Struggling to figure out neck/leg pain cause, any insight would be helpful for me!

Hey II just joined the page. I am a 29 year old female living in toronto , canada. I have been dealing with neck, hip and leg/foot pain for about four-five years. It started with the neck pain, then went onto shoulder, then back and foot pain. I have digestive issues and fatigue as well. I am able to see that my digestive issues and the /anxiety/ fatigue are TMS, however recently I went to the chiropractor and they said they notice early phase 1 neck and lumbar degeneration in the spine and have asked me to do some exercises. Is this structural or TMS? My neck and foot pain has lasted for a few years, and I do tend to get swelling or heat around it so I know it is some type of inflammatory. response. Would this also be considered TMS? I'm having a hard time figuring out if all of this is TMS or a if the neck and foot pain is separate to the digestive issues/anxiety. Any insight on this would be really helpful! Thanks!

 

If you haven't reading Healing Back Pain by Dr John Sarno MD, that's the place to start, as he explains his findings from decades as the chief physiatrist (basically an MD with a specialty in PT) at the Rusk Institute at NYU School of Medicine. Another MD now doing mindbody work exclusively is former back surgeon David Hanscom MD - check out his website called Back In Control.

 

Thank you for your insights on this! I started with dr Sarnos book very recently. But I am wondering is joint / spine degeneration or swelling is also part of the symptom? Thanks for your help

 

I didn't have back issues, maybe someone else can answer. If they don't, the two experts (Drs Sarno and Hanscom) should cover all kinds of spine conditions in their writings. I've heard that Dr Hanscom is still doing consultations.

That being said, two things to keep in mind:

1. There is a direct correlation between stress or distress, and inflammation. This is a medical fact. Long term stress can result in medical conditions, so you want to learn to control stress and anxiety sooner rather than later.

2. Also a medical and neuroscientific fact: the brain is in charge of every single physiological process and sensation that occurs in our bodies. This means that it is possible for our brains to create any symptom whatsoever for distraction purposes.

 

joint and spine “degeneration” are normal abnormalities that happen to everyone and seem unrelated to chronic pain.
There are several studies showing that some people have 0 pain but have degeneration and other abnormalities on MRI’s and other folks who have similar abnormalities but do have pain.
The commonalities Dr. Sarno found in his pain patients had little to do with anything physical, but tended to be psychological and personality related.
Keep reading your book, all will be explained.

 

Thanks for your response. Should I even be visiting the physiotherapist or chiropractor in that case? I’ve read online that once you diagnose yourself with TMS you should have a go all in approach to heal this? I am also consulting a naturopath side by side for my gut healing as well. What are your thoughts on this ? Any insight in helpful for me . Thanks

 

Continue to read Sarno. The book will answer your questions. One of the most important parts of learning about TMS is to banish doubt.
We’re just a bunch of people on a forum. Sarno is the authority, and getting a deeper understanding from the reading is essential. Once you’ve digested the book, you will need to make your own decisions about how you want to proceed based on his advice.
Take your time. There is no need to rush.