Day 2

M

mstrong

Newcomer
Pretty good day. Woke up stiff, but ignored it and went to a kickboxing class. Can feel my right hip flexor is tight and I've had a lot of experts tell me that that can cause back issues. So, telling my hip flexor and mind that I know what is going on. I'm surprised by how stubborn these pain points can be. I keep wanting to roll my muscles out with a ball and roller, but I don't believe this is a good idea? Like, is it really a bad idea to roll out a tight IT band?

Realizing that I stress quite a bit about my two teenage kids and my wife...worry about their happiness, how they'll fair in life etc. Seeing a lot of childhood anger, fear and anxiety come to the surface with journaling, as well. What a process!
 
Massaging/stretching/heat therapy are not necessarily a bad thing for TMS sufferers. It all comes down to the mindset. If doing those things are a result of wanting to heal your physical/structural issues, you're unlikely to get at the true cause of your pain. If you find yourself thinking: I NEED that roller to feel better, it's probably safer to avoid it and act defiantly against that distracting thought. Temporary relief is good, but not at the expense of questioning the TMS diagnosis. For myself, I wanted to send a strong message that my pain was important for me to feel because it would be a reminder to think psychologically about the cause. If you are able to roll out that tight muscle and simultaneously ask yourself about what emotions are being repressed or recite to yourself the "daily reminders" of your TMS diagnosis, you can absolutely still make progress. TMS is often misunderstood, even by those who accept it for their own ailments. There ABSOLUTELY is a physical process happening when you feel pain. Whether it is oxygen deprivation to a muscle or an issue with conditioned nerve pathways being activated, the pain is really occurring. That tight muscle you are feeling is real. There are things to temporarily help the muscle feel better. I suggest you honestly assess if these temporary relief techniques are hurting your faith in the TMS diagnosis or are causing you to view your pain as a structural issue. I see that you're coming to terms with your current stresses, which is AWESOME. You are definitely headed in the right direction and you should feel confident that your pain has an expiration date coming up.

- Matt
 
MSZ812 said:
Massaging/stretching/heat therapy are not necessarily a bad thing for TMS sufferers. It all comes down to the mindset. If doing those things are a result of wanting to heal your physical/structural issues, you're unlikely to get at the true cause of your pain. If you find yourself thinking: I NEED that roller to feel better, it's probably safer to avoid it and act defiantly against that distracting thought. Temporary relief is good, but not at the expense of questioning the TMS diagnosis. For myself, I wanted to send a strong message that my pain was important for me to feel because it would be a reminder to think psychologically about the cause. If you are able to roll out that tight muscle and simultaneously ask yourself about what emotions are being repressed or recite to yourself the "daily reminders" of your TMS diagnosis, you can absolutely still make progress. TMS is often misunderstood, even by those who accept it for their own ailments. There ABSOLUTELY is a physical process happening when you feel pain. Whether it is oxygen deprivation to a muscle or an issue with conditioned nerve pathways being activated, the pain is really occurring. That tight muscle you are feeling is real. There are things to temporarily help the muscle feel better. I suggest you honestly assess if these temporary relief techniques are hurting your faith in the TMS diagnosis or are causing you to view your pain as a structural issue. I see that you're coming to terms with your current stresses, which is AWESOME. You are definitely headed in the right direction and you should feel confident that your pain has an expiration date coming up.

- Matt
Click to expand...

Thanks for the great response Matt!
 
Hi mstrong,

I like to tell people this- think of rolling out a muscle or stretching akin to taking Tylenol when you have a fever. It won't fix the underlying issue (emotions for TMS, virus if you have a fever) but it will give you a little relief! Its ok to do both. Just don't fall into the trap of believing the roller or stretch will permanently fix the pain or "help" the muscle in some way.

And if it helps, i'm a PT and I know that tight hip flexors don't cause low back pain :)
 
MindBodyPT said:
Hi mstrong,

I like to tell people this- think of rolling out a muscle or stretching akin to taking Tylenol when you have a fever. It won't fix the underlying issue (emotions for TMS, virus if you have a fever) but it will give you a little relief! Its ok to do both. Just don't fall into the trap of believing the roller or stretch will permanently fix the pain or "help" the muscle in some way.

And if it helps, i'm a PT and I know that tight hip flexors don't cause low back pain :)
Click to expand...

That is a great way of thinking about it - thanks!
 
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