Day 6 - To stretch or not to stretch

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bkim24

Newcomer
I am in Day 6 of the program and so far I believe that I am improving a bit. I definitely believe in the diagnosis and the methods here work to a good degree on making the pain go away when it comes up (thinking about repressed emotions, telling myself that the pain is not due to any physical problem).

I have noticed however that the pain normally comes when my lower back is very stiff. I'm not sure whether it's always been stiff or if it just started being stiff all the time since the pain started.

Anyways, a lot of pain relief comes from when I stretch. I know that the pain is not due to anything physical and i have read on this forum that I shouldn't stretch or do any exercises for the back but does it hurt the process if I continue to stretch?

In my defense, I know I should only do backwards bending stretches but I have been doing forward bending stretches as well since I know this pain is not coming from anything structurally.

Should I keep stretching? my back is always really stiff now and the pain goes away somewhat when I am more limber
 
It's fine to stretch for short term relief. Just remember its temporary, like taking a Tylenol when you have a fever...you still need to work on TMS healing and think psychologically but a little stretching won't hurt.
 
bkim24 said:
In my defense, I know I should only do backwards bending stretches but I have been doing forward bending stretches as well since I know this pain is not coming from anything structurally.
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If you can try to let go of all the "shoulds" and "shouldn'ts" you've ever heard about back pain, you'll be in better shape. There are millions of people who can do forward bending stretches without pain. There's no physical reason for the pain, and no reason you can't stretch.

I have had back pain on and off for years, but just recently learned about TMS. And I used to be very careful with stretching...would do yoga, but be careful in certain poses. I'd stretch whenever I felt my back pain starting to come on...but then sometimes the pain would increase, and I thought "I shouldn't have stretched." I started to believe that I was TOO flexible, in some way, and even talked about this with my chiropractor. I had certain ways of getting in and out of the car, bending, sitting, etc. FORGET IT ALL.

To truly internalize the truth of the diagnosis, I had to push INTO the pain. It's counter intuitive, but just keep telling yourself it's harmless and will diminish. As for stretching and yoga now...I do it because it FEELS GOOD. And that's the key. I'm not doing it because I think it will heal my "bad back" but because I like how it feels, and I like feeling limber and flexible. So, enjoy the stretches, if you like the feeling, and trust what you're learning and reading about the pain.
 
I agree with the others that it's good if you keep exercising, but easy does it on the back bends. There are some good videos on Youtube about back exercises. Be sure you're doing it right and not doing too much. I hope you're journaling to discover the emotions that are causing your pain.
 
ThatBookBlewMyMind said:
Do you still see a chiropractor grateful_mama ?

great post btw
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@ThatBookBlewMyMind Nope - I haven't seen one in a while. My daughter was born in December, and I "threw my back out" in February but had just picked up Sarno's book that day. I freaked out and cried about the pain and my awful luck, but then started to read the book and it changed everything. I've been working on the online program when I can, and changing my thinking with affirmations EVERY DAY. (I am strong, I am healthy, TMS is harmless, etc). I'm getting pretty good at truly believing new twinges of back pain are TMS and after a few weeks/months, my back was/is much better. I think I'm seeing the results of consistent retraining of my unconscious limiting beliefs.


My current struggle is wrist pain. It doesn't seem to have sunken in that this shouldn't hurt either, and isn't a physical problem.


But I'm not letting myself see a chiro for now. It seems like it would send the wrong message to my brain. If I ever do again, I will go to this one I saw during pregnancy who used a spiritual, calm, soothing touch. If anything, the experience was calming and peaceful, and the actual spinal adjustment was secondary to the "healing touch" approach.
 
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