Tension myositis syndrome
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Tension myositis syndrome (TMS) is a condition described by Dr. John E. Sarno in his book Healing Back Pain: The Mind-Body Connection (ISBN 0446392308). According to Dr. Sarno, TMS is a condition in which emotional stress causes physical pain in the human body. Most often this pain occurs in the back, neck, shoulders, and buttocks but may appear in other parts of the body as well. The physiological reason for the pain is decreased blood flow causing oxygen deprivation in the affected area(s) of the body, which may involve muscles, nerves, tendons or ligaments. This physical phenomenon, the decreased blood flow, is an aberration undertaken by the autonomic nervous system and causes increased pain and tension in the affected tissues. This results in muscle pain similar to what an athlete might feel after a strenuous workout. Whereas the athlete will feel relief within moments of halting the workout, the person afflicted with TMS continues to feel pain almost constantly.
Underlying Cause
Dr. Sarno claims that the pain is the mind's defense mechanism against unconscious or subconscious mental stress it does not want to cope with, emotions such as anger, anxiety and narcissistic rage. Rather than be forced to deal with the stress and its underlying causes, the mind causes muscles in the body to tighten up and thus cause physical pain. The conscious mind can then concentrate on this pain rather than the underlying emotional stress. This strategy is designed by the brain to keep such emotional stress from surfacing in the conscious mind, thus assisting in the supression or repression of the painful emotions and preventing awareness of them.
Treatment
Dr. Sarno's book is unusual among self-help literature in that it does not provide a set of instructions for dealing with the described problem. There are no classes, exercises, or life changes described to alleviate the problem. Instead, Sarno claims that simply educating the mind about TMS is usually enough to make it go away. The book describes personality types that are prone to TMS, and how TMS works. Once the mind understands the trick that it is playing on itself, the symptoms will usually disappear.
Back Pain and Traditional Medicine
Dr. Sarno is vocal in his criticism of traditional medicine with regard to back pain, which often resorts to surgical methods of treatment. He claims these methods are unnecessary and often ineffective. According to him, most back pain has its roots in emotional stress and thus the mind rather than the body should be treated to address the symptoms.