Debilitating yet intermittent Head/Neck/Back Pain. Psychosomatic?

@karen1945, I added your post to the Cancer: Managing Symptoms group (https://connect.mayoclinic.org/group/cancer-managing-symptoms/) and the Spine Health group (https://connect.mayoclinic.org/group/spine-health/) to bring more people into the discussion.

Karen, I'm glad that you are open to idea that your pain management solution may include addressing physical, emotional, and psychological aspects. This doesn't mean that your isn't real, but psychologists can help. Psychologists are experts in helping people cope with the thoughts, feelings and behaviors that accompany chronic pain. @rwinney can talk more about this approach which she learned at Mayo Clinic's Pain Rehab Center.

What types of activities are able to distract from for pain? What tends to exacerbate it?

@karen1945 Hi Karen. My apologies for just now entering this discussion. Thank you @colleenyoung for including me. Karen, your words were very powerful to me because I spoke many of the same. You seem to have a keen sense of the depth of what you are experiencing. Pain stems from our brain. Acute pain can be resolved whereas chronic pain is typically an upregulation of our central nervous system. Central Sensitization Syndrome explains and defines this process. Ultimately, chronic pain requires a lifestyle change. That change comes from 4 components: physical, emotional, behavior and chemical. Mayo Clinic offers a Pain Rehabilitation Program that changed my life. It provided me with the proper tools to manage my chronic pain in order to live a more positive, productive existence. I am happy to answer any questions you may have. Might you be interested in exploring this approach?
Rachel

@karen1945 I would like to add a video presented by Dr. Sletten on Central Sensitization. I hope this helps.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8defN4iIbho

Thank you for your input, Rachel. I believe I have found the diagnosis to my problem. The video link you provided touched on it, but a book I read recently by Dr. John Sarno hit the proverbial nail on the head! Tension Myoneural Syndrome precisely describes my symptoms. It all makes perfect sense to me. Now that I have identified the problem and its cause, I believe by following Dr. Sarno’s program I will be able to resolve my pain completely. The brain is a mysterious thing.

@karen1945 I am so happy for your findings, Karen! That's great news. Congratulations on being your own advocate and persevering.

I'm glad Dr. Sletten's video helped you navigate a bit. What type of management approach does Dr. Sarno recommend for Tension Myoneural Syndrome?

Dr. Sarno contends that TMS is a defense mechanism the brain employs to avoid facing unpleasant emotions. Once you understand that, you can begin to eliminate the pain. He explains it all in his books. The book that opened my eyes was The Mindbody Prescription. After all the hours I had spent trying to resolve my pain problem, this book finally drew the curtain back on what has been causing me so much discomfort over many years. I understand the tricks my brain has been playing on me. Knowledge is power. There are a number of videos on YouTube that deal with TMS. I only wish I had discovered this sooner. Better late than never.

@rwinney Thanks for the video I enjoyed listening to Dr. Sletton makes sense to me Gives me more room for thought

I just joined this group and your 2021 post was my first read. I have head to toe pins and needles and they rotate all around my body. It usually lasts 4-6 months and than poof its gone. If I get upset about a situation the pins/needles come back. It usually starts behind my ears, then my scalp, and works its way down until my feet burn. A psychiatrist has put me on Pristiq for my brain (thoughts and emotions), while the PCP put me on Pregabalin (Lyrica) for pain. I start seeing a therapist tomorrow to tell my story all over again. I hope they figure out what I'm holding in and help me to release or deal with it so this never comes back again. It started in 2018 and I'm currently in my 4th "episode." I hope you are so much better since your 2021 post.

@rwinney and @karen1945 - I think this new member would love to hear from you, but neither of you were tagged in the post.
Sue

@adjude3 Hello there, welcome to Connect. I believe you're replying to @karen1945 regarding similar symptoms. Hopefully she will chime in with an update on how she is doing since her post of 2021.

Much of your symptoms mimic Central Sensitization Syndrome (CSS) which sort of helped me explain the unexplainable when I was experiencing symptoms like yours with pins and needles, flares that would come and go, and crazy feelings throughout the body. Our central nervous system can be upregulated in ways that amplify pain signals whereas you feel things more than someone else might. Central sensitization can happen from traumatic life events, surgeries, even Covid. So much of the symptoms are tied between cognitive errors, emotional distress, physical deconditioning, and chemical use. So, yes, psychosomatic plays a role. Perhaps watching Dr Sletten's video on CSS will help shed some light on what you may be experiencing.

Mayo Clinic's Dr. Sletten- Central Sensitization Syndrome: