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A question about injuries and exercise

Discussion in 'General Discussion Subforum' started by Ludmilla, Mar 22, 2021.

  1. Ludmilla

    Ludmilla Peer Supporter

    Hi everyone,

    As my back was feeling so much better last week, I did what I was afraid to do for some time, i.e. went running. I don't run much usually, and only on even surfaces, but I'm an avid climber and hiker, so not a couch potato.

    This time I went running in a forest and there was a lot of going uphill and downhill. I had some minor pain in my knees when going downhill but it had happened before - in fact, knee pain while running was one of my first TMS-equivalents 10 years ago or so. So I just ignored it. The same day I walked maybe for 3-4 hours (this is normal for me : as I said, I love hiking). The day after, the pain in my knees was a little more noticeable, but I figured this was normal given that I hadn't run for 2 or 3 months. And the day after this one, I woke up with a lot of pain in my right knee, but went bouldering nonetheless, treating this as TMS. I ended up with limping on the walk home.

    I went to the doctor and had X-rays done, my bones look perfect. Tomorrow I'm going back to my doc and he will do an ultrasound. My knee is red, hot and swollen. I suspect it's some kind of patellar tendonitis.

    Basically this seems like a real injury due to (stupidly) overexercizing in a way I wasn't accustomed to (running up and downs). But I've always seen the little twinges in my knees as TMS and it seemed to work just like that. Plus this is kinda suspicious to me, as my back pain of 2 weeks just disappeared the night before after reading some TMS success stories. I remember on my first Sarno bout, I went running and my knee started to ache after 15 minutes or so, I got mad at my brain and the pain just stopped.

    SO my question is : can TMS, i.e. oxygen deprivation, makes you more susceptible to real injuries ? Like, not getting enough blood/oxygen making the tendons and ligaments less supple ? My right leg is the leg where I always get the most TMS-equivalents (cramping, sciatica and other random pains), and bam, right knee is injured but left one is perfectly fine.

    Asking this in order to try and guard my mind against the BS my doc will probably say tomorrow. He's a sports physician and I'm sure he will tell me this is because of my spine, my shorter leg, I need to wear shoes inserts, etc. etc. Osteopaths have always told me these things, but thanks to Dr. Sarno I know these are normal abnormalities.
     
    Balsa11 likes this.
  2. Balsa11

    Balsa11 Well known member

    Rest it and don't worry about it in the meantime.
     
  3. TG957

    TG957 Beloved Grand Eagle

    Red, hot and swollen knee sounds like an injury to me. Could it be that you injured yourself while bouldering and did not notice?

    As for your question about TMS making you more susceptible to injury, the answer is NO. What makes you more susceptible to injury is that you are unconsciously trying to overcompensate your perceived high risk of pain. As a result, you end up with one.

    It happened to me more than once that I start running with a pain in my knee (usually only one) and finish my 4-5 mile run uphill/downhill without pain at all.
     
    Balsa11 likes this.
  4. Ludmilla

    Ludmilla Peer Supporter

    Thank you both for your answers. I guess I'm not worrying about the injury itself, because it will heal and like I said bones are A-OK, but about the fact that it happened in my "weak" leg and it makes me doubt a little. But the fact that I perceive this leg as weak may be where the problem is...

    @TG957 : the injury was clearly linked to running, but I definitely should have rested instead of bouldering all day !
     
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  5. Ludmilla

    Ludmilla Peer Supporter

    So, I went to my doc yesterday and he did the ultrasound. Nothing is wrong apparently, except, he says, that I have patellofemoral syndrome like many females. This is why I hurt my knee according to him.

    I think patellofemoral syndrome is BS, to be honest. If so many women have it, how can it produce pain ? Plus if this is how my bones are, why have I never hurt my knees that bad before ? The inflammation I have is real, but I think he said this just to find some structural cause. He prescribed PT and said to call him back and get an MRI if things don't improve.

    I should have asked him to do the ultrasound on my other knee too - maybe there's also patellofemoral syndrome there but as it doesn't hurt, it would have rested my mind. Now I'm starting to get into fear mode again... As a big believer in the power of the mind to create virtually any ailment under the sun, I wouldn't be surprised if the inflammation itself was some extinction burst after getting rid of my low back pain the day before. But I'm not confident enough to avoid getting PT and doing some green clay packs...
     
    Balsa11 likes this.
  6. TG957

    TG957 Beloved Grand Eagle

    Exactly! If you google complex regional pain syndrome and check out images, you will find out how true your point about inflammation is. I had swollen, inflamed hands - and, as it turned out, it was all in my head. BTW, I love green clay - I use it for face mask, it makes me believe that my skin is smoother and I look younger after. Another thing in my head? ;)
     
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  7. Ludmilla

    Ludmilla Peer Supporter

    Love this TG957, because I did some search on the forum and found a lot of people (including one TMS doc) saying that redness and inflammation are NOT TMS. I googled CRPS and it affects hands and feet, not knees, so I'm still on the fence about this in my case but... yeah, I'll do the PT sessions (don't pay for it anyway) but if the pain doesn't resolve after a few weeks, I'll know why - TMS again !

    Btw, I love green clay on my skin too ! Helps with acne too :p.
     
    Balsa11 likes this.
  8. TG957

    TG957 Beloved Grand Eagle

    To be precise, I would be careful about inflammation. Inflammation is a specific physiological process in the body, and I am not a physician or biologist to explain it. Not every inflammation can be attributed to TMS, and, by default, inflammation should be considered non-TMS. However, there are symptoms that present themselves like inflammation, CRPS being one of them. It very well could be that some types of inflammation could be triggered by stress. For example, it is well known that rosacea flare-ups are often triggered or amplified by stress.
     
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  9. Ludmilla

    Ludmilla Peer Supporter

    Thank your for the explanation. I agree with you and that's why I'm stucking with "it's a little injury" by now. Will be using TMS methods if it doesn't calm down soon.
     
    Balsa11 and TG957 like this.

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