Need help figuring out what to do about elbow pain and if it truly is TMS

[reorre121]

So years ago I developed some pain in the elbow from tricep tendonitis. Long story short I became very scared and babying it for almost a year refusing to use it for daily tasks but eventually once I learned about TMS It went away all of a sudden and my recovery was fast. So I know I'm already a person with significant TMS history and prone to it.

Last Friday when I was doing my morning stretches I randomly felt some pain in the same area of my elbow. I still did my normal upper body workouts of lifting weights in the following days and even though I haven't felt much sharp/prominent pain when lifting it felt not normal/more uncomfortable in my elbow. I'd say during the actual workout I'm much better at telling myself it's TMS and pushing through it but then after I finish the workout doubt comes into my head as the elbow feels worse. It's gotten progressively worse these past few days and I'm struggling trying to decide what to do, if I should continue deciding it's just TMS or resting it for a bit cause it's actually physical. It's just hard to convince myself it's TMS cause it feels exactly like how my original elbow tendonitits felt when it first started and also the risk of actually making a physical issue worse than it should which its beginning to feel like. But at the same time I know I'm prone to TMS and I really haven't done any drastic changes to my workout routine so I just can't see how I suddenly developed this overuse injury being a healthy active 20-year-old.

Really searching for help or any insight would be great!

 

[reorre121]

In my opinion, the risk to reward currently is not worth going through the pain assuming it's TMS and potentially making it worse. I could just play it safe and not work out with the right arm for like 10 weeks while I start a rehab program to get it back to normal. However, this time I know of TMS so I'll still use it for everyday tasks just not lifting in the gym for a while. Thoughts?

 

[Cactusflower]

What's been going on in your life?
How have you been dealing with TMS in the past?

 

[JanAtheCPA]

Time for you to do the work, learn more, and develop the skills you need to manage the TMS brain mechanism that you and I and every other human being has to live with.

Check out the SEP - the free Structured Educational Program on the main tmswiki.org site. No signup or registration needed.

You're lucky to be discovering this work so early in your life - many of us discovered it much later. On the other hand, I would not want to be 20 in today's world. Looking back, I had mild TMS symptoms on and off my whole life, and it wasn't until I hit 60 and encountered the age/rage trigger that it became a crisis.

I would say that the 21st century is pretty much guaranteed to create stress symptoms in anyone. There's a reason the entire technological world is experiencing a mental health crisis, so don't discount that. Which means you are not alone. Don't discount that, either.

 

[reorre121]

What's been going on in your life?
How have you been dealing with TMS in the past?

I think in my case my TMS isn't exactly linked to stresses going on in my life it was always just a very catastrophic mindset I developed. So I would fear using my elbow because I was scared it would make it worse or I would pay all my attention to it every little movement which is the case I know right now. I dealt with TMS in the past with just telling myself the pain I'm feeling isn't damaging me I'm ok and things like that, but this time it seems I can't shake it off. I try to tell myself its TMS but like I said idk I think just going easy on it for some time and following a traditional rehab program would be the safest option. Only thing that sucks is that I would have to take some time off the gym

 

[Baseball65]

Only thing that sucks is that I would have to take some time off the gym

I could think of things that suck a lot worse than missing some time from the Gym.
One would be falling into the deep dark hole that is the LIE of "Modern Medical Mythology" that the human body is a frail instrument that needs careful attention and rest.

I think in my case my TMS isn't exactly linked to stresses going on in my life it was always just a very catastrophic mindset I developed.

This is a support forum...however, we are all basically descendants of Dr. John Sarno and I would be doing HIM a disservice by not calling that out for what it is...sheer denial or misinformed.
Your best bet would be to reread the text of one of Sarno's books because whatever you understood from before has clearly dissipated over time.
BTW..your 'catastrophic mindset' has another name....OCD. And Doctor Sarno used OCD as an example of a mental strategy meant to avoid painful feelings....I know. I had it. It went away with a similar strategy to TMS relief.

I have had a LOT of friends read Sarno, have respite from their original pain and then come down with something 'real' later....and then they are LOST down the rabbit hole of an infinity of problems, surgeries and other 'real' syndromes....all it is is TMS moving around playing hide and seek.

all of the details of your situation SCREAM TMS. Resting and babying anything that is TMS will only drag out the eventual respite. This is like a little war in your body and if you let the enemy take territory your gonna have to fight him block by block to get him out (not my comparison...actually an online TMS coach)...whereas if you just annihilate him on entry he will have to leave..close to immediately.

I've made the mistake your making...there was no forum OR TMS doctors when I got better and I got tricked by a handful of things and they were ALL TMS.... Shoulder, Knee, Thumb/wrist, Pain in my Privates,etc....
read the book, explore yourself. NO one is immune or special That's the good news and I saved it for the end...you'll never be so glad to find out your story is average!

peace