It didn't start cycling and I think I've remembered something that happened a few days before, I slipped down a steep bank of mud when I was walking,
I noticed the lack of power on the left leg whilst cycling, after noticing a slight difficulty of putting weight on that leg going upstairs.
Hi Campfire,,
have read your posts with interest, and a little unease, your description of the mechanism of injury (above) says more than any bike riding, or other possible cause.
Without the benefit of examining you hands on, and by way of an educated guess only I would offer the following observations:
- a traumatic incident (fall) can injure muscles, joints, bones, and intervertebral discs.
- piriformis syndrome is effectively an 'overuse' injury to a specific muscle which develops over time (although the piriformis muscle may be one that is bruised following a fall)
- the extent of radicular pain and/or altered sensation/muscle weakness is a good indicator of the 'severity' of the problem
- pain masking drugs will not address underlying mechanical problems (e.g. disc) and although the pain may be lessened, it will probably return when you stop taking them.
- the same applies to acupuncture - it is very useful for relieving pain by stimulating the release of endorphins, but will not 'cure' mechanical insufficiencies.
I suspect that you may have caused some disruption to a disc which may now be impinging on the nerve root serving the areas you describe.
As we age, discs become less malleable and are more prone to prolapsing, if, as you describe , you fall heavily on one side and at the same time compress the waist on one side, a disc may be inclined to slightly prolapse on the opposite side - interfering with the nerve root adjacent to it. I would guess that you probably fell on your right hip and may have been twisting slightly at the time, or when you stood back up ? (am I right ?)
As you did this the offending disc will have ever so slightly pushed outwards beyond its normal limits to rub against the nerve root on the left side of your lower spine - hence the affectation of the left leg.
Imagine a disc as a water filled balloon held between to hands horizontally - if you compress one side the other side bulges - as per the disc.
These bulges occur naturally every day but as a rule regain their normal shape as we move.
Again with ageing and traumatic events which overstress the normal status, the bulge can be more pronounced and might not fully return to normal.
There are methods of addressing injuries such as this, but you must see the right person - either a physiotherapist, chiropractor or osteopath.
please don't waste any more money/time on acupuncture, it's not appropriate at this point.
Apologies for the lengthy reply, but hopefully some of it makes sense.
Although I don't like to encourage self help with back injuries, if you look here :
http://www.easyvigour.net.nz/fitness/h_MckenzieExt.htm
http://www.spine-health.com/wellness/exercise/what-mckenzie-method-back-pain-and-neck-pain
you will get an idea of the physiotherapy (evidence based) approaches to the problem.
Good luck with it
to find out whats gone wrong
