Starting Exercise

I have been a competitive and adventure athlete all my life. I know what it's like to play through pain and to push myself to get the maximum effort.

I see many posts on this and other TMS forums that say just get back into physical activity. I went back looking through Sorno's books last night and this is not what he says, he says once the pain is gone or substantially gone to get back into exercise.
When a muscle is tight, is not properly oxygenated or is deconditioned you risk real physical injury in asking that muscle to perform.
Now if your fear of exercise is strictly phobic, then certainly you can go out and push through the phobia and begin to exercise.
Admonishing people to just get out there and start exercising is unwise and goes against basic physiology.
As much as I have tried getting back into exercise it has only led to more pain and more disability. It is evident that my body is not ready for this step.
As I did more research into other TMS writers I don't see any them telling people to just get back in exercise if the pain is severe. We need to test her own limits and know our own body and absolutely not use willpower to overcome muscles that are not recovered to where they are ready for exercise.

 

If your muscles are tight due to over use or lack of fitness then yes gentle movement is the prescription. If the central nervous system has them in constant tension due to sympathetic activation then you are not only fighting a losing battle but can make TMS worse.

Muscles contain proprioceptors as well as stretch and pain receptors. If you activate these by pushing through pain they will send an alarm signal to the brain causing more sympathetic dominance – exactly what TMS recovery is trying to stop.

The brains response to alarm notification from these receptors is to muscle brace even more to protect critical organs and structures from impending harm.

 

I think the best approach would be a gradual introduction of physical activity.

In my case, TMS doesn't cause physical limitations on exercise. I don't hurt during the activity, only after or while I am trying to rest.

 

I did it progressively. But I can also say that I was held back by fear.