Has anyone else had constant, 24/7 back pain with no break at all?

[Marcos]

Hey everyone, I’ve got a question. I’ve had constant lower back pain for almost a year now. It’s there literally 24/7, every single day. It all started at the gym after doing some dumb leg raises, and it just never went away. All my medical tests came back fine, no herniation, no structural issue, nothing. The pain is brutal and never stops, It’s mostly on the left side of my lower back, and I also feel some pain around my hip or pelvis area.I’ve tried pretty much everything doctors could offer: meds, injections, physical therapy, massages, you name it. Nothing worked. 5 or 6 months ago I started learning about the mind body approach. I read The Way Out by Alan Gordon and Healing Back Pain by Dr Sarno. I’ve also watched a ton of Dan Buglio videos, Dr Schubiner’s talks, Lorimer Moseley conferences and documentaries like All The Rage, This Might Hurt, and Pain Brain, which I honestly think is the best one.

From what I’ve seen, a lot of people seem to get better just by understanding the concepts and realizing the pain comes from the brain. This was actually proven in Alan Gordon’s clinical trial, where 66% of people got rid of their chronic back pain in 8 weeks, just by realizing there was no tissue damage and their pain was coming from the brain and conditioned responses. I totally get that, and I’m convinced my pain has an emotional component like Sarno says. But I also think there’s something else going on, like what Dan Buglio talks about. When the pain started, I completely freaked out. It was so intense and constant that within a couple of weeks I was already Googling “chronic pain” and scaring myself even more. Fear basically took over from that point.

I’ve been trying to calm my brain down and lower that sense of danger, reminding myself that I’m safe, that my back isn’t broken, that it’s just TMS. But no matter what I do, every single day still feels like hell.

So my question is, does anyone here relate to this? Most of the stories I read are from people whose pain comes and goes or gets worse at certain times of the day. But has anyone else had pain that’s been constant and unbearable 24 hours a day, without even the slightest break, not even with strong meds?

 

[garata]

Marcos,glad you wrote. I too have had constant low back pain for 1 year now. Debilitating. And yes the fear of it never getting better made it much worse. I’m still sending my brain messages of safety everyday and really trying to ease off all the urgency to fix and heal! That’s worked the best of all the techniques honestly. When I finally backed off. I decided to take 1 week completely off from “the work” which included anything physical that was no fun. I also chose to eat and drink anything I wanted. In other words, going back to the life I had before. It worked wonders that I extended my break to two weeks. After, I did go back to the work but I’m “wearing it looser” and trying to assume that I’ll get there. Actually that I’m already there. (My brain will catch up hopefully).

recently my low back pain has moved to my butt. A tingly itchy pin prick nonsense. Which I was pretty happy about bc it doesn’t make any logical sense! It means the pain is on the run! I still feel it a little in my back but it really has shifted. Has yours stayed in the exact same spot with the exact same quality? Or has it shifted even a little?

 

[monica-tms]

Glad to see you joined in here. We already spoke on Reddit. You've come to the right place!

 

[Mr Hip Guy]

At my worst, I was experiencing hip pain 24/7. Sitting, standing, walking, reclining, sleeping, etc - all pain. It was utterly maddening. It was also TMS all along.

 

[JanAtheCPA]

Welcome to the forum Marco, glad you made it here thanks to monica-tms! You've got the knowledge, now it's time to do the harder work. The place to do that is on our main TMSWiki.org, where we have the free Structured Educational Program. It's free of cost, ads, or even any registration requirements. You DO need to pay attention to the recommendations for success, and commit to integrity and self-honesty. Keep us posted!

 

[Cactusflower]

I had 24/7 back pain - over time much of the pain has changed and morphed (and it is MUCH better). It's all TMS even when I have had diagnoses of "terrible" diseases or conditions by doctors - it's all been caused by TMS, and as time goes on, those "terrible" things are disappearing (they even disappeared on imaging!). It's amazing.

