Is TMS causing my nerve foot pain?

Two weeks ago, I picked up Dr. Sarno's book "Healing Back Pain" after experiencing six months of debilitating back pain and have been amazed at the results. My progress has been slow and steady since reading the book and engaging in the structured education program on the wiki page.

But all this success has me thinking: what if my chronic foot pain that I have had for 3 years is also due to TMS. 3 years ago, I injured my foot (likely a stress fracture) while training for a long distance run. The pain has never left - despite 3 surgeries and numerous other attempts. When I first read Dr. Sarno's book, I was convinced about the back pain (and have seen results) but still assumed my foot pain was due to the initial injury. But then I think about it, and my foot pain started during a very stressful time in my life. I was getting married two months later (and was feeling guilty about having a tiny wedding and not inviting many people - now I realize was the best decision ever!) and also was moving away from my fiance and family for the summer to work at a powerhouse law firm in Chicago. Since then, the doctors have been confused by the pain. They don't know why I still have the pain, and while the nerve is still entrapped, there is nothing more they can do. Is it possible that my foot pain is also due to TMS. If so, is it normal for that pain to not have changed at all while the back pain has improved with my TMS work? Perhaps it is because I haven't yet accepted that TMS is the cause of my foot pain?

This forum has been so wonderful so far - thanks for the support!

 

Do you think you have PF - Plantar Fasciitis?

Most foot pain is PF, I have PF & I've seen lots of people on the PF support places talking about "trapped nerves" & PF. And, in fact, Dr. Sopher says that PF is the #1 TMS thing now in his book.

I've had it for 15 years, and only now am getting better through learning about TMS. It started innocently, I was wearing tight keds shoes while bike riding. I got off my bike and limped into work and I've never recovered. It IS TMS, Dr. Sopher says it is, and Dr. Sarno says that PF is TMS.

PS, I'm finally getting lot better. The PF/TMS set off a whole lot of other problems btw, like a huge amt of weight gain, but I was already verging on being overweight then due Binge Eating Disorder, which again IS TMS.

Best to you.

 

Hi Marcy, I can relate to your situation. I conquered leg spasms (suffered for a year and a half) but conquered it completely in four months. I too have neuropathy and burning frostbit feeling (vascular) in both feet but more in the right. I was diagnosed with RSD which is still TMS but I have to admit this is MUCH more challenging. Has any neurologist suspected RSD (CRPS)? I definitely don't hv a podiatric problem although I originally thought I had sprained my big toe. The pain started in the toe and spread to both feet. They say surgey can often trigger this chronic pain syndrome. Anyway, I can understand how you feel. Let us know any updates....I wish you the very best as well.

 

Hi Marcy, of course it could be TMS-related. I had a stress fracture of my right middle foot in 2006. I refused to wear a cast, but never the less the MRI showed that the bone had completeley healed a few months later. Well, the pain remained for about one year or so (now it's gone and it never came back). It was a very, very stressful time and years ago I didn't know about TMS. But now I'm sure it was TMS (had a job that stressed me out to the max, probs with my husband, lots of tests at university).
Oh, and I forgot to mention that I have a friend who suffered from "morton neuroma" for severals years (even a neurom never has been found). There was short-time relief after some cortison shots but eventually her pain disappeared after she divorced her husband...

 

Thank you all for your thoughts! It sounds like foot/nerve pain is pretty common with TMS. I know that I do not have plantar fasciitis or complex regional pain syndrome (but then again, all the foot problems seem so similar - maybe since they are due to TMS!) I have a single entrapped nerve on the top of my foot. It is very similar to tarsal tunnel syndrome - but it is called anterior tarsal tunnel syndrome due to the nerve that is implicated.

MiffyBunny - thanks for the forewarning that it is more difficult to eliminate foot pain from TMS! That is good to know from the start.

