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Morning back pain

Discussion in 'Support Subforum' started by patrickj, Oct 1, 2022.

  1. patrickj

    patrickj Well known member

    I wake up everyday with awful back pain. It’s mid back / sides and really hurts when I lay on my sides. It doesn’t help that I’m a side sleeper.

    I’ve noticed a certain link between the pain and if I lay on the sofa the night before. If I had a night on the sofa my back is 2x worse than usual the next day. Does that prove that the pain is from sitting/lying with bad posture?

    If I don’t lie on the sofa my pain will be there next day but not as bad.

    My back pain has been around for over 3 years and it’s always there but I have good and bad spells. Also it’s generally much worse in the morning, once I’m up and struggling through the day it generally gets a bit looser.
     
  2. JanAtheCPA

    JanAtheCPA Beloved Grand Eagle

    Remind us, @patrickj - why are you here (short answer please, we don't need any diagnostic or symptom details) and how far along are you in your TMS journey?

    The problem with this post is that you are essentially asking the TMS community to diagnose your back pain physically. We are here to support your TMS journey, but you don't mention anything about that at all.

    If you've been checked out medically before starting the TMS journey, if you've exhausted the physical options before coming here, and if you still think that your back pain could be TMS, then you have to stop thinking physically, and start thinking psychologically. I'm not going to tell you that 100% certainty is required when you are just starting out, but you have to be able to visualize that as a goal, at the very least.
     
    Melrubi likes this.
  3. JanAtheCPA

    JanAtheCPA Beloved Grand Eagle

    I just went to your profile to check your earlier posts, and you said you have MRIs scheduled and that you don't think you have TMS.

    Again - we are here to support the journey of people who DO think that their symptoms result from the TMS brain mechanism, even if they understand that their fearful brains are creating doubt. The difference is that they are making a commitment to doing the work even if they still struggle with doubt.

    I strongly suggest that you refrain from asking non-professionals any physical questions in advance of your MRIs. And don't ask Dr. Google, either, and for goodness' sake, don't join any back pain forums! This is your fearful brain trying to keep you firmly stuck in fear, allowing you think that attempting to obtain reassurance from anonymous individuals on a free public forum is accomplishing something! IOW, "This is your brain on TMS". Even if you have something structurally wrong (unlikely to be the cause of pain per Sarno, but whatever), the TMS brain mechanism will make everything worse - in that sense, you (and all humans) DO have TMS. But that's a somewhat different discussion, at least for now.

    So until your MRIs, your time (and ours) will probably be better spent working on your anxiety and learning to calm your fears. I recommend the little book by Claire Weekes "Hope and Help for Your Nerves". Taming anxiety will benefit your entire life, not just your pain. (also see: Overcome Anxiety with Dr. Claire Weekes - The TMS Wiki)

    If you are still interested in the possibility that your symptoms are the result of TMS, then read Success Stories (in that subforum) related to back pain, without asking any more symptom questions for now. Just read, and simply accept.

    This is the best advice I can think to give you for where you are at right now.

    Good luck.
     

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