been having a relapse for the past 2 weeks. hurt my lower back at the gym. now i have painful sciatica down my right leg. it used to be my left. and upper back pain now when i stand for a while. i know its moving around but i just cant seem to shake it. im trying to not be scared. im trying to live life as if the pain wasnt there. been trying to soothe myself etc. i just cant seem to get rid of it. any help?
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- Thread starter abezz
- Start date
plum
Beloved Grand Eagle
At the moment you're unsurprisingly too focused on your pain and the fear it's generating. You say you are trying to soothe yourself so may I ask how you are doing this? Self-soothing is a vital key to recovery so it is worth investing time in finding the activities, practices and thoughts that work best for you.
HattieNC
Well known member
I had horrible sciatic like pain behind my left knee that went on for 4 months. After having it checked by a specialist to make sure it wasn't anything serious, I continued to go to work and basically "soldier through" even though it was driving me insane. One day, I received a phone call that my brother who lives 1,000 miles away was seriously ill and I needed to see him immediately since his prognosis was grave. Since my husband won't fly - that meant driving. You can imagine how horrified I was at the thought of riding in a car round trip for 4 days.
I laid down in the back seat with my pillow and braced myself for the worst. Of course, the shooting pain behind my knee started immediately. Suddenly, rage welled up inside of me and I yelled internally at my brain "cut it out, now!" Instantly, the sciatica stopped and hasn't returned. That was over 15 months ago. I don't know how to explain this, but it almost has to be a "I'm fed up and I won't take this any more" gut reaction, not premeditated or planned in advance. I used to yell at my brain to stop the back pain and it never worked. I find self-soothing and self-care usually works better for me, but this time I had to get tough because I was in a desperate situation. By the way, my brother survived his health crisis (his chance of surviving was minimal) and is thriving. Our bodies are strong and so are our brains. Hang in there, it will get better!
I laid down in the back seat with my pillow and braced myself for the worst. Of course, the shooting pain behind my knee started immediately. Suddenly, rage welled up inside of me and I yelled internally at my brain "cut it out, now!" Instantly, the sciatica stopped and hasn't returned. That was over 15 months ago. I don't know how to explain this, but it almost has to be a "I'm fed up and I won't take this any more" gut reaction, not premeditated or planned in advance. I used to yell at my brain to stop the back pain and it never worked. I find self-soothing and self-care usually works better for me, but this time I had to get tough because I was in a desperate situation. By the way, my brother survived his health crisis (his chance of surviving was minimal) and is thriving. Our bodies are strong and so are our brains. Hang in there, it will get better!
plum
Beloved Grand Eagle
@abezz,
I've reached the point where I've integrated soothers and self-care into the pattern of my days. It took me a while to figure out what worked for me and how often I needed to do them but once I understood how essential they were it all became a pretty seamless way of nurturing my mind~body health and well-being.
The two things that benefit me the most are regular visits to the baths where I swim and indulge in the Jacuzzi, sauna and such, and Yin Yoga. I find these activities profoundly relaxing and pleasurable and they help keep me on an even keel.
However when I have a flare-up I have found a combination of gentle things bring me out of it quite quickly. I lie on a hot water bottle, I rest a lot, I make a nest of cushions on the sofa and watch feelgood movies or indulge in a boxset binge, I take painkillers, and I do all I can to ensure a restorative and deep sleep. Sarno used to recommend a glass of wine and an early night when the pain was too bad.
It does well to develop a set of practices that you can employ when things get bad. Flare-ups are a natural part of healing so a go-to routine can really help a lot. Alongside this you need to craft activities that you enjoy and that reliably bring you peace and relaxation, such as my swimming and yoga. It doesn't matter what these practices are.
I do sometimes use guided meditations. I have bought a few by Bellaruth Naparstek who provides guided visualisation followed by affirmations.
https://www.healthjourneys.com (Health Journeys | Guided Imagery | Guided Meditation)
There is a lovely man on YouTube called Jason Stephenson who has created many different kinds of guided meditations. You can explore his channel here:
https://www.youtube.com/user/ILoveJuicyShow (Jason Stephenson - Sleep Meditation Music)
Finally I highly recommend this post by @HattieNC who has kindly responded to this thread already.
http://www.tmswiki.org/forum/threads/hope-for-those-that-take-a-long-time-to-heal.18332/#post-97519 (Hope-for those that take a long time to heal)
Most of all be gentle with yourself. Sending you healing wishes.
Plum x
andy64tms
Well known member
Hi abezz,
To reduce and often eliminate my lower back pain I do the sciatica yoga pull in this video. My particular pain is very responsive to the yoga stretch at 4.00-5.00 minutes, but try others as well. I have another version of this sciatica pull where I place my foot over the opposite knee and lean forward. I have done this for 30 years or so at airports, business meetings, while eating dinner and watching TV. No one else notices this mini stretch.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9f1Y4OV3QlA
My attitude is the tension pain is very real and physical. I check in mentally and realize there is always a reason for the tension in the first place. As Plum says you need to sooth the tension away somehow.
So I have taken care of my body and then taken care of my mind. Recognizing and acknowledging tension whether it’s physical or emotional is the key for me and often it is a combination of both.
There is conflict with this since it opposes Dr. Sarno’s “ Stop all physical treatment”. We each of us have to decide whether Yoga is treatment or exercise.
Is your gym activity too combative? You have hurt your back and are worried, TMS will jump aboard any existing injury. I injure myself all the time and the following post describes my attitude to my back ache.
http://www.tmswiki.org/forum/threads/conversation-with-a-back-ache.17757/#post-94117 (Conversation with a back Ache!)
To reduce and often eliminate my lower back pain I do the sciatica yoga pull in this video. My particular pain is very responsive to the yoga stretch at 4.00-5.00 minutes, but try others as well. I have another version of this sciatica pull where I place my foot over the opposite knee and lean forward. I have done this for 30 years or so at airports, business meetings, while eating dinner and watching TV. No one else notices this mini stretch.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9f1Y4OV3QlA
My attitude is the tension pain is very real and physical. I check in mentally and realize there is always a reason for the tension in the first place. As Plum says you need to sooth the tension away somehow.
So I have taken care of my body and then taken care of my mind. Recognizing and acknowledging tension whether it’s physical or emotional is the key for me and often it is a combination of both.
There is conflict with this since it opposes Dr. Sarno’s “ Stop all physical treatment”. We each of us have to decide whether Yoga is treatment or exercise.
Is your gym activity too combative? You have hurt your back and are worried, TMS will jump aboard any existing injury. I injure myself all the time and the following post describes my attitude to my back ache.
http://www.tmswiki.org/forum/threads/conversation-with-a-back-ache.17757/#post-94117 (Conversation with a back Ache!)
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Hopefully you've read a couple books by dr. sarno....fear is what will keep your symptoms going right ? Fear sends my pain up big time. Since you're on this website check out some success stories and maybe that will help too. Make sure you've been check out by your physician for anything serious.