Resuming vigorous physical activity

Hi there,

I'm just getting started with TMS and started reading the 'great pain deception' book today. One of the things that stuck out for me is when he talks about the pillars of TMS healing, including resuming vigorous physical activity.

I'm trying to understand how to come to terms with that. I've been dealing with hip/back/glutes/foot/neck pain for 18 months now and even something as simple as crossing my legs causes pain that can last for days on end. If I understand what's mentioned in the book correctly, the idea is that your fear of resuming vigorous physical activity is what might be getting in the way of your healing process, especially if one continues to believe that structural issues are at the root of it.

How do you create a balance between restarting physical activities that you used to do prior to onset of symptoms vs. causing physical pain that will leave you hurting for days? Is the idea that you go through intense, hopefully short-lived pain that will result in long-term healing? I understand the idea of maybe taking small steps in the direction of doing what you used to be able to do, but curious how others approached this topic.

Thanks.

 

Hi rain, and welcome.

Steve O is a great start, and you should check out our free programs as well. There's the Structured Educational Program, and Alan Gordon's TMS Recovery Program.

The main thing that works for me whenever I'm faced with something that I fear - whether it's moving past pain, or doing something at the gym (supervised by my trainer) that I think is too strenuous, or worrying about pain during a dental procedure - is to talk to my fearful brain, calm it down, and assure it that I'm safe.

This works if you do it with conviction. The main thing is you have to be strong, and stand up against your primitive brain's desire to keep you in fear.

 

Thanks for your reply, Jan. I'm just starting on this path, so I have a lot to learn, but when you started on this journey, were there times when it did hurt even though you had conviction or was it always pain-free? I just tried crossing my legs with the belief that I could do it w/o pain, but it did hurt quite a bit . I wasn't surprised given that I was only 1 day into this program, but I suppose I'm impatient and want to get out of this pain. I guess faith and belief develops over time and during that time there might be painful moments that we have to learn to handle.

 

You've definitely got a sense of what it's going to take. You have many years of conditioning to overcome, and talking back to your fearful brain is not necessarily easy. Start slowly, enjoy small successes, don't let setbacks get you down (your fearful brain LOVES setbacks), and yes, have faith. My tagline is my lifeline since I discovered Dr Sarno.

 

I was getting out of the car the other day and my son almost shut the car door on my leg. It hurt for days but I knew it shoudn't have and attributed it to TMS......anxious about a few things and it can start that way. I am a runner and I just made myself get out and do five miles. I am fine. My brain hates that I am fine...I talked to myself. Told myself that it is ok. Anxiety and other things can cause flare ups.......tell yourself that you are OK! It's simply TMS. You are perfect just as you are. Take yourself out for a nice run and enjoy nature, a friend or running alone. Make yourself a cup of tea when you get home. Be good to you.

 

And AMEN to everything Jan says!!!!