Back Pain after manual labor, how long?

[crimslock]

Seeking advice from a TMS doctor or psychologist...

7 days ago i did some really heavy duty physical work. I pulled down an old garage with my bare hands and dug out a lot of concrete and pavers etc.. Some of the material i was lifting was very heavy and i could just lift it off the ground. I really should have had someone help me or used a bulldozer to pull down the garage and remove the material... It took me 3 full days to knock down and take to the dump. 6 massive ute loads to the dump. I had no pain for the first 2 days but on the 3rd day when digging out concrete and lifting it into the ute i got really bad pain in my lower back. I could barley move, sit or bend over. I tried and tried talking to my brain that it was TMS etc but the pain just got worse and worse. For the next 2 days i was in a bad way. I just put up with the pain and focused on TMS therapy. The pain has subsided a bit but i am still not right. Still struggle to bend and can really feel all the muscle in the lower back completely chocked up..

So would this be TMS or over use of muscle and just takes time to heal???
If you read my story you will see i have over come really bad back pain and its a miracle that i could even do any physical labor. I am really strong TMS wise. Really know my stuff but in this case just struggling a little to determine if TMS or over use.. I know Dr Sarno talks about the brain using an event as a source of the pain when its really psychological rather than the physical event. But i just cant image this heavy lifting, bending and 3 days of no stop hard labor could not cause pain. Maybe thats my problem just don't believe...

 

[BruceMC]

So would this be TMS or over use of muscle and just takes time to heal???

Probably a bit of both, I'd say. But perhaps you should consider what latent emotional or psycho-symbolic content the garage and the work associated with pulling it down had for you? What was its deeper meaning (if there was one of course). When I worked for Outward Bound, I did several days of trail building work, moving huge boulders with my bare hands together with a whole crew of OB students and instructors. No pain whatsoever afterwards. In fact, I just took off with a huge pack and hiked another 80 miles in three days. Which goes to show that hard physical labor, if you're healthy physically and emotionally, just gets you into incredibly good shape; that is, unless some other factor like a real medical condition or something psychological is also coming into play.

If I lift heavy weights on, say, Wednesday night, the soreness shows up on Friday and then gradually decreases. I think exercise physiologists call this the 48-hour time lag effect. It does sound like you were really putting pressure on yourself to finish this garage job by yourself without any assistance. I know that Dr Sarno says that self-imposed stress linked to perfectionist personality traits is probably the worst most intense kind of stressor too.

Hope you heal up fast!

 

[Jilly]

I'm not a TMS doctor or a psychologist...

You might have truly injured yourself, but the good news is...the injury will heal. Take a good honest look at whats going on psychologically, emotionally, and what stressors you have in your life right now. Why did the building have to come down without a bulldozer anyway ? What was the push/hurry to do it now with your bare hands ? Were you under a time restraint to get it done ? Why did you have no help ?

I agree hard labor, tearing down old buildings would be more than enough to cause back pain. Lifting heavy concrete slabs especially if your not used to this type of work, it is very awkward and you have to bend and twist with the load of the concrete, supporting it and being careful not to drop it on your feet. Six loads to the dump ... I understand why your'e in pain. That was a lot of work.

Let us know how your'e doing.

 

[KathyC]

I loaded and unloaded a Uhaul trailer to the max just recently and told myself that I wasn't used to this kind of labor and that soreness was probably to be expected. But I also paid attention to the muttering and cursing under my breath where the pity party for myself was going on in my head. I hired someone to help me and later discovered that the load was dangerously heavy on the tongue. I was advised to shift the load. So I had to unload and reload it--by myself. Again, the cursing and muttering under my breath started up again. My question is this: If I were to openly show/voice how much I hated this job, how a woman of my age "shouldn't" have to be doing this by herself, would that help? I still go back to the notion that no one wants to be around a griper, a complainer, a whiner.....not to make my problems everyone else's problems. How do you not suppress the negative emotions without turning into shrew? And the minute I start griping to myself, I take responsibility for my situation telling myself that I created this single handedly and no one is to blame but me. So then the guilt/shame crap kicks in piled on top of the anger/rage.

 

[Eric "Herbie" Watson]

Quote)-Seeking advice from a TMS doctor or psychologist...


A)im no doctor but i have studied psychology for 25 yrs.
im sure we can come to a resolution,you already have some great post
shall we go a little further.


Q) 7 days ago i did some really heavy duty physical work. I pulled down an old garage with my bare hands and dug out a lot of concrete and pavers etc.. Some of the material i was lifting was very heavy and i could just lift it off the ground. I really should have had someone help me or used a bulldozer to pull down the garage and remove the material... It took me 3 full days to knock down and take to the dump. 6 massive ute loads to the dump. I had no pain for the first 2 days but on the 3rd day when digging out concrete and lifting it into the ute i got really bad pain in my lower back.


