Question
I have had pain in 80% of my body for 18 yrs. now. The pain started after I was a passenger in an auto accident. I was not wearing a seat belt. I grabbed both sides of the seat to keep from going thru the widshield. The spain to the back of my head, my neck and whole back, ribs, chest wall. etc. left me in unbearable pain. I have been thru a lot. P.T. chiropractore, pain clinics "had denervations". etc. I recently am trying acupuncture. It has helped some. I recently tried some easy back strengthening exercises, and lower abdominals. No matter what I do, the more I do the worse I hurt. Am taking 800 mg Ibuprofen 3x daily. Use the heating pad to get the pain down. I am so tired of suffering. I have not been able to concentrate for a long time. And I am just tired of suffering. I used to shut the pain out and work, Can't do that anymore & am at hearing stage for disability. It feels like the pain is in the muscles. Tomorrow will be my 8th acupuncture treatment. I don't know what to do ? Go to the pain clinic again for more help. Ask a Dr. for an implant for pain. or stronger meds ? I wonder if ultrasound device would help ? I am tired of being irritable, feeling sick to my stomach. And not being able to do much.  

Answer
Linda,

I understand your pain.

There is a universal response to shock and pain:  we tighten up.  It's a reflexive reaction.

The way out is to undergo a training process whereby you gain sufficient control of the involved muscles and their movements to relax them.  Strengthening is an incorrect route; your muscles are not weak, but too tight, fatigued, and sore.  You need relaxation -- and not psychological relaxation, but muscular relaxation beyond what you are currently capable of doing.  I'm telling it to you straight.

There is a process akin to biofeedback, but much faster and done through movement, called Hanna somatic education, that sounds like what you need.

Please see the articles on pain and on injuries at somatics.com/page4.htm, for more details and options.

If you were my client, I would anticipate steady improvements to complete recovery in weeks.

with regard,
Lawrence Gold