Achilles tendinitis success

I just wanted to post about my own recovery from so-called Achilles tendinitis, as I couldn't find that many success stories about it when I was trying to get over it. So if anyone else does a search for TMS Achilles tendinitis and finds this - have faith! It can definitely be treated using a TMS approach. I was going to write this months ago but when you're feeling much better, you forget how tough you found it at the time and I moved onto other things. I've just recovered from another little flare (I believe that phrase 'once a TMSer, always a TMSer so I'll never say I'm 'cured') so thought this time I'll write about it!

I recovered from back pain in 2014 after reading Healing Back Pain and following Georgie Oldfield's SIRPA course (I live in the UK). It took me a while to get totally pain free but by using thought reframing in particular, I've been back pain free for three years. Then in 2015 I was training for a 5k (all sorts of self-induced pressure and resentment going on there - I have Cystic Fibrosis and have to run to keep my lungs healthy, however I don't enjoy jogging but wanted to prove to my hospital that I'm good at looking after myself!) and developed heel pain.

I know tendons are a classic for a TMS attack but wow was it hard not to think it was physical. Both my heels have large bumps on, and I got all the classic AT pain - sore and stiff getting up at night or in the morning, quite tender to touch. And worse after running. Both my main TMS flares have targeted something that's incredibly important to me - jogging is one of the main ways I fight CF. Another classic from this disease - if the pain affected my arm I wouldn't be worried about it!

I knew all about conditioned responses though, and about looking for inconsistencies, and after a while (yes it did take a few months) I suddenly noticed my pain had gone. This was DESPITE having not stopped running, proof that running was not the cause of my pain. Expectations, yes.

I've just had another little flare when I felt something 'rip' when I ran out of a pharmacy the other day, mad because they didn't have some medication I needed urgently! I.e. stressed thoughts, on top of a lot of other stress in my life at the moment, NOT physical damage, though I did dip back into fear for a few days and consequently had quite a lot of pain. Once I managed to get my TMS head back on I quickly recovered. The bumps are still there on my heels so they're also not the cause of my pain

Anyway, enough of my story. But if you're struggling with 'Achilles tendinitis', worrying about rupture and damage from exercise, wondering how it can feel so tender and even look swollen, I understand but you CAN get better. I'm expecting a flare now as whenever I declare success it retaliates, but that's just more proof it's TMS! Good luck

Kathryn

 

Wonderful story. Thanks so much for taking the time to post it, as I'm sure it will inspire many others.

Every time I start to write a Success Story, my TMS symptom flares up, too. I guess retaliation is as good an explanation of why that happens as any.

 

Thank you so much for posting this. I’ve not been able to find a TMS story for this particular condition until now. I’ve had great success treating back pain and some other things as TMS, but suddenly the back of my heel has a bump that gets red, and very painful to the touch along with excruciating pain after a lot of walking. or pickleball…the same activities I’ve been doing for years, but all the sudden this heel thing started and hasn’t left. I have attempted to treat it as TMS, but because I didn’t see any stories about it in TMS resources and there is swelling and is really painful to the touch, I have had doubts which has kept the pain around I’m sure. Not to mention the podiatrist gave it a name… ‘Haglund’s syndrome, which is causing insertional achillies tendinitis at the back of the heel’ So, I have been doing a few treatment things like orthotics, compression socks and some Advil. Your story has given me hope to treat it head on as if it is TMS. Thanks so much for posting your story. Hope you are still doing well.

 

This one really rang true for me too. I found this in the search, and sounds a lot like me. I'm training for my first mini-marathon and of course two weeks out I get this excruciating pain in my left heel. I've been hammering out difficult long runs with never any foot problems, so it was slightly alarming that suddenly I couldn't run 3 miles on a flat surface without terrible pain and being unable to walk for 24 hours.

I'm in the same boat, where if it was my back, shoulder, neck, arm, I wouldn't care because that doesn't affect my race. And before I've felt knee pain and been able to run through it, but this one really stopped me in my tracks literally due to the pain intensity. The orthopedic ensured me that there isn't anything structurally wrong, and I'm not going to damage anything by running, its just a pain tolerance thing.

I have taken the boot off(that I'm supposed to wear for two weeks) and started walking everywhere without it again. Next step, I want to go for a run. I'm just terrified of "reaggrevating" my foot so that I can't run on race day. That's my biggest obstacle to overcome at the moment. TMS always seems to know where we are vulnerable, and what we will fear the most. For me its an "injury" that prevents me from running.

 

What do you suggest based on your own experience. Five months ago I was diagnosed with Achilles insertional tendinitis. I have done the exercises, shockwave and turned to a boot for two weeks. The original bone scan done mid April showed inflammation at the insertion point. I am ready to assume TMS but don’t know how to proceed. Fear is what grips me now. Will it ever go away.

 

Kathryn, did your X-ray or ultrasound show inflammation? Was that not a concern?

 

1.Stop googling.

2. Stop looking for reassurance or corroboration on old threads. Simply accept Success Stories like this one at face value.

3. Understand that your searching and questioning activities are created by the primitive TMS mechanism in your brain PRECISELY for the purpose of keeping you distracted, fearful, and believing that you're taking action, when in reality you are not accomplishing anything and your fearful brain is calling the shots.

4. Basically stop what you've been doing. Breathe. Unclench. Listen to the negative fear messages bombarding your brain and start rejecting them as irrational. And get ready to open your mind to a completely different way of thinking and believing.

It costs nothing to change your mind, and it is physically non-invasive. Your fearful brain, however, will try to convince you this is worthless or futile or too hard, and it will actually create more or worse symptoms to scare you off, so do not be fooled.IIt may get harder before it gets better, but that's just proof of the TMS mechanism at work.

The easiest way to start is with the free Structured Educational Program on the main tmswiki.org site. No registration needed, you just go to Day 1 and start doing it.