bad back leg problems

bing gordon

without going into depth i suffered a bad accident on my lower back which has left my left leg calf muscle wasting away.the calf doesnt function and i cant stand on my tip toes ( similar to drop foot). I have had just about everything there is to try and cure it from traction to 3 op's from nuro surgeons to relieve the presurre on the disc's in my lower back but the leg i've been told is unlikely to ever get better.

I have to try and keep fit and funny enough once im on my road bike i can live with the back problems but lately I'm struggling with the lack of power coming from the left leg.

I'm just wondering after reading on the net that it's quite a common problem so is there anybody on here that suffers with the same symtoms and do they have any tip's while on the bike that might help me along .

bing gordon

bing gordon wrote:

it's quite a common problem so is there anybody on here that suffers with the same symtoms and do they have any tip's while on the bike that might help me along .

Not as common as i thought

mattshrops

sorry cant help. Have you tried contacting Alex_SimmonsRST (not sure if that is exactly right) he seems to be a good source of training/physiology info on here. He may not be able to help directly but maybe aim you in the right direction.

Good luck

ut_och_cykla

A guess here - calf muscles provide somewhat passive tension to cycling - if you could in some way tape/support the ankle joint so that it only has limited (but cycle specific ) movement it might help put the power down through teh leg. I know someone with a clubfoot who has a special bandageing setup that allows her to cycle 200km rides with little problem - she can't walk on teh same taping tho'! A good physio might be able to help you

Cakegirl

Hi Bing
I'm sure you have already thought of this, but could you get yourself to a really good physio with a strong knowledge in sports? I have longrunning back issues and problems with the nerves in my right leg which was causing reduced power - I often felt I was only pedalling one-legged and could never tell until I'd actually been riding an hour or so if I could 'work my leg in' and have a decent ride that day or not.

I've been working for 2 years with a brilliant physio who has assessed the whole kinetic chain from shoulder to foot, working on core strength, bike position, pelvic stability, glutes, ITB, peroneus muscles, ankle range, foot stability, insoles etc. I found I needed someone who knew how everything interacts to see all the issues contributing and how problems in one area (say glute tightness impacting your lower back, or foot instability causing your calves to lock tight) could have a knock on effect. I'm not fixed but by working through the whole chain and gaining a few percent back in each area I'm an awful lot better in terms of power and comfort. Last summer I got up to 80 mile rides, long hors cat climbs abroad etc. However with these chronic issues I find I do have to put in a lot of time on core work and strengthening - working on it for 30-60 mins a day at the moment. Hopefully someone in your club or a workmate will have some good physio recommendations in your area. Good luck.

bing gordon

Thanks for the replies, I will look into seeing someone who has knowledge such injuries. I do have an appointment to see a neurosurgeon once again but I don't think they will do much.