Health issues

biondino

Another catch-all thread, this time for specific health questions which don't necessarily require their own thread. I guess fitness comes into the equation as well - might change the title if all the queries are about fitness instead!

Actually, I guess mine is a bit of both. For the past two weeks I've had a pulled calf muscle (or something that feels like one) and it's not getting any better. It's very unlikely I did it cycling as when I am cycling I can barely feel it, but when I walk (and much more so when I run) its increasingly painful.

I've no idea how I did it, and I'm concerned it's not getting better. Obviously I can't just stop walking (I'm avoiding running obviously!) but I was wondering if anyone had any advice. It feels pretty much in the centre of my calf, quite deep, and the faster I walk (and the more I push down on the front of my foot, stretching the calf) the sorer it is. Any ideas?

lost_in_thought

Go to the doctor!

After 2 weeks, it's either something more troublesome than a pulled muscle, or youre exacerbating it with something you're doing. If you can self-refer on the health insurance I'm presuming you have, take yourself to a physio/sports physio/similar.

biondino

Health insurance? I think our work health insurance has been taken away and I don't have any private insurance. Should look into that.

ChrisLS

...in my experience doctors just tell you to stop doing things, sports physios always find a way forward. You may have to pay, but well worth it. I see mine once a month to give me ol' legs a going over, hurts like hell but boy does it feel good the next day..

Littigator

Have you had a really bad charley-horse cramp there in the last couple of weeks? When I get bad ones the after effects can easily last for a week or two.

If it is that then lots and lots and lots of stretching...massage and drink lots of tonic water

always_tyred

Why tonic water? That's just an inert carrier for gin isn't it?

In which case I agree completely.

jeepie

OK. You may know this, but here goes. When you injure a muscle first you need it to heal. Therefore you put ice on it to cool it down and compress it to keep the blood away, then you rest it, and you keep it elevated (RICE).

After the muscle has healed it will heal shorter than it was before. This can mean the muscle pulls something else which then hurts (but let's ignore this for now). Therefore you need to STRETCH it back to the length it was before.

As you've had your injury 2 weeks, you'll be through the healing period (unless it's more serious...see below), so don't RICE just stretch it out. It may hurt cos it has healed shorter.

Find a nice private place, get on all fours, then lift your knees off the ground and your bum in the air and try to get your heel as near to the ground as possible in a kind of bridge pose. This is the best calf stretch I know.... Stretch for at least 30 seconds. Then rest. Then again.

If you feel pain rather than stretching tension, or the injury persists, then you'll need to go to a physio. I am not a physio. I'm a keen runner and am always picking up niggles like this so have some very limited knowledge. The key is to try to fix it, but if it's not working go to a physio. Yeah it will cost, but you have to suck it up and you'll feel better when everything is in order again.

biondino

Thanks Jeepie, and others, that's really helpful.

Anyone else got any issues? Ideally embarrassing ones? My bet is Greg T.

always_tyred

"Oh Lord, I am afflicted by a bald patch"

(That's a quote..... not meant offensively.)

cjcp

Always Tyred wrote:

"Oh Lord, I am afflicted by a bald patch"

(That's a quote..... not meant offensively.)

Life of Brian?

Greg T

biondino wrote:

Anyone else got any issues? Ideally embarrassing ones? My bet is Greg T.

I do have a killer story about a Japan, a rash and a visit to the Doctors.....

However it is not for interwebby broadcast.

prj45

My wrists aren't too good, I think it was after some drunk sumo wrestling at an Xmas party a while back. My sister said I should get my snuff box imaged, but I never got round to it, it still hurts, but doesn't appear to affect my typing or anything, but they might ache after being in the saddle for a while and I have to shake them to wake them up again. Normal I supose.

I get quite a lot of sharp pains in my chest muscles, something unbalanced in there and every now and again I'll get a real tender spot than makes me feel a bit ill when I press it. Can cause some pain when I lift up off the bars sometimes.

