Graeme said:Jeremy Collins <[email hidden]> wrote in news:dgy4d.241
[email hidden]:
Quoted message said:Pain going down into the leg can be an indication of sciatica (the
large sciatic nerve getting trapped), but don't treat this as a
diagnosis for gawd's sake!
That's what it sounds like to me too (and I know from experience how bad
it can be).
Quoted message said:Go see a chiropractor or physiotherapist.
Can I add "osteopath" to that list? [snip]
May I take all three off the list and suggest an orthopaedic surgeon?
Below are a few lines I posted several weeks ago on this subject.
http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&th=66d6c5d691614a0a&rnum=1
---
I have suffered from increasingly herniated and
dessicated discs in the lumbar region (L4/5/S1) since my teens (diagnosed
mid-
twenties). Much of the time I am fine (although never perfect); now and
again I
have aches in my spine and/or sciatica (if I sit improperly or sleep in an
unsuitable position, etc.); on four occasions I have been unable to walk
for a
period of days (had a couple of epidurals, one of which went into the
wrong place -
not fun at all!)
When young I was an avid cyclist, but stopped during my university
career. I have,
at the age of 35 (correction, 36, yesterday was my birthday - *sigh*),
recently
climbed back into the saddle. To some extent, this newfound interest in
cycling
was an attempt to help with my spinal problem.
However, I have several observations.
Most importantly, a newsgroup is fit only for anecdotal advice. As several
individuals have pointed out, each case must be assessed on its own merits
(sic)
and comments here, my own included, should be taken cum grano salis.
Regardless of how serious your discomfort appears now, I'd recommend
seeing a good
specialist (an orthopaedic surgeon or, at least, a reputable pain
consultant). I
grew up in England, where my two general practitioners knew nothing about
spinal
problems. Indeed, the problem was not even diagnosed properly until I had
an
emergency MRI scan in Hong Kong (some 10 years after complaining of agony
in my
coccyx as a teenager, often associated with cycling).
When I was 16 I was sent to see an osteopath, who used to put me through
an hour
of torture each week. Again, he had very little understanding of the
problem; and
most orthopaedic surgeons since have told me that this almost certainly
did more
harm than good.
Ditto for physiotherapy. This can be very useful, even necessary, if done
properly. If not, it can be treacherous to the spine. Again, I'd
question the
ability of most GPs to make an appropriate recommendation on this front;
likewise
for physios themselves. There are new and old schools of physiotherapy,
it would
seem (hot-packs vs. ice!) - have tried both and they can both be helpful
in the
right circumstances. The *right* movement is very important.
Acupuncture: well, I am a sinologist, so I tried this, too! No real
benefit, and
I'd argue that few of these individuals are qualified ro assess a lumbar
spine
problem (at least in the UK; in China, where I have also lived, training
is for
more extensive).
As for chiropractors, I exacerbated my spine at the beginning of the year
(courtesy of a parsimonious client who flew me from New York to India in
caboose).
Once I had persuaded the surgeon in Bangalore to lay down his scalpel, I
came
home and saw a chiropractor. It was clear that he knew vanilla treatments
for
common spine problems. How precisely aligned his treatments were to my
needs, I
am not sure. Lots of marketing around his assessment of my MRI scans, but
he
clearly didn't get the picture (ouch!). He was a recognised (and
expensive!)
practitioner in New York (where this stuff is popular); still, I'd never
go back.
I stopped the chiropractor after a week and continued to see my personal
trainer.
Most of these guys are quacks, too; I, however, am fortunate: he
understands my
spinal problem and watches every single move I make (which is really
annoying as
reps in bad form sometimes don't count towards the total!). Knowing how to
protect my lower back when I am doing exercises he put me on a
rehabilitation
program, which has worked out very well. Incidentally, my last MRI scan
showed
that the muscles around my lower spine were very strong, which is entirely
attributable to this gentleman.
Which brings me to cycling (after quite a prologue, I am sorry). My
trainer
recommended that I buy a bike. I was somewhat hesitant, but once I got
there the
very smell of the LBS was enough to compel me to purchase a road bike (with
compact geometry). Explained about my spine to the sales chap, and he
recommended
a smaller frame so that I would not be too extended. Not sure how much
rationale
is behind this, but it is important that I keep my abs tight, so it does
make
sense. Sometimes I wonder whether they had the larger frame in stock
(although he
said they did)!
Rode the bike for two days with no problem (15-odd miles). After the
third (25
miles) I got off the bike and was in some pain. More indignant than
anything, I
popped 75mg of Vioxx, 15mg and of Diazepan and a few Tramadol pills; then
rested
for a couple of days and hopped back into the saddle. Since then it has
been
generally fine.
I find that cycling exacerbates my spine if I churn high gears; I often get
sciatica and/or numbness in my left leg at around the 20-mile mark, but
resting for
10 minutes usually resolves this. On the whole, I don't believe that
cycling is
doing me any harm. My surgeon's view of all this is that, provided I
don't hit
any major bumps (which could compress my 'dried-out bits', I should be ok
- it's
unlikely to be worse than sitting at a computer all day long. I certainly
feel
more 'mobile' now, which is good for my lower back.
I found that a cycling computer helped me maintain the right cadence to
stop me
from pushing too hard on the legs, which clearly impacts my spine.
All this is a somewhat circuitous way of saying that it makes sense to
have a good
specialist look at the problem, but that cycling is not necessarily a bad
idea.
One final point, however: experts have always stressed to me the need to
attenuate
the pain before embarking upon exercise. I'd be very wary of jumping onto
a bike
if you're still in pain as you might well exacerbate the root problem
and/or the
spasm.
Hope this helps.
Glm
