Is there restrictions with exercise?

Hi
I just want to know if I can go crazy with my exercise although I have tightness and pain on my neck and shoulders as well as imbalanced hips? I know that these are TMS and wanna to fight it head-on. I mean, should I have some sort of precaution on types of exercise I can do or I can do everything and have completely no care?

 

Hi, Fleurry. It's important to exercise, but just don't over-do it. Whatever form of exercise you like to do, if you feel pain, that's okay, but if the pain gets too bad, slow down. Many people heal in TMS by ignoring the pain in exercise, such as playing golf or tennis. Lifting weights and other gym stuff can be harmful if you don't do it right. That can require supervision. I don't think it's a good idea to think you can do everything and have completely no care.

 

I'm gonna beg to differ here.

Absolutely... do anything you want. As soon as I knew I had TMS Sarno said returning to activity INCLUDING the most vigorous is essential. That meant old school heavy weight lifting, batting cages, long bike rides. Sarno said it was essential to challenge any notion of injury and even note that he can't recall a single case where it caused any harm. In my case, It actually expedited my recovery. Even still, if I suspect a 'symptom' creeping in I will do something to 'counter' the notion.... If my leg cramps, I go for a sprint... Shoulder bugs? Drop and do 4 sets of 40 pushups.

Taking it easy is part of the medical mythology associated with 'structural' problems.

 

@Walt Oleksy, thanks for the advice.

@Baseball65 that's good to know, thanks. I'm planning to use some weights in exercising my shoulders and upper back. I hardly do any exercise since my hip and neck pain and I'm kinda fed up with that and just want to challenge my TMS all the more.

 

Shoulder bugs? Drop and do 4 sets of 40 pushups.

This intrigues me. I have neck and shoulder pain also; just after I had an mri and was told (by the nost helpful physio I've seen in the last 20 years) that I had bone spurs causing tendonitis and bursitis in the shoulder, as well as some kind of impingement in the neck, I discovered John Sarno.
I was referred to a strength and conditioning coach whose approach was spot on - the pain subsided in a few months.
Then the exercise racked up a bit, with weights and bodyweight-bearing exercises added. Since then, it's all got rather erratic; the pain has come back with a vengeance on occasions, especially when I attempt press-ups.
I'm determined to crack this, as I'd be so thrilled, at 54 and female, to be doing full blokes' press-ups, but whenever I try I seem to upset the balance - even starting gently from , say, table height.
Apart from this, I'd say I'm doing the right thing as per Sarno, by doing other shoulder exercises with pretty heavy weights, as well as a more general programme, but this seems to fox me and make me think I have to be 'careful.' As I type (and sorry for the hijack!) I'm thinking I'm probably not doing enough psychologically, so that's no doubt my answer. I think it was useful to write it down, so thanks!

 

Hi Trellis...
Yep. The more vigorous the better, per the good doctors orders. The 'return' to the physical is one of the most important pieces of recovery, along with 'refute' and 'recondition'. I actually got better than I was before Sarno after reading the book, because even w/o pain I still believed some of that Crap about 'how to lift' etc. Horseshit.

At 51 I still exercise whenever I can (I am a construction worker, so sometimes I am just too tired)...BUT... I have read Sarno thoroughly and still continue my studies. One thing I noticed recently as I started mixing a LOT of pushups with weights...the day after I bench press I will hear 'crumbly' noises in my shoulders on the first few sets of Pushups... like crunching a bag of peanuts outside the wrapper. It started when I went to like 300-400 pushups a day (in sets of course). Sarno warns us of all kinds of 'noises' the body makes and to just ignore them...like cracking your knuckles.

My Hip has made a clicking noise when I do certain sit-ups, for my whole life.... Audible to other people. I am embarrassed to eat in public because when I chew on the left side of my mouth, I have another click/crunch/noise. I guess we're just creaky/crunchy people!

But, I have never ever since '99 gotten any pain from exercise... I have gotten relief and a sense of gratitude to God that I found Sarno and am no longer a prisoner of the system.

Any residual pain is going to be found in conditioning (never underestimate it) as our egos don't like to admit we're like Rat's in a skinner box. OR You just need to proceed as you are.... the subconscious is usually lumbering behind your awareness like a like Jimmy Kimmel racing Usain Bolt!

cheers!

 

Thanks Baseball. I suppose for me it's not ao much a 'return' to exercise as a new awareness of myself as a physically capable person. I was never sporty at school or college, and always saw exercise as something I'd get around to taking up if I ever got overweight.
I felt the choice had been taken away from me by the pain that started 22 years ago, so am amazed and thrilled that it now looks like a possibility again.
I think I need to stop being so sedate and sticking with what I know 'works,' and consider the pain in the same way you do your crunchy bits (I have those as well, at times!)

 

To me, exercise was the key. I became sendentary for 8-10 weeks and it took a toll. So, in addition to dealing with the pain, now loss of muscle mass from non useage. I had to start off slow and build up to a level that was good for me. That was 3 years ago. Now, I can tell when I'm not getting the proper food or exercise, the pain has become a warning sign, when I'm not being good.

Most of my relapses are in fact when I'm not being good to my body, physically and mentally. Those were the keys for me. By the way, it was not a linear path, but an up & down progression.

 

This thread has been very helpful to me, too. I generally go out and do what I want, but I know there's still so much conditioning to overcome ... And the stories--oh the stories!!--I hear in the back of my head about what I think I should or shouldn't do! I know they're there and try not to listen to them, but so often I realize they're still creeping into my head. At least I'm aware of them, I guess :/

 

What I always tell people with exercise and TMS is to go for it but ease back in slowly. You want to create a positive experience around the exercise. If you're in pain, treat it with TMS methods...and do things that feel good for exercise. Believe me as a PT when I say that "muscle imbalances" are really a fallacy and don't mean anything other than you don't have a perfect body (no one does!). The only precautions you should take are not to do anything that will cause severe pain before your TMS is cleared up.

 

I found this thread useful as well. I do think all of us are different and what works for one of us may not work for another.
For me I never stopped working out in spite of the pain. But I think I pushed too hard. I also know that there are things I just cannot do because I have a partial knee implant. It's not a TMS thing it's a fact that I will wear out the artificial joint sooner if I push it too much. This knee implant saved my life 8 years ago and enabled me to do things I could not do for years. Of course now I deal with the back and neck pain and migraines which are TMS and I truly believe I can conquer that pain.
I am still working out but not pushing myself so hard. For me i think it's part of my perfectionist tendencies to push myself to have a "perfect" body. Like I will have that at 55. I am trying to be nice to myself and not so judgmental about how hard I am working out or focusing on how many calories I burn.
Hope that makes sense.