buttock/leg pain (false sciatica). How to know is it TMS?

Hi everyone,
I wrote another post yesterday with my introduction and past issues.
I am absolutely convinced that my anxiety caused a lot of my physical problems.

In the last 4 months I have been experiencing a lot of stress/anxiety.

I started having a crazy pain in my right buttock and down my leg. It's not electrical pain, I can't describe it properly. I went to ER and they said no test required to do physiotherapy.
The physiotherapist said it was a spasm and I did a lot of massages.

It got better, but the pain never went away.
I went to two GPs, one neurologist (for another issue, but I mentioned this pain), one physiatrist.
The physiatrist said low back pain to reinforce my back do physio and swim.

My physio keeps doing massages which do nothing unfortunately, he is sure this will go away even if it's taking longer than expected.
He said to keep swimming and try to not worry.

I am worried.
I am tired of the pain.
Pain is worse when sitting down, but it's almost constant, except in some weird stretch positions.

I am not taking painkillers because I tried them but they did nothing.

Half of me wants to do nothing and try to accept the pain.
The other half think I should go back to a doctor, tell them the pain didn't go away and maybe I should get an MRI or some other test.

My strength and reflexes were fine.

I was worried yesterday by the physio who said, yep it is 8 weeks but it is not more than 12, so we shouldn't worry. So if it lasts more than 12 I should then worry?
Also he said that if it was a structural bad problem, it wouldn't improve as it did.
It is true that the crazy spasm went away, but the pain persists, some days it is better, but most of the time is constant.
One thing is that I do not have pain when I wake up, as I start moving and after a bit the pain starts.

So not sure if it's posture, or also tensing muscles involuntarily.

All the doctors noted my high anxiety and told me to not go to further doctors but take antidepressants.
I am not sure and a part of the feel I should get this checked.

But then, why? Even if they find disk bulging or something, then it will be the same no? There will not be much they can do!

Don't know

 

Hi JSabina
Glad you found this website.

If you haven't done so yet, I would highly recommend you read Sarno's books, e.g. the Mindbody Prescription, Healing Back pain, and his others. Also check out Steve Ovanich's The Great Pain Deception.
I too have had sciatica. I can relate to the pain it creates. I do have structural abnormalities, e.g. dislocated discs, that are scary to see on film. I also had loss strength. Yet, by changing my approach to the pain from fear to a focused mind-body approach (spelled out by Sarno and others) my sciatica stopped, from one day to the next, it was gone. I had been suffering terribly with it for over five months. I had journaled, reprocessed events that had troubled me and looked to the solution of the problem (sciatica) as being within me.

Check out the link to sciatica related posts by searching sciatica at the top of the forum pages. You will find others who have also recovered and are recovering from this pain. Read some of the success stories.
Kindly
Lainey

 

Thanks a lor for your answer Lainey.
This morning I tried my best, but around lunchtime I again felt quite desperate I wanted to cry
The pain is there, I am sitting at work and sitting is the worse. I try to get up, walk, but not getting better.
Not sure if the swim from yesterday made it worse. But I understand I need to continue sport.

I cannot understand why I have this pain for two months now and not going away.
I quite believe it has nothing to do with my back, mainly because I feel it in the buttock and I don't have tingling or other nerve issues (apart from the twitches, but also somewhere else).
And I also believe that if I do an MRI I will have abnormalities... but still what they would do? Still physical therapy and medications. So is it worth to do testing?

I also developed some low back pain, but this in the buttock is the worse.

I am really unsure if I should get this checked again by a doctor as it's not going away.

Anyway, I started reading the divided mind. And I am reading a lot on this forum.
I don't know if there have been people in pain every day all day with something similar? For months?
I am not sure if it's correct to not have another proper assessment?

Sometimes I feel I obsess too much, sometimes I feel I underestimate and yes, I feel at risk.
I know that at the basis of TMS there is the idea of not having fear.

Fear is my main concern at the moment.
Fear of the pain, fear it will never go away, fear I won't be able to cope, fear I am underestimating something, fear of my psychological trauma.

Because if I think psychological and I feel how desperate I am, I might spiral down...
It's quite a vicious circle yep..

 

Hi there, I can relate to what you say totally my fear was becoming a vicious cycle, I had right buttock pain to begin with then it went down my leg and had burning,tingling numbness and other feelings in my foot, which I still have. I went to see osteopath,physio,acupuncturist and they all said I had a strong back.i was examined twice by my doctor and she said she couldn’t think what it could be. I ditched all my pain killers as they didn’t help after reading the mind body experience and then I slowly started losing the pain. I then went to the gym and did something I thought had damaged my back somehow and the pain came back. I got cros with myself and very upset. But then I realised I had to be kind to me instead of cros with me. ThenI read something about positive affirmations and this has really helped me. I tell myself that I am strong and there is nothing physically wrong and I make myself do a bit more of the things that hurt every day and it’s working. I do still have numb toes and some pain in my calf but my mind makes it hop to my other leg as well which I know means it is TMS. Don’t give up and be kind to yourself.

 

Thanks a lot for your reply!
How long did your pain last?
I am worried because it is two months now and still bad.
But physio says it's improving.

I am sure my psychological state is worse than my physical feelings but I can't stop being scared.
I am writing now crying.

So instead of being firm at it I am just scared.

Thanks everyone for the repkies.