Went to the GP and as usual he didn't have a clue "it's all a bit complicated round there" was all he could offer :roll: .

My other concern is the deepening crevace in my right little finger, my left one cleared up, but my right is starting to resemble something a mountaineer might fall into. It's very red, but I can't see the bone yet though; don't think I help by picking it.

lost_in_thought

I have problems with my right shoulder since I dislocated it playing rugby a few years ago. Doesn't give me too much trouble, but I do find myself locking my elbows sometimes when riding on the hoods, which makes my shoulders and neck hurt.

I also find that riding around with my neck bent upwards all the time gets a bit ouchy, any suggestions?

Littigator

Always Tyred wrote:

Why tonic water? That's just an inert carrier for gin isn't it?

In which case I agree completely.

Quinine helps combat cramps, it's magic honestly as I can suffer quite badly with them.

m0scs

lost_in_thought wrote:

I also find that riding around with my neck bent upwards all the time gets a bit ouchy, any suggestions?

No good comes from riding road bikes with drops, all back and neck aches!

Buy a Pashley is my advise! Neck and back will be nice and straight and FNC through the roof.

I have been suffering from pain in my left elbow, transmitting down my forarm. Also get some pain in the same wrist as well.

It doesnt seem to be getting any better, so I just ignore it. Pretty sure its cycling related, pulling on handle bars or putting too much weight on them.

Stangely no such problems with the other arm.

I guess you have to expect to pick up some bike related injuries, given the amount we all use our bikes.

Also I find if I dont ride my bike for a few days I start geting all sorts of other aches and pains in my legs feet etc. Normally a good thrash on the bike sorts it out.

giltkid

I dislocated my shoulder in a car crash years ago and it still gives me pain and 'locks' - doing light weights (10 kilo curls) seems to help for a while until I leave off and the aggro starts again after a month or two...

biondino

I've subluxated (partially dislocated but where the ball doesn't come completely out of the socket) both my shoulders and every few months I do it again, ranging from the "hurts for a few hours" to the "a month later I'm still bruised and sore". The last two were both while riding my bike - once in a very minor accident where my front wheel was turned sharply to the left, literally pulling my right arm out, and once where I was stretching my calves while holding onto a fence post and my back foot slips, shifting my whole body back a couple of inches - apart from, naturally, my right arm, which remains attached to the fence...

giltkid

You've got my sympathy - earlier in the summer I had a coming together with 40 pounds of mobile scaffolding pole cunningly disguised as a bicycle and yet again it was my left shoulder which came to grief - 3 weeks off the bike and an expensive new wheel

Coriander

giltkid wrote:

You've got my sympathy - earlier in the summer I had a coming together with 40 pounds of mobile scaffolding pole cunningly disguised as a bicycle and yet again it was my left shoulder which came to grief - 3 weeks off the bike and an expensive new wheel

My right shoulder used to dislocate - it came officially out (as in I had to go to hospital and have it relocated under anaesthetic) 10 times and subluxated countless times. I had an operation to stablise it (a major op involving sawing off part of my breast bone and screwing it back higher up). This has stopppd it dislocating but there's still a lot of instability. My left shoulder also subluxates.

Anyway, my point is, each time your shoulder dislocates it's more likely to do so again. So I would suggest that both of you go to your doctor and insist on physiotherapy. And that you actually do the exercises they give you. My strong point is complete laziness, I didn't really do the exercises (you feel so invincible in your early twenties) and still suffer today. After a consultation with a surgeon last night, it looks like I'll be going back under the knife.

linsen

I get pins and needles in my left hand when I cycle on my road bike.

Biondido, my firiend had a similar leg "ow", and she found it took a few weeks to go. Nothing sinister though, and she found riding a bike okay - one up for all of us! Running will come to no good - anything that inefficient was obviously not invented for humans...

always_tyred

cjcp wrote:

Always Tyred wrote:

"Oh Lord, I am afflicted by a bald patch"

(That's a quote..... not meant offensively.)

Life of Brian?

