1. Alan has completed the new Pain Recovery Program. To read or share it, use this updated link: https://www.tmswiki.org/forum/painrecovery/
    Dismiss Notice

Signs that Sciatica is TMS and not a slipped disc

Discussion in 'General Discussion Subforum' started by jambonsambo, May 17, 2019.

  1. jambonsambo

    jambonsambo Newcomer

    Hi there folks,

    I am suffering from my second flair up of sciatica in the last 6 months.

    It was pretty bad first time around. I was diagnosed with a slipped disc /herniated disc after an MRI scan. Spent a few weeks lying on my belly and attending physio.

    I have started to look into Dr Sarno and am starting to look into the possibility that it's TMS related.

    Are there any tell tale signs that might show when Sciatica is related to TMS as opposed to a disc pressing on the nerve ?

    Thanks for any advice
     
  2. JanAtheCPA

    JanAtheCPA Beloved Grand Eagle

    Hi @jambonsambo and welcome.

    Here's the thing: What we call TMS is not an either-or condition. You don't have TMS or a "real" condition. TMS symptoms are real physical conditions that exist as a result of emotional stress. Many TMS symptoms start out as injuries, but continue far beyond the point when doctors expect recovery. This is because pain signals are produced by our brains in response to physical damage, which means that our brains can also produce pain at any time, for any reason, and the favorite way to do that is by using the memory of old pain. Phantom limb pain is the best example of this mechanism.

    You need to be sure that your symptoms are not, in fact, the result of a medical condition that needs treatment. If the medical professionals have said that they don't know what's wrong, or that there is no treatment, or if a proposed treatment is optional, or can be put off (as is true of many surgeries) then there is no harm, and little to no cost, in assuming that your symptoms are the result of emotional stress, and in making a decision to follow the psychological and emotional protocols of TMS.

    When it comes to something like sciatica, the question is: can the medical professionals do anything for you, beyond prescribing physio and painkillers? Can it harm you to treat your sciatica as being based in emotional stress and repression, at least for now?

    You do need a really good grounding in TMS theory. If you haven't read any books, you need to start with one of Dr. Sarno's books (I prefer The Divided Mind) and follow that up with The Great Pain Deception by Steve Ozanich, while you start one of our free programs - most people start with the Structured Educational Program.

    ~Jan
     
  3. miquelb3

    miquelb3 Well known member

    I agree with you, Jan!
    Phantom limb is the perfect example, but the second one is Sudeck (CRPS): pain and swelling endures by far the normal time of recovery of an injured extreminty, can spread to the opposite extremity or ...... APPEARS JUST IN THE OPPOSITE EXTREMITY !!!!
    Weird, very weird, but feasible and extremely confusing: brain rules !
     
    JanAtheCPA likes this.
  4. jambonsambo

    jambonsambo Newcomer

    Thanks guys this is most helpful . At the moment I have nothing to lose by investigating the TMS angle further.
     
    JanAtheCPA likes this.

Share This Page