I will go to yoga tonight..
A bit because I want to do physical activity but hoping it will help.

And not sure if it's good that I keep doing things trying to get the pain away...

 

My pain started in January this year after a stressful Christmas and other family stresses. I had a month off work and then returned, but I was still in pain just not as bad. When I first returned to work I was just wishing the day away so I could just lie down when I got home. I had a some time off over Easter as I work in a school, during this time I decided life could not continue like this so I decided to turn all my negative thoughts to positive. Even when I didn’t feel like it I did it, what harm could it do? So I did. ‘ oh no I won’t be able to look around the shops’ to ‘ I can look around the shops as long as I like as there is nothing physically wrong with my leg’, then I proceeded to do what I was scared of, slowly but surely things are improving. But every negative thought must be counteracted with positive even when you don’t feel it keep repeating to yourself. The pain has gone,I am strong ,and eventually my brain started to catch on to this. I still have a way to go as I think my brain is slow on the up take but I know I can do what I want and it will cause me no harm. Remember slowly slowly,Rome wasn’t built in a day.

 

Thanks a lot for your reply.
I don't know if I am being lucky or the doctors are becoming more aware of this pain and mind connection
I went to a new gp yesterday because of a bad sore throat and fever.
I told her about my pain and the history and she said: well, we could do an MRI if you insist, but I don't recommend it. Even if you discover something then what?

I saw recently so many doctors. Neurologist, physiatrist, two physiotherapists and a doctor specialized in pain (sort of alternative medicine thoujt believing in the connection between mind and pain in the nervous system). All of them agreed to not do more tests. Everyone has a different view, someone says I should stretch, others I should take medications, others I should go to a psychiatrist but I think it's sort of clear that hernias and so on are not really motivating pain.

Now.. unfortunately I still believe there is something structural.
I feel when I sit that my sit bone on the painful side is more prominent and gives me discomfort. Everyone noted the harmstring is thight, so that could be pulling my alignment.
As swimming is making things worse I will take a break and do more walking.
Also one physio wants to work on activation points to teach the muscles to fire properly. This scares me a bit because I am afraid of neurological stuff not making muscles work.. but she said is postural.

Anyway the anxiety and me being scared don't help for sure.

I am under drugs now for fever and tonsillitis, but after that will start the walk.. and in the meanwhile read!

 

I was in a similar situation, maybe even identical.out of no where had low back pain with buttock and leg pain (similar to sciatica)
I read Sarnos book and pain disappeared for about 7 months. Recently had some high stress family issues and had a relapse and my pain returned.
I am now re-reading Sarnos books. I also started reading Steve ozanich (great pain deception) and Nichole Sachs book (meaning of truth) and have been feeling Better again.

Doctors say it’s an annular tear in my l5-S4 and it should heal on its own.
my pains keeps moving from roght side of body to left side so it’s real easy to believe this is just an episode of TMS.

Just have to keep telling my subconscious mind that I’m actually ok and it’s just a normal abnormality like Dr Sarno said in his book.

 

Hi there,

It sounds to me like, in your place of calm, you know that your pain is TMS.
Try this to begin: stop wording and saying things like MY pain and MY anxiety. Use. THIS pain and THIS anxiety instead.
Your subconscious mind may be latching on to your acceptance that it is YOUR pain and YOUR anxiety, instead of a temporary thing that will soon pass.

Please stop watching the calendar and listening to how many "weeks" the drs. said to wait. You are completely focused on the passage of time. This will not benefit you.
Doctors feel they need to give patients a diagnosis...and, in fact, patients demand that from doctors.
That doesn't mean they are right.

Next, ask yourself: "What am I really afraid of?" This is a very uncomfortable question to ask yourself, but the answer isn't really fear of pain.
You've already lived through the pain for quite a bit, so you know you're not really afraid of it. It distresses you...and it hurts.
And, anxiety is hugely uncomfortable. Been there, too.

But, your mind is producing where your concentration is going. Right now you're concentrating full time on the physical and the pain.
Look deeper. What are you truly upset about? Or, what have you tried not to deal with for too long?

I still have to do this for myself. We are all mid-journey. But, I would encourage you to, at least, stop accepting that it is YOUR pain.
It is pain. Give it room to go away by not claiming it.

all my best,

 

Unfortunately I know what I am afraid of mainly, and it has no easy solution.
I am afraid of a neurological illness and that this pain could be related to it.
Despite I just visited doctors and the said nope, I still can't find peace.
So it is a psychological problem for sure, but unfortunately it's also illnesses that it's so difficult to rule out..

 

Hi jsabina. I see Lainey suggested reading Sarnos book. Have you had a chance to get to it? Having this recovery program has been good for me as well. Please seriously consider MWsunin12 comments. It can go a long way. I wish you the best.

 

I have bought the divided mind.
Can't still completely accept is psychological only, unfortunately.
I am now sick with tonsillitis and sore throat can't stay in bed much, again counting days and even this illness is lasting longer.. because I believe I am in a bad psychological condition and I feel like my body can't take it.. failing on me.

I should start cymbalta but am afraid.
Also saturday I had a very bad panick attack, I took few drops of Xanax (I usually don't take it) and in bed I felt that for a while the pain went away.

So yeah I believe is muscles and tension, but can't shake the neurological stuff from the back of my mind
I know it's not helping me and I will never have a solution, so I should just accept life..