A) two days you didnt hurt and on the third day you did-see when were stressed it just an outward manifestation of our rage or resentment-if we dont like doing things then we can release chemicals that will in time cause pain.your associating it with bending -lifting-pulling and tugging
but in reality-you was thinking this isnt good -its eventually going to wear on me and im probably going to hurt myself-well ,what happened-you hurt your-self-but thats ok-just relax and you will heAL-you dont have to journal,just think well now-if im not going to do these exauting chores with uot having re-sentment and causeing my-self stress-then im going to have to learn how to do these chores without resentment and causeing myself pain-
you should have some good soreness from all the lifting and bending -but it shouldnt be a bad sore-if it is a bad sore-then let that emotion go -that emotion thats attached to having to move all that stuff by your-self and meditate on calmness and peace-this should help bring a good prognosis.




Q) I could barley move, sit or bend over. I tried and tried talking to my brain that it was TMS etc but the pain just got worse and worse. For the next 2 days i was in a bad way. I just put up with the pain and focused on TMS therapy. The pain has subsided a bit but i am still not right. Still struggle to bend and can really feel all the muscle in the lower back completely chocked up..


A)most of your soreness is probably from the hard work youve done-when was the last time youve done hard physical labor-
whats keeping you agitated is that same bad emotion you had while you were moving.
get rid of the S.B.E and you will still be sore for another day or two but the pain associated with the stress should subside




Q)So would this be TMS or over use of muscle and just takes time to heal???


A) both boss


Q) If you read my story you will see i have over come really bad back pain and its a miracle that i could even do any physical labor.

A)yes-it is a miracle,and we need to know we can in stressful situations still have tms in small doses
so we strive to float passed the aggrivation


Q) I am really strong TMS wise. Really know my stuff but in this case just struggling a little to determine if TMS or over use..

A) yes you are very smart-or you wouldnt have asked this question-it shows you really know your business when it comes to tms-just remeber the stressors always keep a fire burning- even after we heal-(all we have to do is just blow out the stressors) thru facing ,accepting and floating passed the stressors.

Q) I know Dr Sarno talks about the brain using an event as a source of the pain

A) this is true-at first its repression and stressors-personality traits and so forth
now the fire is the stressors

Q) when its really psychological rather than the physical event. But i just cant image this heavy lifting, bending and 3 days of no stop hard labor could not cause pain.

A)yes -hard work will cause soreness-thats why we have muscle rub and good soreness but the stressors bring on the negative pain

Q) Maybe thats my problem just don't believe...


A)naw-you believe-you just got side -tracked-we all do it from time to time
let go of that same bad emotion thats attached to you having to do all that work and thank god its done.accept that todays going to be the best day ever and walk in peace-you should re-cover nicly

 

[tarala]

Hi Kathy,

I do a similar thing of jumping to self responsibility before I've even allowed the emotion to prove its usefulness to me. I've found journaling to be really helpful here. Your journal does not care if you whine. Paying attention to negative emotions helps me to become aware of when I'm not taking good care of myself, or to know if someone else is trying to make me feel unworthy, for their own purposes. Once I've mined the negative emotions for their value, then feels like a good time to accept that I got myself here, and I can get myself out.

Also it seems like sometimes we confuse self responsibility with self blame. Usually for me, that's taking responsibility for others' actions, while at the same time missing out my own. Awareness is half the battle; youcan heal.

Hugs,
Terry

 

[crimslock]

Hi all,
Thanks for all the replies.. sorry taking so long to respond,, things been super crazy,,, still struggling with my pain, almost a year now since i discovered TMS, still having terrible burning when sit or lye down,,not fun,, we just keep at it..

 

[yb44]

Crimslock, I can relate. I have been around for longer than a year and I am still having symptoms. Some days I struggle to move around or am racked with head pain from migraines. Other days I am absolutely fine. No rhyme or reason. Do you think the super crazy time you've been having has exacerbated your symptoms?

 

[crimslock]

Thanks for your post, yes i would say the busy time has exacerbated my symptoms. I am currently putting on a extension to my home. 2 bedrooms, family room and deck.. You know i am finding it hard to deal with this extension. I mean to say that its actually happing. That something good and truly amazing is happening in my life. I would never of thought that i could be in a financial position to do this extension. I am in shock at the moment, i am struggling with the blessing. This is all so werid.... something deep happening....

 

[Eric "Herbie" Watson]

Accept the gift-give yourself all the joy you think
its a gift -this happening-enjoy it now and plan for the good
but the rain comes so we stay prepared.
but yes all you have to do is accept that you deserve this and you should heal
your walking in the LOA-stay their forever if you wish-its a wonderful place
but so hard to find-we have to grab ahold and never let go-this energy,this power
this field of prosperity.we can walk there, in the field-we just have to focus
on the good emotions after we have re-leased the negative ones.