Dr. John Sarno is an orthopedist who practiced traditional medicine for years. Then he discovered a condition called tension myositis syndrome (TMS), as well as the methods for treating it. This dramatically improved his cure rate. I recommend his books The Mindbody Prescription: Healing the Body, Healing the Pain and Healing Back Pain: The Mind-Body Connection because they have helped thousands of people to manage or eliminate chronic pain and get on with their running and their lives.
A runner who is experiencing TMS is allowing the subconscious brain to monitor stress. To shift control to the conscious brain at the beginning of a workout, it helps to identify sources of stress and talk them out or just vent as you’re moving down the road. Dr. Sarno says that you don’t have to resolve an issue to manage or cure the pain. You just need to be aware of it and then take some conscious action to move control away from the reflex brain.
Sarno explains how inner stress build-up activates TMS. The reflex brain receives the continuous information flow through the peptide network, which identifies the areas of the body that have been damaged.
When the total stress level rises significantly, the reflex brain reduces blood flow to these areas, dramatically increasing pain. But when a person takes conscious control over the reflex brain by deciding to do things such as talk to the reflex brain, the blood flow can be restored, and TMS can be managed. Here are some statements that have worked:
“I know what you are doing, reflex brain, and I won’t allow it.”
“Open up the flow in my________.”
“I’m in control here.”
“I’m not going to let the reflex brain control the blood flow.”
Note: When there is pain, get guidance from your doctor before running to ensure that running or walking will not make the condition worse. It’s best to be under the care of a doctor who understands TMS and wants you to run if you can.