemistry and releases endorphins that improve our mood. Improved mood helps to combat the feeling of overwhelm we have when we're in pain.
3. To prove to your subconscious that you are NOT afraid and that you are NOT broken.
My story:
I started PT last fall and after 6 weeks I was never in worse, more chronic pain in my life.
Why did I go? Well, I did have some minor pain issues, but really not that bad. However, I was VERY crooked as a result of some muscle imbalances I've developed. My spine tilts hard to the left. Maybe it's from poor posture sitting in my office desk chair so much. Maybe it's from compensating for pain syndromes that I've had on and off for so long. Who knows.
The problem with PT is that for an hour per session, three days a week I got to hear these "experts" look at me, comment on how crooked I am. Tell me how messed up my body was. Jam their elbows in my muscles (painful) telling me that I'm going to hurt and be sore. Telling me it's going to get worse before it gets better. Basically PROGRAMMING ME to believe I was all screwed up and to expect pain.
(In my opinion, most PT's are not really experts. More like kids under 30 with "certifications". No offense to PT's, but they just aren't trained on anything other than physical.)
So much for getting help. And when I talked to them about the emotional side of things - I couldn't even get ONE of the 3 to listen to a Sarno set of CD's I brought in for them.
By the end of 6 weeks, I went from minor pain sometimes to completely chronic. Couldn't do anything without pain or major spasms.
I mean ANYTHING. Getting on and off the toilet, wiping my ass, walking up stairs. I couldn't run, I was petrified to even hop off a curb. Every movement was tense and full of anticipation of the pain.
And pain I got. All day, all night, every day with every movement. I couldn't roll over in bed without it being a specific practiced move. I couldn't reach for my wallet while sitting in my car. Driving over a bump in the road fired off a wave of painful spasm.
I gave up working out, golfing, skiing and snowboarding. I could barely help out around the house. Bedroom activities were impacted.
I expected pain and I got it. Without fail.
Why? All because I innocently decided, I'm crooked so let me have these "experts" get me more flexible and fix the "supposed structural problem".
Needless to say, the minute I fired my PT I started to feel better. Worst of all is that despite me having VERY SPECIFIC muscle imbalances - they hand me a photocopied set of exercises.
Here's the "ONE SIZE FITS ALL" set of exercises we learned in school. Do these!
That should have been my first clue.
So, $400 later in copays and agonizing chronic pain later - the PT's were completely worthless for me.
Look, if you are in an accident and your muscles need rebuilding from major lack of use or atrophy - fine. PT makes sense. But PT to alleviate pain that came out of nowhere?
RUN, DON'T WALK AWAY FROM THE PT OFFICE!!!
It took me 4 months to reprogram my mind and convince myself I'm not broken.
Where am I now? I am STILL VERY CROOKED. Yet somehow I'm running pain free on the treadmill, lifting weights, just golfed yesterday for the second time this year. I atually ran 3 miles in 40 minutes on the treadmill. Last fall, I wasn't sure if I'd EVER be able to run again - it was THAT bad.
I can plop down on the couch without thought - whereas before I would have to maneuver into position and slowly very specifically lower myself down.
Was it scary to resume activity? HOLY CRAP YES. But it was probably the ONE thing that helped conquer the fear. You have to prove to yourself that if you work out, lift weights, walk on the treadmill and do it even when you are afraid, you aren't going to break.
It will be scary. It still IS scary for me. I was scared ****less on the golf course wondering if the next swing was going to do me in. But I focused on breathing deep breaths. Calming my mind. Reinforcing that I wasn't broken. I got through it.
Despite the pain flaring up during and right after pushing myself physically, it was always much better the next day. It's as if my subconscious digested the fact that I worked out with weights and didn't break. So it let go of a little of the fear, programming and expectations that continue the pain.
You've got to resume physical activity. Just do what you can and push harder each time.
If someone told me last November that I'd be running 3 miles in March, I would have never believed them? I never thought I'd be able to run to the mailbox let along constant for 40 minutes straight.
Do yourself a favor. Focus on the emotional. Even someone like me that looks completely whacked out in the mirror - proved that by thinking emotional - I got rid of the pain. It just proved beyond a shadow of a doubt - being crooked doesn't cause pain.
Actually Dr. Shubiner pointed out to me personally. There are thousands of people with scoliosis that have NO pain. So why should my muscle imbalances be painful? They're not and my getting rid of the chronic pain is proof.
Just my take. I'll never go back to PT or a chiropractor again.
Their goal is to scare you into a long term treatment plan.
Expect the best. It's right around the corner for all of us.
Dan |
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steffi
USA
18 Posts |
Posted - 03/29/2009 : 11:18:12
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| Thank you all for your responses. I just sent a good portion of my life story to Web and realize I should have just put out for everyone's review and help. Anyway, thank you again. |
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steffi
USA
18 Posts |
Posted - 03/31/2009 : 05:34:12
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FYI - After two PT sessions, and doing my PT homework at home, my pain went from bad to absolutely horrible. I'm getting my courage and belief system up...I cancelled today's PT session.
I'm working hard with my psychotherapist (I've been in and out for years) but she thinks not hard enough. She doesn't believe that I have truly grieved certain key issues in my past. |
Edited by - steffi on 03/31/2009 06:32:09 |
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Nor
152 Posts |
Posted - 04/04/2009 : 11:05:47
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I may be late in the discussion here but if I can drive the point home, all the better. I am in a unique position of being an occupational therapist and I've also experienced TMS in many of its ugly forms. I used to work at NYU (a hundred yrs. ago) and all of us in rehab used to sort of chuckle at Sarno's ideas. I remember an inservice he gave our department and we were all questioning him with hidden smirks. I've learned a lot since then.
Don't get me wrong. PT definately has its place - just not w/TMS. The problem is that the western medical world doesn't recognize TMS so a lot of sufferers get referred for PT. Its the wrong approach for the TMS patient and it furthers your belief that the problem is "physical". If you truly believe you have TMS then go the Sarno route - as everyone else has said. |
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Webdan65
USA
182 Posts |
Posted - 04/08/2009 : 22:00:31
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Nor - thank you for sharing this.
Everyone paying attention? Here's a PT saying it's the wrong way to go for TMS.
Also very telling about the smirks and laughter at this seemingly "out there" diagnosis and treatment program. Shame most doctors and even people with pain can't seem to open their mind enough to accept that emotional events cause physical events.
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windy
USA
84 Posts |
Posted - 04/10/2009 : 08:58:06
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Here, here, Nor!!! I am also an occupational therapist and have in the past struggled with TMS. In fact it's because of that struggle that I chose to go into occupational therapy, because yes, after an illness, a cva, an accident, physical rehabilitation does have its place. For other patients, where I suspect the pain is psychogenic I try to steer them in that direction.
For other readers here, please note that actually OT's **are** trained in mental and physical therapies. Which is why I love the profession. |
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Physical Therapy
