New pain, real or TMS? Please help

Hi guys,

I was hoping I could get your advice on pain I've been having for the past few weeks to help determine whether this is an injury or TMS. I have had multiple TMS related symptoms in the past (such as stomach problems, headaches, back pain) etc and have almost all the characteristics of a TMS sufferer (such as anxiety, perfectionism etc). However, I am currently experiencing pain that radiates from my shoulder blade all the way down my left arm, something I have never experienced before, which I believe may have been triggered by lifting heavy weights. To give you a brief background, I am currently in NSW Australia, where we have been in lockdown for almost 4 months. This has obviously been incredibly stressful, although I have been finding healthy ways to cope such as exercise and talking to my therapist. It is important to note that in the past, all my TMS episodes happened during or after stressful events in my life.

A few weeks ago, I woke up with pain in my left arm that started in my back. It got progressively worse, and I was soon not able to use my left arm at all. I went to my physiotherapist, where he claimed I had a pinched nerve, and it would go away in a few weeks. However, I had an MRI scan done, and it came back clear. I am still in a decent amount of pain, which has been coming and going, and am unsure whether this really is an injury or a mind game. I am very aware of my tendencies to over catastrophize and develop TMS through allowing my thoughts to go into a downwards spiral, and want to stop it in its tracks. However, if this is an injury, I do not want to exacerbate it and make it worse.

What would your advice be? Should I rest for a few weeks and see how I get on? Or should I suspect TMS? And if this is an injury, how can I stay positive? Ultimately, I know I will be okay, however I am not in a good headspace at the moment and don't want to turn this into anything bigger than it is.

Thank you so much for reading guys and any advice is appreciated! Julia xx

 

hi Julia: I just posted a list of questions that Alan Gordon suggests asking yourself regarding "Is it structural or TMS", on another thread in the General Discussion subforum. If you have had multiple TMS experiences before and you know you fit that personality profile and tend to catastrophize things and don't have a clear doctor's diagnosis and it lingers for a long time, and sometimes is bad and sometimes not bad, that would see to suggest TMS.

 

There is no such thing as The Easter Bunny, the tooth Fairy or Pinched nerves. Period.

This isn't even one that 'might' be structural. Dr. Sarno explained this one to death, but if a nerve was really pinched the way it is described in medical literature , according to their own rules of the game, it would be NUMB not painful. Not numb as in feelings of numbness, numb as in loss of feeling completely.

The pain your describing is the arm version of 'sciatica' and both of them are meat and potatoes TMS. I have had it and it has always been about anger that hasn't gotten to my consciousness yet.

If I were young I would be flaming pissed about having my whole life shut down. I mostly hang out with younger people and this lockdown crap has been way harder on them than us old farts.

NO! That would be giving up the game and implying that there is something wrong with you!

You need to do everything you would normally do, but start spending time reading the texts, writing about things that Ought to be making you angry that aren't, and really making your own guesses as to why this symptom was needed at this exact time?

The TMS is a coping mechanism and THINKS it is helping.... why would you need some coping help right now? Focus your mind on those sort of topics and do everything you can to completely ignore it and go about your business