Fear of Walking

Congratulations!! I think being able to manage 90% of your pain is magnificent!!!!
I've had a pretty easy time with TMS this summer. I can feel twinges starting, though, as I get ready to return to school. I'm reminding my subC that there is nothing organically wrong with my back, feet, shoulder, or head. My husband feels I could get into a self-fulfilling prophecy with this. But I disagree; I no longer fear the pain, I'm just aware that it tends to rear its ugly head when I'm stressed.

 

That is amazing, Hecate. I am so happy for you!

 

This thread was ENORMOUSLY helpful as the worst of my TMS has been a shin splint and then later debilitating achilles tendonitis. I too have tossed my custom orthotics but have held on to my "off the shelf' inserts. I decided that way back in my running days, I might have used those (the off the shelf ones) so I'm okay with using them since they support (not pun intended!) a healthy frame of mind (vs custom ones reminding me of my 'defect').

I've been walking everyday once again. The shin splint has mostly gone but the symptom imperative has been raising its head with hip pain and overall stiffness.

 

You're doing great, hecate! I got lost walking on a horse path once and it was no fun because it was a hot day and there was lots of
horse manure to keep me company.

Ignoring your pain is not easy but Dr. Sarno and Steve Ozanich and others say it's very important.

Maybe next time call ahead to be sure the pub will be open when you get there. haha.

 

MontanaMom, you too deserve a bouquet of roses for your progress. Walking every day gives your unconscious the message:
"I'm going to do it! I can do anything I set my mind to do!"

 

Yes - I must admit I do prefer cycling - it's not so hard to get to the next pub if a catastrophe like closing time happens! Seriously tho' I am now walking SO much more - every day I take the dog out - and try to take him somewhere different, and walk further. And I am not getting any pain from it! It has become natural (once again) to go for a walk and not suffer afterwards - who would of thought! I am SO indebted to John Sarno, Steve O and all the other authors, the forum people here - and my darling husband (who never gave up!) THANK YOU ALL!!!

 

I must admit I have been avoiding walking and hiking because they seem to cause my sciatic nerve and left leg pain to return. I've been concentrating instead on activities that didn't have any before, during or after pain for me, activities like road biking and lifting progressively heavier weights on the leg press machine. With each longer ride and with each progressively harder leg press lift, I found that my sciatic pain decreased as my confidence improved and my fear of re-injury disappeared. However, last night, just for the heck of it and without trying to monitor my improvement (outcome independence?), I decided to do my old 3-mile hike around the outside perimeter of a local nature preserve simply because it was a real nice, warm October afternoon. OMG! Instead of hurting with each step, I flew up the initial 800 ft of elevation gain like I'd never had TMS. Perhaps slightly slower than before my relapse in 2007/08, but not that much slower. When I reached the top of the hill and started back downhill toward the parking lot, I did notice that the sciatica started to return on my left side and hurt with each impact. But it was growing dark and I had to concentrate on keeping on the trail and not stumbling in the dark, so I was forced to be real mindful of my body's every move in relation to dim objects. Suddenly, after about a mile of this careful walking, I remembered that the pain had disappeared. It stayed that way for another mile back to the parking lot and my car. I recall that I also made a conscious willed effort to concentrate on my right instead of my left side using those mindfulness skills I'd learned on Howard Schubiner's Unlearn Your Pain CD.

Judging from my experience last night, I'd say the best way to get back into pain-free walking is to go out and walk without any premeditated intention of monitoring your improvement level. Kinda like walking just for the heck of it and for its own sake. I used to walk that 3-mile circuit in pain the whole while and yet I still kept doing it with a dogged persistence that no doubt programmed me to feel leg pain in that context. Seems as though a light, nonchalant approach to walking when your self-confidence is really high and your confidence in the TMS diagnosis is rock solid is a necessary precondition for returning to an activity like walking that triggers your programmed TMS pain response. I did know from leg pressing that I could push up at least 250 pounds, which is way over my body weight. So I had a reasonable expectation that I would be booking uphill faster than before. And all the road biking had improved my aerobic conditioning, which meant I could pump a whole lot more oxygen-rich blood to my extremities including my TMS-affected left leg. I'm not saying it's necessary to leg press 250 lbs to get better, but any activity that expands your confidence in your body's ability to exceed your expected performance level should do the same thing psychologically. Also, don't beat yourself up trying to implement some rigid walking program. I get the feeling that that "feeds the TMS beast". Instead, do some other physical activities (in my case, road biking and weight lifting) that you can enjoy and gain confidence from doing. Healing will take place in the background while you're enjoying yourself, like background formatting does in a software program.

 

Hecate, your success is a big inspiration to everyone, me included.
Going for long walks with your dog is great for good mental and physical health.
Enjoy every step and minute with your dog.

 

Thanks Walt - looks like you are fond of dogs too...

 

Dogs are my joy.

When I drive to a garage sale and see a dog, it always comes up to me to say hi,
even before it sniffs me. They know when someone loves dogs.

 

I enjoy reading the forum. But unfortunately the link to the original thread causes an error message like "This page cannot be shown".
The original thread can be found at http://tmswiki.wetpaint.com/thread/3307067/Fear of Walking

 

Reading this 'Fear of Walking' thread actually dismays me a little. When I read people saying, 'I started walking for 5 minutes' or 'Try casually walking round the block' I don't know whether to laugh or cry. It would be amazing to walk for 5 minutes at a time! I have pain (burning pain in my legs and feet especially), after any kind of casual walking at all. When I talk about being afraid to walk, I'm talking about just walking to the bathroom at work or walking to the printing machine one more time! Sustained walking, for even 1 minute at a time, or walking often, still feels terrifying to me because of the pain that builds up cumulatively later.

Having said that, I'm having some success at both thanking and then 'respectfully ignoring' my pain (I don't know who coined that phrase but I really like it!) and the fear is starting to lift a bit, so that I'm starting to walk to the printer/bathroom or wherever a bit more often and less fearfully. I've learned by experience that a too-eager program to gradually increase walking can be self-defeating, so I'm taking it really slowly and just concentrating on how much I actually enjoy even the incidental walking that I do! (I used to be a very active person!)

I did post a question about the fear of walking on the 'Ask a TMS doctor' thread, but I haven't received any reply yet!

 

These posts about walking, and fear of walking, are wonderful.
I hope everyone with the problem reads them and gets the inspiration to JUST WALK,
and know that any pain is from TMS.

 

Referring to my own post - I have indeed received a reply to my question from a practitioner on that thread would very much like to thank him for his helpful comments. There doesn't appear to be a Reply function on that thread - does anyone know how I can reply and thank him?

 

Maybe someone can help you with how to reply to that thread. I'm not an expert at it.

 

Haha, I'm so glad I'm on this forum, I remember rolling around the house in an office chair too. Scary to remember, but comforting to know there were others doing the same (hope that didn't sound bad). Now I have to practice facing some of my other fears (standing in one place).

 

I used to have a huge fear of walking as well, due to sciatica and dizziness. I began doing what is called 'walking meditation' and little by little I was able to overcome this fear. It was very important for me because it enabled me to get back to nature again. TMS symptoms make you feel trapped, closed in and helpless, by trying to overcome our fears we are able to free ourselves, even for a short while - that is no small thing. Every step we take toward healing should be celebrated.

 

Can someone tell me if they had burning pain in lower leg and foot when they started walking with Sciatica. I am journaling and in SEP program along with sinking all information in. I have this stabbing pain in my butt cheek and when I walk few steps after few seconds burning pain starts. sometimes its in my right side of the right leg and sometimes its on left side of my right leg and spreads towards the foot.