Having a round 2 of TMS after years of supposed healing? (Recreational weightlifter)

Hello all.

I am a 31 old male from Portugal, recreational weightlifter.

Finally I took the time to share my story here, wanted to do this a long time ago.

My pain story starts back in 2006, when I was just 20. Sciatica, lower-right back pain. Pain got so worse eventually I could barely drive or seat. I would ask my teachers to lay on a table during classes, at the college.

Tried the conservative approach (massages, hot towels, etc), to no avail. Went to a neurosurgeon, had an exam done and the diagnosis was clear L4-L5 sciatica with nerve compression. In two weeks time, I was on a table having an open disectomy.

Needless to say the improvements were barely any. The pain continued, not better or worse. Had another exam following 2 or 3 weeks and the disc was yet again touching the nerve.

I refused to go under surgery again and randomly I got my hands on a copy of "Healing Back Pain Forever" which was written by a Sarno's patient and talks about Sarno's approach.

From that point on till last year, I was able to reduce my sciatica down to a gentle numbness, and everytime it got worse I went through the process of recognizing what was wrong in my life and working actively to change it. And the battle was won.

So I thought...

May, last year, for no apparent reason, my groin area started to hurt. Important: This happened during a time that I had not been lifting weights for four years! The pain in the groin quickly changed to the inner hip, travels along my lower back, flank, etc.

The pattern is more or less this one:


Went to an urologist (I thought at the beginning the problem was in my balls), everything clear. He offered to open my balls and see if he could find anything! Lmao.

Eventually I started to lift weights again since November. The pain does not get worse during weightlifting, it actually gets better during exercise (only to be worse after). Recently, went to an ortopedist, ordered an X-Ray, everything clear. His veredict: a vague concept called "pubalgia". Also, advised me to "lay off the weights". No thanks, Doc.

So, here I am. Next week I have another appointment with a physiotherapist to determine if I have a physical anomaly (which I doubt) and, if not, I guess my brain is starting another war with me.

Note: Besides this pain, I have a pain in my left shoulder that radiates to my arm for no apparent reason. Also, pain in my knees sometimes with no reason. I also have a vague pain in my lungs from time to time that comes and goes.

 

I'm obviously no expert, but I also like lifting weights. When I started with the groin pain a few years ago, I quit all weight lifting and excercise for 7 months, because I thought it would make the pain better, but it never did.

When I accepted it as TMS I went straight into high intensive cardio and I immediately felt pain right after the workout. Yet I noticed that I rarely, if ever, felt pain during the workout.

If there was an actual physical problem, would it be painful to workout? I think for me my brain was more distracted by the need for oxygen and tiring muscles during the workout so the distraction was not needed. But as soon as I finished my brain ramped up the pain even worse, because it could blame it on the workout