Tingling Groin - should I cycle ?

oldspoke

Hello - long time lurker, but now I need some advice. I developed lower back pain and pain high in the back of thigh last year - it all seemed start in my groin - which at first felt sweaty - but then I realised it was tingling.

Anyway 5 months off the bike, mri's and x rays showed nothing. My doc said it was nerve pain - but other than that offered little guidance as to whether I should cycle or not. Anyway I did a load of stretches and glute strenghening, had a bike fit and over the few weekends have gone out and done gentle miles. The back pain has gone - but what I do get (don't laugh) is a sore scrotum !!!!! - it feels like its twissting as I am pedalling - its nothing compared to the back pain - but it does stay with me off the bike. I can replicate the pain by pulling my knee into my chest , or bending right over.

None of this particulry bothered me, until a riding pal - reckoned it could be pudendal nerve damage - he reckoned this can develop into a serious and permanent injury - and surfing the web - it seems it can. Now I don't know what do - i am very aware of the tingling most of time off the bike - its not that painful - and it almost feels that all the hamstring and groin stretches have caused it - or is the bike.

As I say it wouldn't bother me - but the fear of it turning into something major. I have thought about buying a saddle with a cut out , SELLE SMP TRK isn't expensive .....or even not cycling altogether.....

any advice......... (GP No help )

DavidJB

HI I used to go numb until I got a saddle with a cutaway which solved most of the issues but to be honest you have to learn to sit on your sit bones and not on your fleshy bits which takes some getting used to.

However that being said, If you're feeling it off the bike however I'd see another doctor in another surgery...some GP's are useless, it may be all in your mind but it may not be. Good luck with it.

Monty Dog

I would certainly investigate your seating position / saddle shape to see if you can relieve the symptoms - you could try something like the Adamo saddle? Solutions will be down to the individual and impossible to make accurate assessments of what will work for you.

andrewjoseph

Redo saddles may be solution, but as others said, it's very personal. the only way to solve it is to try different saddles and slightly different positions.

I can't get on with padded saddles, brooks b17 and a brooks swift suit me.

oldspoke

Thanks folks - like I say - the pain itself isn't to bad. I am just concerned that ignoring it could lead to a serious injury - ..ideally a new saddle or saddle position could remove the symptoms completley - although as I have the tingling when I am not on the bike ....that seems to much to hope......!

MattC59

Holly Willoughby gives me a tingling groin

tubbs_214

i used to get numb plums more so on the trainer but ive just bought a specialized toupe seat and i havnt had any pain since that was once i got it in the right position, so like every one has said a seat with a cut away is the way forward

wishitwasallflat

I really really hope its nothing but please be aware that tingling or pain in that area - associated with low back pain (often termed saddle paresthesia - saddle due to the area of the body affected not anything to do with cycling) can be an indication of some very serious health spine problems that are nothing at all to do with cycling or saddles - GET IT CHECKED OUT PROPERLY NOW! Hopefully it's nothing major and a new saddle or change in fit may help but don't mess about as it could be worse and early treatment could make a big difference to outcome.

Not trying to spook you but please do check it out.

PS - I should add I am a Physio to trade so I am not just speculating on www based info.

oldspoke

wishitwasallflat wrote:

I really really hope its nothing but please be aware that tingling or pain in that area - associated with low back pain (often termed saddle paresthesia - saddle due to the area of the body affected not anything to do with cycling) can be an indication of some very serious health spine problems that are nothing at all to do with cycling or saddles - GET IT CHECKED OUT PROPERLY NOW! Hopefully it's nothing major and a new saddle or change in fit may help but don't mess about as it could be worse and early treatment could make a big difference to outcome.

Not trying to spook you but please do check it out.

PS - I should add I am a Physio to trade so I am not just speculating on www based info.

Thanks what are thinking it could be ?

When you say it get it checked out - do you mean see a GP ? - I am pretty sure a GP will tell me its nothing worry about - and take some paracetmol ?

wishitwasallflat

oldspoke - firstly your post described a symptom that people get which is almost always not a major issue - e.g. a bit of minor pressure/compression on a nerve serving that area or irritation/inflammation (the latter two could easily be caused by pressure from a saddle) which has triggered this strange sensation so please do not worry .

