Really Struggling with Knee Pain

I’m on Educational Program Day 25, it asks me to take a short minute and write a forum post on how you are doing so far, and what apprehensions you may have about this treatment or your life in general.

I am doing quite well, my knee pain is 95% better. Of course, the pain has shifted to my back, I had a rough couple of days recently, but was able to quickly resume normal activities with a low level of pain.

I do have apprehensions, in that it can be a challenge to know for a certainty if at least some overuse is involved in my knee, or straight up TMS. I continue my normal physical activities, but still favor the knee just a bit.

I don’t have any apprehensions about TMS in general, Ive been practicing mind body medicine for over a decade, with great success.

 

Wow! You are doing great!!! Keep it up!

 

How can I tell if my pain is from TMS? I've had psychosomatic pain many times, but it always felt very real and genuine.
However, I overcame the pain by not paying much attention to it and by continuing to fill my life with work, socializing, movies, and other good things. I struggle much more when, after a scary exercise, I have to trust that it will pass sooner or later. My MRI is the same as in 2023, showing grade 1 chondropathy, but I’m suffering from both the pain and the effects of having done a strenuous exercise (ten wall sit squats).
Having pain in both knees makes everything more difficult. It's not easy. It's wonderful to read a conversation with so many people who are feeling better. I'm sincerely happy for you, and I hope to join you soon.

 

do you keep an evidence log? Definitively moments where the pain shifts, waxes or wanes, is it better upon waking up, worse when it rains, do baths help etc. structural pain is going to be more consistent, less prone to moving, fluctuating.

what’s your TMS knowledge like, what programs have you tried, what methods are you using? TMS work IMO is a little more than just not paying attention to a symptom and getting on with life. There’s usually (almost always) some underlying thing that leads to nervous system dysfunction that forces the brain to create symptoms.

if you don’t believe it’s TMS and are thrown into a panic after exercise then you’re just going to get stuck in a loop of flares and pain and panic. The first step is accepting enough that what you have is TMS, then gathering evidence by doing work and keeping a log and looking back on it in moments of doubts/flares.

I had awful knee pain yesterday playing volleyball, and then had my right knee gave out while walking to work this morning
I’m fine right now. Would structural pain act that way? My knees are a sensitive part for me, I’ve had knee pain (TMS) on and off since my early 20s and had a small fracture in my patella back in April which healed without issue. But if I didn’t have the knowledge I do now it’s very likely I’d be thrown into a panic and start obsessing over my knees like I did when I was 21.

start reframing how you view flares, they’re a ticket out of this, assuming you can learn to respond well to them. They’re there to distract you, if they stop doing that then the brain is going to have to change its strategy up.

 

First of all, thank you for your reply.

I'm in Italy and recently started seeing a therapist who specializes in psychosomatic illnesses.

I've noted numerous tests that the pain is TMS-type. But this is precisely what's holding me back: the pain increases and decreases, disappearing with some activities, but never completely.
Before, my knees would get hot and red at night when I was doing more. Today, they don't, and that's a significant thing for me. I can walk more. I can do steps with less pain. I can sleep at night.
However, I have a burning sensation, especially when I'm sitting or standing still, making it difficult to do anything, especially my computer work. The burning is annoying; I feel it with every movement of my kneecaps. All day long since December 2024.

I've suffered from it many times since my surgery in 2010 on left knee (the surgeon didn't do anything, but he made some money!), and it disappeared almost miraculously. But once (in 2018, after running training), it took a miracle of sorts: the death of a friend's mother, with whom I shared the last days of her life.

Since 2018, I've been a little worse, but the flare-ups have only occurred in the winter, with no apparent explanation. Maybe I was just sadder, more sedentary, and bored (I live on a tourist island). Then, in the summer, with more activity, I felt too good for this pain to be real. But every winter it's gotten better, so much so that I've had a great year.

I'm stuck with the fairly constant presence of the pain, my overuse activities (10-minute wall sit squats), and the obsession with a diagnosis of grade 1 chondropathy in my right knee and grade 1/2 chondropathy in my left. I am 40 years old, so it could be normal, but I am terrified for my future. Even when I'm well, I think about it at least a little because I want it to go away. I have pain in both knees, and it's getting harder.

My pain is burning in the morning. Then, if I walk and don't sit still at work, it gets better and I feel pretty good during the day. The next morning, I feel sore again. It's as if I need movement to keep my joints supple and lubricated.

To improve, I'm trying to live life without giving up anything, making my life less boring. I listen to my needs much more, work less, do more of the things I enjoy, read more, and use technology less when I wake up and before bed. I talk less about my problem with strangers and, in general, with myself and others. I even talk less about it to my wife. I don't watch YouTube video or blog.

I have a newborn daughter who has stressed me out a lot. In just a few months, I had a lot of tension and stress. Today, I'm more accustomed to it, I love her, and I'm not hypocritical with her, dedicating more time to myself and my wife.

I have read many books about TMS but I don't understand how to work to solve my problems. I don't like tools, I prefer to live without fear.

 

This right here. Take time to explore the fact that your life has changed. And while it's a positive change for your family, you can have conflicting thoughts about it. Yes, having a baby is wonderful! But the sleepless nights, the crying, the stress of your relationship changing in your marriage, putting pressure on yourself to make time for your spouse, and much more can definitely trigger some TMS symptoms.

 

Thank you for your message.

Why are you among us? Have you also suffered from knee pain?

I am happy about your running with your husband. It is great.

 

She doesn't have to have experienced knee pain in order to offer advice on TMS treatment.

 

This right here is what has pretty much stuck me with doubt. Consistent, no movement, nothing helps. But I love to stick around and see other success stories.

 

There really isn’t much for me to say. I’m not a doctor, not here to say whether your mild cartilage disease/degeneration is the root of your issues, but it’s very clear you’re in an absolute panic and completely obsessing over the physical sensations.

the tools aren’t some abstract thing that serve no purpose. Things like journalling, and meditation are means to lower your nervous system stress load and also to gain some control from your subconscious so silly thoughts aren’t running rampant and convincing you of things that aren’t true or real.

you have a choice whether you want to buy in and believe you can get out of this or stay in a panic circling the drain of fear and pain
Even if what you have is strictly physical, there is zero to be gained from panic and obsessing about pain, you’ll just make your situation worse.

 

It stays the same until it doesn’t.

 

You can click on my profile to see my main symptoms-I try not to talk about them now because my focus is on my emotions or how I am feeling in the moment. But I feel like I've had every symptom imperative at this point! TMS tries to make you scared and trick you. Someone once gave me the advice that any time that you are annoyed or frustrated you could be covering up some anger that you repressing. With your sentence about your daughter, you say how you are stressed but quickly comment that you love her. Right there is some conflict in your emotions. We love our kids-but raising them is so hard whether they are babies or teenagers-it can be a challenge! It's honestly one of my areas I need to look at in my life when flares do happen.