{"id":2799,"date":"2020-09-09T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-09-08T23:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.amt.org.au\/?p=2799"},"modified":"2020-09-09T17:00:03","modified_gmt":"2020-09-09T07:00:03","slug":"pain-positive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.amt.org.au\/index.php\/2020\/09\/09\/pain-positive\/","title":{"rendered":"Pain Positive"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Leah Dwyer<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I was addicted to high intensity spin classes to stay slim and fit. I put myself under enormous pressure to be the perfect mother to my severely disabled son while ignoring a crumbling marriage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then I fell over in a mother\u2019s race at my son\u2019s school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I went straight to the gym to do a personal training session and a spin class. When my neck seized up a few days later, a physiotherapist diagnosed me with whiplash and a mild concussion. I ignored his instructions and toughed it out at the gym, which meant 5 spin classes a week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About 6 weeks later I still had neck pain and restricted range of motion, and had developed an intermittent myoclonic jerk \u2013 my head would randomly twitch to the left as if I was being zapped by a cattle prod. I went to my GP and she sent me to a neurologist, who diagnosed me with a neuromuscular condition called Cervical Dystonia (CD)<\/a>. He gave me a script for a mild opioid and an anti-depressant \u2013 standard drugs for chronic pain. The neurologist also declared that Botox injections were the only medical solution for the involuntary muscle movements and that if I didn\u2019t have Botox, I would most likely be house bound within 5 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wow! Talk about a life changing 20-minute consult.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is Cervical Dystonia?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

CD feels like waking up with a crick in my neck every morning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDystonia is a disorder characterized by involuntary muscle contractions that cause slow repetitive movements or abnormal postures. The movements may be painful, and some individuals with dystonia may have a tremor or other neurologic features. There are several different forms of dystonia that may affect only one muscle, groups of muscles, or muscles throughout the body. Some forms of dystonia are genetic but the cause for the majority of cases is not known<\/strong>.\u201d<\/em><\/p>The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (USA)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Doctors, Doctors and Doctor Google<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

I had Botox for a year; incredibly painful injections at the base of my skull. It did nothing for the pain or stiffness. At the end of the year, I decided to quit the Botox and formulate my own treatment plan. This included remedial massage, strength training, an over-the-counter pain reliever and a good tequila.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most persistent pain patients try everything and I was no different. One of the therapies that seem to work temporarily better than anything else was remedial massage. And yes, I heard the words, \u201cYou\u2019re so tight!\u201d many times. As long as the therapist didn\u2019t hurt me by trying to force my muscles to relax, I would often feel more mobile and in less pain. This intrigued me and I decided to become a remedial massage therapist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As part of my constant quest for answers, I saw a pain specialist. Unfortunately, the pain specialist gave me no answers and deeply angered me by declaring that there was nothing on the scans that warranted the amount of pain I was in and he\u2019d like me to see the clinic psychologist. I screamed all the way home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A fortuitous Google search brought up a TED talk by Aussie neuroscientist Lorimer Moseley called, Why Things Hurt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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