 

[Marcos]

Marcos,glad you wrote. I too have had constant low back pain for 1 year now. Debilitating. And yes the fear of it never getting better made it much worse. I’m still sending my brain messages of safety everyday and really trying to ease off all the urgency to fix and heal! That’s worked the best of all the techniques honestly. When I finally backed off. I decided to take 1 week completely off from “the work” which included anything physical that was no fun. I also chose to eat and drink anything I wanted. In other words, going back to the life I had before. It worked wonders that I extended my break to two weeks. After, I did go back to the work but I’m “wearing it looser” and trying to assume that I’ll get there. Actually that I’m already there. (My brain will catch up hopefully).

recently my low back pain has moved to my butt. A tingly itchy pin prick nonsense. Which I was pretty happy about bc it doesn’t make any logical sense! It means the pain is on the run! I still feel it a little in my back but it really has shifted. Has yours stayed in the exact same spot with the exact same quality? Or has it shifted even a little?

Wow! We’re both in the same battle. Wishing you a lot of strength!! Regarding your question, yes, 95% of the time my pain is in the same spot (lower back), but I also often feel it in the front of my hip (which makes no sense) and that just reinforces my idea that this is TMS.

 

[Marcos]

Glad to see you joined in here. We already spoke on Reddit. You've come to the right place!

Hey Monica! I’ve talked to so many people on Reddit that honestly don’t even remember having talked to you before haha, but I’m pretty sure we have. This year with all the chronic pain stuff has been wild. I’ve been reading, researching, and talking to so many people about it! it’s crazy. Thank you for your help!

 

[Marcos]

Welcome to the forum Marco, glad you made it here thanks to monica-tms! You've got the knowledge, now it's time to do the harder work. The place to do that is on our main TMSWiki.org, where we have the free Structured Educational Program. It's free of cost, ads, or even any registration requirements. You DO need to pay attention to the recommendations for success, and commit to integrity and self-honesty. Keep us posted!

Thank you for sharing!

 

[somaticalchemy]

Hi Marcos! I think the missing link may be slowing building radical acceptance with your situation and somatically building safety (feeling safe in your body). Telling yourself you are safe and feeling safe are two different things and may just be the thing to shift the needle. The body doesn't speak English so you can tell yourself yourself it's safe but if it is not felt it will not work to shift much. It is much easier said than done when it comes to pain but with acceptance you can slowly build your capacity to allow and show your brain that you truly do not fear your pain. neural circuits strengthen not only from fear but similar emotions like rage, anger, etc. Also too if you have found about the mind-body space and not necessarily seen it shift it doesn't mean it isn't TMS! You may just need to slightly tweak your approach and find something that resonates with you! For me somatic tracking has been incredibly helpful and meditation to build a greater capacity to allow. If you're more interested in chatting I am always willing to help aid your recovery journey! You got this!

 

[garata]

I had 24/7 back pain - over time much of the pain has changed and morphed (and it is MUCH better). It's all TMS even when I have had diagnoses of "terrible" diseases or conditions by doctors - it's all been caused by TMS, and as time goes on, those "terrible" things are disappearing (they even disappeared on imaging!). It's amazing.

 

[garata]

wow! Disappearing on imaging would be the icing on the cake to fully believe. My 24/7 back pain is so compelling that I can believe the other small niggling pain is neuroplastic (because I can laugh at it and it disappears). But the back pain remains. The story of it being structural while all else is neuroplastic (ie a mixed picture) is so compelling to believe. I’m chipping away at it though.
I’m starting to see that choosing to believe in the TMS dx is paramount to healing.

 

[garata]

This year with all the chronic pain stuff has been wild. I’ve been reading, researching, and talking to so many people about it!

Not to add more to your list of resources but Charlie Merrill has an Instagram which he updates often and it speaks to me. It’s an easy way to remind yourself of some of the main points.

also—for what it’s worth, the moment I decided to back off, not watch it like a hawk, w a “need to fix this now” grip, I started feeling better. It reminded me that this healing we are doing will become a way of being. You are on a hero’s journey and all journeys require us to make some deep changes in the way we move through the world. My change… is to let go more. To wear it looser. Once I did this, I started living my life a little more fully

 

[Diana-M]

My change… is to let go more. To wear it looser. Once I did this, I started living my life a little more fully

Love this! Good for you! And great advice.

 

[Mr Hip Guy]

for what it’s worth, the moment I decided to back off, not watch it like a hawk, w a “need to fix this now” grip, I started feeling better.

This is absolutely key in getting better from a TMS symptom. It's easier said than done, but it's always important to achieve.