What Testing for TMS Is Available? (How Do I Know if I Have It?)
Is there a test for Tension Myositis Syndrome (TMS)? Not in the traditional sense — there's no blood test or scan that confirms it. Instead, TMS is diagnosed through a set of diagnostic criteria. If you meet most of them, you probably have TMS.
As a general rule, if pain has lasted more than six months with no clear structural cause, TMS is likely, but it's always worth confirming with your doctor to rule out anything else going on.
How do you diagnose TMS?
Normal pain shows up when you're injured, and it fades as you heal. TMS pain works differently: it shows up when there's no injury at all, or it lingers long after an injury has already healed.
Questions to Ask Yourself to Determine if Your Pain Is TMS
Did the pain come on during a stressful time?
Is the pain consistent, or does it fluctuate?
Do you have symptoms in different parts of your body?
Does the pain demand a lot of your focus? Are you thinking about it all the time?
Have you been to many doctors and practitioners and still have little or no relief?
Has the pain been around for six months or more?
If you answered yes to several of these, there's a good chance your pain is TMS.
Dr. John Sarno (The Chronic Pain Pioneer)
was among the first to notice something striking: most of the people he treated for chronic pain shared similar personality traits and learned behavioral patterns, including:
Perfectionism
People pleasing
Anxiety
Hypervigilance
Hypercritical (mostly to self) https://www.brainretrainforpain.com/blog/what-are-the-symptoms-of-tension-myositis-syndrome
Type A personalities
Low self-esteem
Worrisome or apt to ruminate
Emotional suppression
If several of these traits sound familiar and you're also dealing with chronic pain, there's a good chance TMS is at play.
To learn more, check out these posts:
Ready to start your recovery?