Hello everyone...my journey

[sundizz]

I've decided to finally take a bit more active role in changing my mindset. I started off by reading the book and really strongly felt aligned with the ideas after seeing the John Stossell 20/20 report on TMS and lower back pain.

Primarily, my biggest area that TMS manifests itself is my lower back. I believe myself to structurally have anterior pelvic tilt (hyperlordosis). Basically, too much of a lower back arch (belly sticking out). I understand that regardless of whether this is true or not, it should NOT result in any actual pain. Logically, I do not have lower back pain all the time so of course it doesn't make sense that I should have it randomly here and there.

For a long time I thought my lower back pain was completely related to basketball (since 16, now 28). I thought that the jumping up and down strained my back and that is what made my lower back pain really hurt.

Nowadays, I rarely play much anymore and I still have back pain. Clearly, hoops was just one of my triggers as an emotional release.

My main questions:

1. I am very inflexible. Can't touch my toes, can't sit comfortably on the floor, can't do the asian (laundry) squat. I really want to spend 30 minutes a day trying to do the asian squat (basically you just try to sit in that squat for as long as you can). However, I've heard that flexibility is simply not a real thing. That it is not that my fibers etc have shortened, but rather that my nervous system sends a pain signal and stops my body from making that movement.

I do not want to disrupt the concept of TMS and try to physically cure my pain. However, I would like to become more flexible through this squat challenge (and possibly yoga in the future). Is there a way to tie the two in? Should I only work on stretching when I don't have lower back pain?

Ideally, my end goal is that I am both flexible of body, and strong of mind. I'd like to be able to eat a meal sitting down on the floor (at my asian in laws house for example). I'd like to be able to disrupt the back pain triggers (sleeping wrong/poorly, sitting on a chair, playing basketball too long, coming down wrong when playing basketball, etc). It annoys me that I feel pain and can't do simple things like reach down easily to tie my shoes. I had an ACL tear about 3 months ago...and that is just another corkscrew in this crazy life journey.

Look forward to actively participating on here with everyone else.

Thanks!

 

[Ryan]

Sundizz,

Welcome aboard, you have come to the right place if you have tms. Im no doctir so you should get something serious ruled out. In order to take down the beast you must not give it your attention and fear. It seems you are preoccupied with the physical aspects and that is exactly what tms wants you to do.

I used to be like you, I was very active and a great athlete. I got to the point where I could no longer do the things I enjoyed, golf, working out, running, even daily living activities were hard. Dont believe that your body is weak, im young like you still as well and your body is strong. I was so focused on my body, like you, and whill in physical therapy I thought my body was not flexible. I was so tense from my repressed emotions and the way I reacted to life, my muscles were in a constant spasm and always tight. You must control the obsession of your body and fearing you cannot do certain things. I'm not saying jump back in to doing what ever you want, but ease back into to doing things you fear. Itso a slow process and can be done.

To answer your question about flexability, you can still stretch while doing your tms knowledge therapy, but try not to stretch to make your physical symptoms in your body to go away. As Sarno said if one is preoccupied with the physical symptoms in your body and fearing them, they will persists.

Hang in there and good luck with your journey. By the way I'm am back to doing everything in life that I enjoy so don't lose hope that you cannot heal, you can. We are what we believe.

Ryan

 

[Walt Oleksy (RIP 2021)]

Ryan, your advice is excellent. I'm 84 and can't do what I did when younger,
but I'm keeping as active as I can.

 

[JanAtheCPA]

Yep Yep Yep - what Ryan said!

I'm 63, and since the fall of 2011, when I discovered Dr. Sarno and TMS at age 60, the only PT I go to is my Personal Trainer (I really hate to exercise, so I can only keep to a routine by making a personal commitment to her, and she needs the $$).

I did yoga for years, and it is serving me well in my routine of lifting weights and doing lots of leg work (lunges, squats, and balancing with weights). "Before Sarno" I was evaluated at a dizziness and balance clinic, where the young woman assessing me announced that my balance was better than hers - thanks to those years of yoga. (And they did not, of course, find anything wrong, because what I have is TMS).

The key is to attend general exercise and yoga classes, and follow someone else's routine for overall fitness. If you do it yourself, you'll want to concentrate on those areas where you think you have a problem, or, worse, you'll "baby" those areas. Once you've been checked out and have been told there's nothing wrong, there's no reason you can't do it all. An experienced teacher or trainer will make sure you are doing all of the exercises correctly so that you do NOT hurt your back or other muscles. Paying attention to your core is essential at all times.

In the second section of his wonderful book "The Anatomy of Hope", Dr. Jerome Groopman, MD (frequently writes for the New Yorker) describes his failed back surgery and debilitating pain - until he was finally convinced to attend a particular clinic, which he almost turned around and walked away from - because when he went in, he saw people bending over and lifting crates full of bricks (or something like that). Of course, he felt that was the exact opposite of what he should be doing, but in the end, he stuck with their program and learned to strengthen his entire body so he, too, could lift a crate of bricks and not hurt his back, and he was finally relieved of his back pain. Part of the program was believing that he could lift a crate of bricks without hurting himself (which is the tie-in to the general theme of his book). He mentions Dr. Sarno briefly in the book - I imagine a little TMS theory didn't hurt, either!

~Jan

PS - is that supposed to be "body" strength in your poll question?
PPS - be sure to check out our Structured Education Program on the wiki - it's free!

 

[sunnykmr123]

Ryan, your advice is excellent. I'm 84 and can't do what I did when younger,
but I'm keeping as active as I can.

well its really appreciating.