Dr. Alexander Physiotherapy/Sports Therapy - Improving Flexibility and Mobility?

[Eddie]

Hi Everyone

I'm into day 32 of the TMS program and have made really good progress with my lower back/ left hip/leg pain.

Basically I had a terrible recurrence of pain in my left hip after reading Sarno's lower back pain book. I could barely walk without incredible pain running down my entire left leg. Having completed nearly the entire program, I am well on my way to recovery.

I'm in two minds about going to see a sports physio to introduce some stretching and exercises etc to improve my ROM in my lower back. I completed a Triathlon today and could feel some of the pain holding me back from doing my best.

Also I still feel very tight bending over to stretch etc and still feel quite intense levels of pain if I attempt to touch my toes.

Could going to see a Physio be detrimental to my 100% mental TMS diagnosis? I will hold TMS as the cause 100% but I really want to have a personalised program of stretches and exercises to really get my leg to athletic performance so I can compete in triathlons.

Thanks

Eddie

 

[Dr James Alexander]

Eddie- physiotherapy has a track record (demonstrated by research evidence) of being useful only for acute pain from a recent injury. There is NO physiotherapy intervention (other than simply providing reassuring information) that has been demonstrated through research to be helpful with chronic pain. This includes stretches, manipulations, strengthening exercises, etc. The reason being, they are working from the completely wrong paradigm. Most physios are still viewing the human organism from a bio-mechanical perspective (some do manage to go beyond this, but they are relatively rare). And some physios (eg. those working for the NHS in the UK) are well aware that the best intervention they can use regarding chronic pain is information- ie. reassurance, encouragement to move again, disputing that pain equals damage, suggesting that the body is highly resilient- these are the best and most useful physios. The worst ones (ie. those who are potentially dangerous to people in pain) are those who want to suggest that chronic pain is due to faulty bio-mechanics. They convince vulnerable people into viewing themselves as weak and damaged, always at risk of relapse, etc- they induce fear and anxiety, and a faulty perception of fragility.

So, if you chose to consult with a physio, be aware that there can be a risk associated if they are wanting to do anything other than provide you with the types of info stated above. But, if you find stretching helpful for athletics (as i did when playing football) then by all means, learn some useful stretches from them. Whether the interaction with a physio is damaging or not for you is really dependent on how you choose to approach it. I would say that stretching and strength building are really good activities- BUT they are not activities which you need to do in order to heal physical damage, because you most likely dont have any real physical damage (if this has been medically verified). Stretch because it feels good to do so; do strength building because it helps you use your body in the way you want. Even have massages because they feel nice- but dont do any physical intervention because you think it will heal faulty bio-mechanics- i) they wont, and ii) you most likely dont have any faulty bio-mechanics. If you consult with a physio, you choose the agenda and guard yourself against the things that most of them cant help telling scared vulnerable people. If you are discovering the reality of TMS for yourself, then hang on to this and foster this new awareness- thats where the cure lies.

 

[Stella]

Eddie, I have similar types of pain you discuss.. The unconscious mind is trying to distract you with physical pain from the deep emotional pain. I believe I will have this the rest of my life due to the magnitude of my childhood issues. I have to keep journaling, exercising and educating myself.

I walk 4-6 miles each day. My mind is constantly trying to stop me from doing this by creating physical pain. I always have tightness in the back of my thighs. Shin splints came and went constantly until I realized they were TMS. I told the shin splints, my unconscious mind, I was not going to stop or slow down. My It band pain comes and goes. Foot and heel pain comes and goes.

You can work through all of this. Keep up the physical activity.

 

[Eddie]

Hi

Thank you for your replies. Gained even more insight into the pain!