Athlete; Lats, Traps, Mid-Back, OH MY

My big time issues started in September of 2016. In looking back I could easily identify patterns in problems I would have; whether it be knee problems, stomach problems, etc. I made a list of like 20'ish instances where I had a health issue within 3 weeks of the end of a quarter (I'm in sales).

In early September of 2016 I was doing a CrossFit workout with movements I had done plenty of times. I jumped up to the pull-up bar and did several sets of pull ups - I retracted my shoulderblades and tensed my mid and upper back, did the pullups, then when I dropped down from the bar the muscles from mid back to neck just never let go - still contracted.

In that time I've had MRI's, EMG's, injections, neck procedures, dozens of chiro appointments, dozens of massages, a series of rolfing treatments, on and on - you know the deal. Nothing substantially found in any of these clinical tests or imaging - the biggest find was "nerve entrapment to a rhomboid," but I saw a different doctor a few weeks later who said there was no way that was the case with how good my motion was. She pointed to stress and prescribed a muscle relaxer as the increased tone in my mid and upper back was so tense that she knew it needed to chill. This was the first time in 25 doctor visits that someone suggested this was a stress-problem as opposed to the usual structural. This led me to Sarno.

Like many people I saw myself in Sarno's print. High-performing, goal-oriented, do-gooder, etc. I have a wife, a kid, we live in a nice house, another baby is soon on the way. I've made great money for years but was struggling in performance when this stuff started - struggled like I never had struggled before. It was all very believable that I was one of these people.

I've read Healing Back Pain and The Great Pain Deception. I've also done some other programs by other MindBody people but haven't had the kind of success I would have hoped. After reading the first Sarno book I was probably 75% better within 3 days and have had moments where I feel 90% better.

Recently - the holidays - someone suggested a magnesium deficiency to me. I went and got tested and it was SLIGHTLY low; nothing crazy, though. They had said it didn't make sense to hold my back muscles in tension for a workout and then those muscles don't release after a year and a half.

I had been making great strides until I took this magnesium test and started thinking about it. It's like everything reversed and it's all back to as tense as I was before knowing about it. Pain moves for me - usually mid-back, upper back, neck and traps; most of which on my right side - it's in one area but doesn't seem to be more than one area at a time. Prior to the back and traps and neck stuff - literally a few weeks before - I got knee tendonitis. The day after the tendonitis cleared I got sciatica - when the sciatica cleared the neck and back stuff started. Total Symptom Imperative at work.

Not sure what I am looking for here but some "Man, i've been there and I am healed now and here's what worked for me," kind of thing. Baby is due in a week and a half and it's creating some anxiety. I want some encouragement to someone that has solved the problem.

Should also note that despite no change in my diet, my cholesterol jumped 50 points between my last two blood tests; all my doc had to contribute was "have less fat."

 

Hi Linden, and welcome to the forum - a New Year's gift to yourself, let's hope!

We have two free programs which are focused on the emotional aspect of what we call TMS, and I would recommend one of those. Having the knowledge is one thing. In some of the other programs that you did, you might have learned mindfulness and self-talk, but if you find yourself still stuck, that probably means that you have to switch gears and do the deeper emotional work. Your story is not unusual in that regard - many people who end up here have already experienced the "book cure" to a greater or lesser degree - but it doesn't last if they don't learn to uncover their hidden repressed emotions.

If you see people posting "Day 1, Day XX" here on the forum, they are doing the Structured Educational Program, which invites the participants to post their answers to the "daily question" or report on their progress if they want to. The SEP is broken down into 42 easy day-at-a-time readings along with various writing exercises. One goal is to introduce you to lifelong tools that you can use whenever TMS rears its head during times of emotional stress. If you go to the main tmswiki.org you'll find it listed on the side bar.

The other program was donated to us by our wonderful friend Alan Gordon, LCSW, which he calls the Pain Recovery Program (on the tmswiki.org sidebar, it's called the Multimedia Pain Recovery Program). It has 21 modules which are actually individual threads here on the forum, but I can't tell you much more about it, since it's quite new and I haven't done it (I did the SEP six years ago and I have such good intentions to start doing the PPR, LOL). However, Alan does incredible work in the treatment of TMS, and is really good at explaining how to address our emotional issues, and the program is receiving good feedback. I got a ton of benefit from listening to some webinars that Alan did for us back in 2011/2012.

Good luck!

~Jan

 

Hey, sounds like you have an excellent bead on TMS so well done on that front. The above paragraph stood out for me. Increased responsibility invariably aggravates woes at the cost of gains.

I suggest turning your attention to the good things that relax you and bring you pleasure. I am forever talking about the rage to soothe ratio because it is such a simple and effective equation. Up your happy, kick down the downers.

Also do take a gander at Alan Gordon's latest programme. You might find the sweet combination of somatic tracking and cognitive soothing works well for you. I use these in combination with Yin Yoga (links in my profile).

Good look with the new arrival.