I didn't have any trouble convincing myself that my back pain was from TMS (because every other possibility had been eliminated), but I think the medical diagnosis that came with my foot has made it more difficult for my mind to accept that it too is TMS.

Thank you all so much!

 

Oh, the tarsal tunnel, I have a very long and ugly scar on the inside of my right ankle due to "tarsal tunnel". The footsurgeon told me my pain was typical for t.-tunnel-syndrome and guess what: the surgery did nothing for me (it worsened the condition as the scar is very sensitive when touched). Tarsal tunnel is the same as carpal tunnel, only at the feet. I wished I had known about TMS 17 years ago (had the surgery short after my footpain started when I was about 18/19 years old).

 

Wow Birdie - your situation sounds similar to mine! For the first time in years, I have hope that I can be completely pain free one day!

 

Marcy, the stress you were under before marrying sure sounds like it was/is TMS-related.
Dr. Sarno, Steve Ozanich, and TMS practitioners say current stresses may trigger past stresses,
so if yours were related to concerns about marrying, have you done any journaling about marriage
in your life? Was your parents' marriage happy?

Your back pain was treated successfully with TMS, so I think you should do the same for your leg pain.
But you must believe 100 percent that the leg pain is TMS, not structural.

Good luck and keep us posted on your progress.

 

Thanks, Walt. Your message was an important one for me: while my marriage has been very happy over the past three years - my parents' marriage has not been. Actually I'm pretty sure that my back pain was triggered by my parents' recent separation. They separated the same month that my back pain started. I think I might spend more time this weekjournaling about my own fears about marriage as a result of my parents' unsuccessful marriage. Maybe it's all a little more connected that I realize (or want to realize).

With each post, I am more and more grateful with the support from this forum. Thank you!

 

Any updates on you all's foot pain???? I have been suffering with nerve pain in my feet and can't seem to truly BELIEVE it's TMS. It's super helpful for me to hear that others have foot pain and have conquered if with TMS PRACTICES!!

 

Wow, this was a blast from the past to see this thread. Anna - yes, my nerve pain truly was caused by my TMS. The only way I ever figured it out (and convinced myself to really believe it) was when I developed bad back pain and found out about TMS. The more I thought about it, the more I realized my foot pain seemed TMS too, and I worked on it through the journals and other methods from the book. Happy to say I have been pain free for years now

 

Do you have anything that particularly helped??? Foot pain seems so hard to beat!!!

 

Yes would love to know also...6 yrs and going strong for me

 

I recovered from TMS back pain on the '90s, and from TMS horrible foot pain in 2013. I'm embarrassed to say that it took me two years to realize that the horrible foot pain was TMS. But once I did, I found this wiki and worked the SEP, and was able to banish it after a few months. I had been in a wheelchair for a while, so being able to walk without pain still feels like a miracle to me.
I would say that TMS definitely piggy-backs on injuries, and in my own case, prolongs them. I have to be really careful about calling my subC out on that issue.

 

Gigi

foot pain as been my struggle...god I tried everything and never came any closer maybe thats was my problem....have not not done much tms work stayed away from the wiki for awhile..And just trying to live again.

 

So sorry, Marco. Nothing seemed to short-circuit my life like the foot pain did. My consolation was that I never let any of the surgeons cut; what they proposed made no sense to me. My husband later told me that when I went in the wheelchair, he thought I'd never come out. But I DID.
You can do this! I'm praying you all the best.

 

Thx you Gigi I am trying not to feed myself with negetive thoughts and go about my day I have spurts of a good few hours then it turns into a bad few hours this is my life for the last year anyway...I am going threw a divorce and moved out of my home in March so it's been a struggle to stay positive I was able to wean of my antidepressant I realized it wasn't doing anything for me after 5 months ...it really did not help with pain or my anxiety only thing that helped was facing the anxiety and pain.

 

Wow! Being able to wean yourself off the meds while in the throes of a divorce? That's impressive!
Sending you all good wishes.