The only reason I posted - and I did think very carefully about whether I should or not as I do not want to alarm you - is that symptoms like that, in that area, with low back pain can be signs (sometimes early warning signs) of some more serious issues. The main one that comes to mind first, when that type of symptom is associated with some low back problems is spinal disc bulging, prolapse or herniation (often called a slipped disc). This is where the disc between the bones of the spine bulges or even bursts. This can cause pressure on the nerves exiting and entering the spine as the hole they travel through is very very close to the side of the disc that sits between the bones in the spine. If you get pressure on the nerve you can get what is called reffered or radicular pain (or altered sensations such as tingling, numbness etc) in the area of the body which that nerve serves/comes from. For example - if the nerve that bring signals from your left foot to your brain was pressed as it entered the spine, and fired off as a result of that pressure, your brain would receive that signal and locate the sensation in your foot - there is no problem in the foot it's just that your brain knows the nerve that is signalling it comes from there. It's exactly the same situation with the groin area - or any other area of the body - as all those types of nerve enter the spine to travel up to the brain through a little hole which is bounded by the bones of the spine and the discs. So if the disc bulges - the hole is smaller and sometimes the nerve gets squeezed and fires off.

All I can suggest it go back to your GP tell her or him that it is not getting better and you are worried about it and hopefully they will refer you to a physio who will check you over properly and i.d. the problem. In that way you can catch this early - get peace from it, get treatment, set your mind at rest and enjoy your cycling!

oldspoke

wishitwasallflat wrote:

oldspoke - firstly your post described a symptom that people get which is almost always not a major issue - e.g. a bit of minor pressure/compression on a nerve serving that area or irritation/inflammation (the latter two could easily be caused by pressure from a saddle) which has triggered this strange sensation so please do not worry .

The only reason I posted - and I did think very carefully about whether I should or not as I do not want to alarm you - is that symptoms like that, in that area, with low back pain can be signs (sometimes early warning signs) of some more serious issues. The main one that comes to mind first, when that type of symptom is associated with some low back problems is spinal disc bulging, prolapse or herniation (often called a slipped disc). This is where the disc between the bones of the spine bulges or even bursts. This can cause pressure on the nerves exiting and entering the spine as the hole they travel through is very very close to the side of the disc that sits between the bones in the spine. If you get pressure on the nerve you can get what is called reffered or radicular pain (or altered sensations such as tingling, numbness etc) in the area of the body which that nerve serves/comes from. For example - if the nerve that bring signals from your left foot to your brain was pressed as it entered the spine, and fired off as a result of that pressure, your brain would receive that signal and locate the sensation in your foot - there is no problem in the foot it's just that your brain knows the nerve that is signalling it comes from there. It's exactly the same situation with the groin area - or any other area of the body - as all those types of nerve enter the spine to travel up to the brain through a little hole which is bounded by the bones of the spine and the discs. So if the disc bulges - the hole is smaller and sometimes the nerve gets squeezed and fires off.

All I can suggest it go back to your GP tell her or him that it is not getting better and you are worried about it and hopefully they will refer you to a physio who will check you over properly and i.d. the problem. In that way you can catch this early - get peace from it, get treatment, set your mind at rest and enjoy your cycling!

Thanks - I have actually been seeing a physio. He gave me some stretching excercises - but after a few sessions with no improvement. He said it was probably nerve pain, and it would clear with time. The MRI \ XRAY did show some minor wear and tear - but nothing they could link to the problem.

He also said excercise is good - and to stick with the excercises, ride by bike but not through pain. He then discharged me back to the GP. I increased the excercises and rode my bike (only a little), but this week the tingling has started in my dangly bits ! - Normally I would ignore this and carry on cycling - but after reading about things pudendal nerve damage (for example) can do - I just worry that I shouldn't ride.

wishitwasallflat

For what it's worth my advice would be get yourself back to the physio to check why it hasn't resolved.