Discogenic pain or TMS?

[Ania]

Hello,
I suffer from low back pain since about two years. It started gradually, initially appearing as back muscle stiffness after sitting for longer time. When I was getting up from chair it was taking a while to be able to put my pelvis into neutral position.
Later I also started to have a pain when bending (ex. to put my socks on in standing position etc.)
Finally the pain became chronic.
MRI scan shows dehydrated l4-l5 disc. I do not have neurological symptoms ( like numbness in my legs or missing reflexes) and I was told that the pain is DISCOGENIC, so it means that the disc itself hurts, as it's fibrous rings are cracking. Because outer layers do have nerves that is why I fill pain.
I was treated by several physioterapist, having spine manipulations, massages, dry needling, rolfing. I was doing a lot of strenghtening exercises like planks. I spend much less time sitting - at work I use "standing" desk since few months already and I avoid sitting on sofa at home. Doctors which I've visited didn't offer me any treatment, as my state is to good for surgery as they say. One gave me a steroid epidural injection.
All of those treatment were helping (but not 100%) only for one or two days.
Is it possible that this is TMS? I've read dr. Sarno's books but diagnosis (discogenic pain) makes me confused . Is it possible that disc does not heal for such a long time?

PS: Exceuse me my English, but this is not my native language

 

[JanAtheCPA]

Hello Ania, and welcome. Your English is fine, and you write very well, which means that even with a little bit of language difference, your post is much easier to read than many native English speakers (OMG, they write like they are texting, using abbreviations, no punctuation, no capital letters, and no paragraphs - I can't read it!). Brava for taking the plunge to be here!

OK, here's the deal: You have to ask yourself, at this point in your diagnosis and attempts at treatment, would it be harmful for you to assume that this is TMS? Or that TMS is making it worse? You've been seen medically, there isn't really anything they can do, and you aren't getting any real relief. Learning about TMS costs almost nothing - and you've already read Dr. Sarno.

What you can do is start our Structured Educational Program (on the main tmswiki.org) which is totally free. The only thing you need to do for success is to make a commitment to take it seriously, and to be 100% totally honest with yourself when you do the writing exercises. That means: do not hold anything back, and don't let your fearful brain stop you from writing things down as they come into your head. No one else needs to see your writing, and you can throw it out immediately.

I also recommend that you go to our Success Stories subforum, and read at least one story every day - or more, if they are short (many are long, and they are well worth reading all of the details). You will find a lot of inspiration, and stories of people with diagnosed conditions that might be worse than yours - including many people who have gone through the steroid injections, the scary MRIs, and even failed surgeries.

Feel free to review my profile page for all of my favorite resources. And good luck!

 

[Ania]

Hello Ania, and welcome. Your English is fine, and you write very well, which means that even with a little bit of language difference, your post is much easier to read than many native English speakers (OMG, they write like they are texting, using abbreviations, no punctuation, no capital letters, and no paragraphs - I can't read it!). Brava for taking the plunge to be here!

OK, here's the deal: You have to ask yourself, at this point in your diagnosis and attempts at treatment, would it be harmful for you to assume that this is TMS? Or that TMS is making it worse? You've been seen medically, there isn't really anything they can do, and you aren't getting any real relief. Learning about TMS costs almost nothing - and you've already read Dr. Sarno.

What you can do is start our Structured Educational Program (on the main tmswiki.org) which is totally free. The only thing you need to do for success is to make a commitment to take it seriously, and to be 100% totally honest with yourself when you do the writing exercises. That means: do not hold anything back, and don't let your fearful brain stop you from writing things down as they come into your head. No one else needs to see your writing, and you can throw it out immediately.

I also recommend that you go to our Success Stories subforum, and read at least one story every day - or more, if they are short (many are long, and they are well worth reading all of the details). You will find a lot of inspiration, and stories of people with diagnosed conditions that might be worse than yours - including many people who have gone through the steroid injections, the scary MRIs, and even failed surgeries.

Feel free to review my profile page for all of my favorite resources. And good luck!

Thank you for your response and link to the program. I am 100% sure that most of my pain is mind-pody kind of. After reading dr Sarno book my neck pain went away almost immediately. Also I've alredy done some progress regarding my low back pain - it is still there, but I am moving more freely what my husband already noticed. I'll give a try to the program, work on it, and hopefully get rid of the pain fully.