Booyah! I Have Back Pain!

A couple of days ago I felt a sore spot at my left lower back, like a side-stitch. It has now spread to my middle lower back. I'm moving slowly, it's cold outside and I don't feel like playing tennis or my pool work. I can now do some TMS science for the holidaze--this is better then getting an Erector or a toy chemistry set for Christmas--but not as good as a fire engine.



Happy Holidaze,
tt/lsmft

 

Tennis Tom, sending you prayers for your way out of the maze that is pain...during the Holy Daze.

 

Thank you very much for your kind words! I'm looking forward to viewing this as a TMS attack and playing with my sub-c gremlin. I'm going to check the Holmes-Rahe for stressors, recent and in the past year. I've been working on the computer and the phone all morning from bed and no pain. Time to get up and down to the hot-tub and pool to see how the TMS gremlin likes getting wet--and interacting with the denizens of the deep.

Cheers,
tt

 

I did my normal pool routine, 30 minutes of running with a flotation belt and 15 minutes of backstroke, and didn't feel any back pain. Did an extended hot-tub and read a few pages of Monte Hueftle's old TMS book "GET RID OF THAT PAIN IN YOUR BUTT". It's a good little TMS book from a marathoner's perspective. It's interesting that he references things as "bodymind" versus others who say "mindbody". It's probably because he's a marathon runner and comes to TMS from an athletic perspective. I landed on the page where Monte talkes about Caroline Myss and Candace Pert to explain the biochemical aspect of TMS transporting emotional messages around the body and sometimes storing them as TMS pain.

 

Woke up this morning and haven't thought about my "new pain"--slept well. Didn't think about it while making the coffee, and doing the dishes from last night. Off to play some tennis at 9:am indoors (it's cold here) with some fossils. Maybe some shopping at Target, BevMo and Home Depot after that, if I have some energy left, or manana-- (and, if the flash mob riots have dissipated--there was a stabbing death at a Target in Hayward yesterday). Don't feel any pain in my "new-spots", left waist and lower back.

ack.

 

So I checked out the Holmes-Rahe for emotionally charged issues that have occurred recently and in the last year that could have created my new back-pain. I hi-lited the possibles and if my phone did the math right, came up with a score of 185. This placed me in the moderate risk category. I believe my new soreness is TMS . I played some moderate tennis in the morning, and then some shopping. Had a nice chat with a friend of mine at the club bar that I felt good about. I only felt a twinge of pain when going to a full stretch hitting second serves, which I feel would have gone away if I were fully warmed up. I don't feel the pain now and think it will be gone by tomorrow--I hope.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holmes_and_Rahe_stress_scale (Holmes and Rahe stress scale - Wikipedia)

To measure stress according to the Holmes and Rahe Stress Scale, the number of "Life Change Units" that apply to events in the past year of an individual's life are added and the final score will give a rough estimate of how stress affects health.

Life event Life change units
Death of a spouse 100
Divorce 73
Marital separation 65
Imprisonment 63
Death of a close family member 63
Personal injury or illness 53
Marriage 50
Dismissal from work 47
Marital reconciliation 45
Retirement 45
Change in health of family member 44
Pregnancy 40
Sexual difficulties 39
Gain a new family member 39
Business readjustment 39
Change in financial state 38
Death of a close friend 37
Change to different line of work 36
Change in frequency of arguments 35
Major mortgage 32
Foreclosure of mortgage or loan 30
Change in responsibilities at work 29
Child leaving home 29
Trouble with in-laws 29
Outstanding personal achievement 28
Spouse starts or stops work 26
Beginning or end school 26
Change in living conditions 25
Revision of personal habits 24
Trouble with boss 23
Change in working hours or conditions 20
Change in residence 20
Change in schools 20
Change in recreation 19
Change in church activities 19
Change in social activities 18
Minor mortgage or loan 17
Change in sleeping habits 16
Change in number of family reunions 15
Change in eating habits 15
Vacation 13
Major Holiday 12
Minor violation of law 11


Score of 300+: At risk of illness.

Score of 150-299: Risk of illness is moderate (reduced by 30% from the above risk).

Score <150: Only have a slight risk of illness.

 

Woke up this morning with no thought of my "new back pain", made the coffee, perused the usual web-sites, and then thought oh yeah, what about my new-back-pain? I'll test it later in the pool doing the back-stroke, which should bring it to a full stretch.

 

The late-pain is gone in a few days! Tested it in the pool today, doing the back-stroke with full extention from the waist. Booyah! A potential TMS spot warded off by OnTheRoad's prayer for me, and TMS thinking--no doctors, PT, chiros, or accus--I did want to use up a couple of massage gift-certificates but didn't get a chance to.

 

Great blow-by-blow account Tom. I am sure this is very instructional for anyone who reads it. I am glad you applied what you know, and it worked quickly!