He has given us... His shoe! Let us, like Him, hold up one shoe and let the other be upon our foot, for this is His sign, that all who follow Him shall do likewise.

linsen

Biondino I dodn't mean to call you Biondido. Sorry!

always_tyred

linsen wrote:

I get pins and needles in my left hand when I cycle on my road bike.

Biondido, my firiend had a similar leg "ow", and she found it took a few weeks to go. Nothing sinister though, and she found riding a bike okay - one up for all of us! Running will come to no good - anything that inefficient was obviously not invented for humans...

Not a good idea to open up a discussion about things going numb. That's a whole can of worm.

biondino

linsen wrote:

Biondino I dodn't mean to call you Biondido. Sorry!

That's quite alright! It rather tickled me actually. Though you are halfway to a possibly less savoury version of my username.

spen666

biondino wrote:

Another catch-all thread, this time for specific health questions which don't necessarily require their own thread. I guess fitness comes into the equation as well - might change the title if all the queries are about fitness instead!

Actually, I guess mine is a bit of both. For the past two weeks I've had a pulled calf muscle (or something that feels like one) and it's not getting any better. It's very unlikely I did it cycling as when I am cycling I can barely feel it, but when I walk (and much more so when I run) its increasingly painful.

I've no idea how I did it, and I'm concerned it's not getting better. Obviously I can't just stop walking (I'm avoiding running obviously!) but I was wondering if anyone had any advice. It feels pretty much in the centre of my calf, quite deep, and the faster I walk (and the more I push down on the front of my foot, stretching the calf) the sorer it is. Any ideas?

shouldthis not be in know how?

always_tyred

spen666 wrote:

biondino wrote:

Another catch-all thread, this time for specific health questions which don't necessarily require their own thread. I guess fitness comes into the equation as well - might change the title if all the queries are about fitness instead!

Actually, I guess mine is a bit of both. For the past two weeks I've had a pulled calf muscle (or something that feels like one) and it's not getting any better. It's very unlikely I did it cycling as when I am cycling I can barely feel it, but when I walk (and much more so when I run) its increasingly painful.

I've no idea how I did it, and I'm concerned it's not getting better. Obviously I can't just stop walking (I'm avoiding running obviously!) but I was wondering if anyone had any advice. It feels pretty much in the centre of my calf, quite deep, and the faster I walk (and the more I push down on the front of my foot, stretching the calf) the sorer it is. Any ideas?

shouldthis not be in know how?

Why?

girv73

I'm currently cycling to work 3 days a week. On the in-between days (Tuesday & Thursday) my legs feel kinda tired and dead. Am I just not fit enough to do 5 days yet or am I maybe overdoing it on my cycling days and need to take it a bit easier? The new ride home is 9 miles and pretty much all uphill, mainly 2-3% but 15% for short stretches.

always_tyred

My commute is fairly hilly - even on the way "down" I have to climb about 500ft, including a km at about 10%. I live in the flat lands before I moved up here and it took me a little while to regain my climbing legs. You do get used to it, but it helps to have a "soft option" in the mean time.

The soft option for you might simply be to avoid the urge to get up the hill in your normal gear and to permit yourself to use the granny gear to spin up and stay aerobic.

woodford2barbican

girv73 wrote:

I'm currently cycling to work 3 days a week. On the in-between days (Tuesday & Thursday) my legs feel kinda tired and dead. Am I just not fit enough to do 5 days yet or am I maybe overdoing it on my cycling days and need to take it a bit easier? The new ride home is 9 miles and pretty much all uphill, mainly 2-3% but 15% for short stretches.

Quite the opposite. You are not cycling enough. Start cycling on the inbetween days and your legs will feel like those of a spring lamb.

girv73

So stick at it and it'll get better then?

Yesterday was the first I tried the 15% route. Lowest of my 27 gears and I could barely move the pedals never mind "spin up"

ChrisLS

...I have a recurring boil on my left buttock... :oops: :? if we are talking about cycling health issues :oops: