Exercising with pain

Four months ago I started taking exercise classes. After the first few classes I started to realize that I shouldn't be afraid of my neck, upper back and low back getting worse from exercise. But then several months into going to class I was stretching my leg during my class and the next day I squatted down and felt pain in my hamstring. The pain scared and worried me so bad I stopped going to exercise class for 3 months.

Should I be pain free before I exercise? I was trying to exercise even though I have pain in my back. I haven't gone to an exercise class for 3 months.

Could this hamstring pain be TMS? I'm upset that this new pain has stopped me from making progress in my recovery. A few weeks ago I started run on a treadmill 4 times a week to try and get back the courage to completely get back into exercising.

 

Personally, I have decided to exercise "through" any of my pains (as long as I feel they are TMS-related - if i fractured my wrist that is a different story). Hamstring pain beyond a reasonable amount of time to heal is probably TMS-related. For example, if you go out to the track and sprint 200s then one can except to have sore hamstrings for up to 10-14 days (which gives your body ample time to heal). Stretching and/or squatting should not cause pain for 3 months...it's TMS!

 

Hi, Aria. I think you are letting yourself worry about pain from exercise and it keeps the pain coming. You may have had a hamstring muscle pull, but the pain would have gone away by now. I think something emotional is troubling you and causing the pain. The SEProgram will help you to discover any repressed emotions causing the pain to continue.

It's good to keep exercising, just do it moderately until you are able to do more. Treadmill exercise is an excellent way to get back into more exercise.

The best book I know of about exercise and pain is Steve Ozanich's The Great Perception. He tells how he was relieved of multiple severe pains by discovering his repressed emotions and also by playing golf despite the pain.

 

How do I know I'm ready to return to my exercise class? Should I go since my hamstring pain is a TMS symptom ? Lately my leg hasn't been bothering me at all. If I start exercise class again and my hamstring starts hurting after a few weeks of exercising should I stop and not be afraid of the pain?

 

I started exercising 8 months ago after MANY years of little to no exercise. I started having tremendous pain in my neck, shoulders and back about a year ago, and after being checked out several times by doctors with no conclusive medical diagnoses, I decided to give exercise a try. My doctor suggested that my pain was anxiety driven and agreed that exercise would be a good stress reliever and would build strength. My pain has moved around, and at one point, about 3 months into my new exercise regimen, I was having terrible lower back, hip, hamstring, and knee pain, all on the right side. I convinced myself that I was going "too hard" and probably injured myself. I ALMOST quit exercising then, but my husband convinced me not to throw in the towel until I read this new book he got me. It was the Mindbody Prescription by Dr. Sarno. So, I read the book and kept exercising, and all of that lower body pain went away!!! I still get some stiffness in my knee or sore shins after a run, but I know that it is bc I am in my forties and not because there is anything structurally wrong with my body. For me, exercise is a blessing. It makes me feel strong psychologically and physically and actually helps reduce my pain (because of increased blood flow to the muscles).

I say, GO FOR IT! If you have confirmed that there is nothing structurally wrong with you, then it is the TMS. Getting sore after a workout is normal and does not mean that there is a serious problem. Try mixing up your workouts so you are not overusing the same muscles every time. Take a class one day, walk another, strength train another.

Best of luck to you! Keep us posted!

 

This morning I went to my exercise class. During the class my neck and back felt ok. Working out my legs was different. My left leg with the hamstring issue started to hurt in the middle of class. I guess I'm a little confused. I know this pain in hamstring is TMS. Is this pain something that shouldn't worry about if I want to start exercising again?​

 

Does it feel like a pulled muscle? I ask because that happened to me in my inner left thigh. I returned to class the following week after letting it heal and just took it easy. Then, it went away. Last night it came back again but I know it will not last forever. Maybe that is the same case with you.

 

Well it feels the same as it did four months ago. It's like it never healed from the first injury. I don't think it will heal in a week or two. If I don't exercise it wont hurt. But no matter how much healing time I give myself my leg will hurt after exercise. It doesn't make sense that every few months I try and exercise my same leg hurts. Is this TMS?

 

It could be. If it feels like a pulled muscle though it could just be that. A few years ago I got back into exercising. That time it lasted about a year off and on. I pulled the muscle in the front of my left hip. It was the most awkward place. Every time I would lift my leg it hurt. Do you know that took a year to heal? I just did my best to work around it. I think it's normal to go through that.
The weird thing is that it could be TMS if you focus and dwell and change everything around just because of this. Then your brain will say "hmmm I sure am getting a lot of attention for this. Let's go with this hamstring pain. Maybe I can even make it worse."
That's my take. I could be wrong. Only you know for sure but that's how I've dealt with pulled muscles.

 

I struggled with this same issue months ago. I felt I had to be pain free before starting to exercise, but also felt that I had to start exercising in order to really accept the TMS theory. The advice you got above is consistent with all the books and advice I've read. Pushing myself to exercise despite pain was probably THE thing that got me to eliminate my hip pain. My fear of exercise wasn't allowing me to go through the steps needed to accept TMS and move through it. I think you might be in the same situation. Try going to the class, and make your inner dialogue a stream of positive affirmations like "I can do this," "I'm not injured so I am not damaging myself," "I'm doing a great job," "I'm proud of myself for trying," "There's a bit of pain but I'm going to be ok." Those kinds of thoughts really worked for me. If it's hard to believe them, imagine that you are encouraging a friend, and keep at it. Eventually it will start to feel more natural and comforting.