Day 1 it feels like groundhog Day.... I hurt my shoulder...it was feeling tender after Pilates a few times, then I threw a dog ball over arm. This is all about 7 weeks ago... I started doing some exc...it was getting better... Then I booked into physio... But it's coming and going and they said if no better next week need to think about injections... Smelling a rat that this is tms again.... Will write more later.
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Day 1
- Thread starter Ella1234
- Start date
Actually, I'm only 50pc sure this is TMS... It's shoulder pain that got gradually more tender, and then I threw a ball and got a sharp pain... After that I was on pain killers and gentle stretching. I thought it was getting better, but decided to see a physio. After that session when he diagnosed a rotater cuff injury, it was worse the next week... Unsure if this was my brain saying ah ha, something is wrong, don't use your arm properly, or that I was doing new exercises and these were aggregating it.... Anyway shoulder was feeling a bit better again, and I tried the exc and seemed to set it off again... So second physio appointment and he said row back on the ex and gradually add them...if not getting better he will write to GP and suggest pain killing injection. He said my arm was stiffer then the week before as well... And it could be frozen shoulder....THEN I thought hey it's been 6 weeks, anything structural would have repaired itself surely? This must be TMS and I make a conscious effort to use it as normally as I could yesterday.... It was more of an ache than a pain... Although a couple of movements are painful. Then in the night I managed to move my arm in a certain way which caused pain to shoot up my arm, I think the pain woke me up.... Now it's really sore again and I'm so confused!!! TMS or not? I've had TMS ankle and back pain in the back and I tick all the personality and stressful life boxes.....
Adam Coloretti (coach)
Beloved Grand Eagle
Hi Ella, was anything particularly stressful going on at the time (7 weeks ago) the symptoms started?
I'd also use the FIT criteria by Dr Schubiner (accessible via google) to see if you can rule TMS in
I'd also use the FIT criteria by Dr Schubiner (accessible via google) to see if you can rule TMS in
Ah thank you! I have his workbook but I didn't know about the checklist... I'm not sure I was particularly stressed at the time, but I certainly have been since then at various points!!
So a couple of things on the FIT criteria resonated with me.
1) it felt like it was getting better a couple of times and then got worse again.... It's only been 7 weeks so I guess it might not be healed...?!
2) it's the site of an old injury from about 6yrs so which was healed...
BUT
I have been trying to use it normally in the last 24hrs and it's been sore...I just tried to do a star jump and yelped in pain!! So I wonder if this is my brain ramping it up...or a genuine injury I am aggravating... So hard to know!!!
1) it felt like it was getting better a couple of times and then got worse again.... It's only been 7 weeks so I guess it might not be healed...?!
2) it's the site of an old injury from about 6yrs so which was healed...
BUT
I have been trying to use it normally in the last 24hrs and it's been sore...I just tried to do a star jump and yelped in pain!! So I wonder if this is my brain ramping it up...or a genuine injury I am aggravating... So hard to know!!!
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Adam Coloretti (coach)
Beloved Grand Eagle
Most things do heal in 7 weeks - although no one could tell you that for sure when it comes to your specific situation (except the physiotherapist).
That is great evidence! I notice though that both points are about the injury, and that's where the focus is. What about the factors more so around how the pain behaves and what triggers it?
Hmmm...it only seems to flare up when I do certain things/movements. I can be sewing fixing kids jacket and it's fine, but then I do a sudden movement like putting on my jumper and the pain is intense.... I tried using it normally but I physically can't do some movements.... I wouldn't say the pain trigger is linked to a stressor. Yes I have too much on as a busy mum.... But it's stopping my leisure being enjoyable too... Such an odd one!! Just done one of these online physio check things and it's really brought the pain on much worse.
Adam Coloretti (coach)
Beloved Grand Eagle
Hmmm - I'd definitely work on the emotional side of things anyway, such as taking the pressure off of yourself and championing your needs more, but perhaps there needs to be a little bit more confirmation on the physical side of things. What I mean is really putting it to the physiotherapist and basically saying "How long should this be taking for me to see progress?" Some of the best TMS evidence you can get is a doctor or a physiotherapist throwing their hands up and saying "that treatment should have worked, I genuinely don't know and am confused", but you need to get to that point.
Sometimes when it's not acting like TMS (it's not inconsistent and it's not triggering in a TMS way - so it doesn't tick any of the boxes in the I and T parts of the criteria) you need to make your own evidence (by ruling out the physical) and also keep observing your symptoms through a TMS lens as it may reveal itself soon
Aha! I have just remembered that the week my brain found an opportunity to convince me I had a structural injury in my shoulder, was the same week I got stuck in a lift with my kids for 2hrs! I was very vocal to everyone about it being a bit stressful but not nearly as stressful as some other things I've have to deal with in the last couple of years... And maybe ultimately the brain was trying to guide me to the fact that it was stressful and I should have accepted that more readily? Yes I had 2 children who were remaining calm, but I had to advocate for us on the phone, and to get water to us etc and the fire brigade had to get us out... So of course if I look at this rationally from the outside, it was stressful!! And I didn't stop to pause and assess it...I just went on with all my other normal stressors in the following days...I didn't even tell my colleagues it had happened.... So this feels important evidence in convincing my conscious and subconscious that the shoulder pain and stiffness I have developed since, ....despite having some minor soreness in my shoulder the previous week probably from a Pilates move...is a TMS strategy by my incredibly powerful and protective brain!
Adam Coloretti (coach)
Beloved Grand Eagle
Yes! Perhaps the minimising (and in turn repression) of how you felt activated the danger signal. Dr Schubiner shares a similar story at the end of his new book, how him joking about being let go from his job with others when he was really angry deep down contributed to his symptoms at the time. This would make sense and is a good indicator of how it's not the stress itself a lot of the time that causes symptoms, but rather how we relate to it. Your other stress (even if it is more intense) may not trigger symptoms in the same way because you take it seriously and fully appreciate/feel it.
I just want to comment (and this is a common issue I see) on these quotes because I don't want you to give your power away. It's true in a sense that you need to convince your subconscious (and you don't have control of your subconscious), but it's following your lead, so it's you that needs to be convinced first (and your subconscious will follow). You talk about convincing your conscious, but you are your conscious, so you need to take ownership there (it would be like skipping work and the boss asking you why that happened and you saying "well my conscious brain/mind just wanted a break and I wasn't able to convince it otherwise" - I'm not sure that would go down well). I see it a lot in that people distance themselves from their brain (and underestimate the power they have over it, in a lot of ways you are your brain given the level of influence you have over it, especially consciously), which only leaves them feeling helpless and like a victim of their brain. As you said your brain is only trying to protect you, and whilst you didn't necessarily have control of these symptoms starting (they absolutely weren't your fault), you have a lot of influence in terms of shutting them off