Cycling UK Forum

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0091 ... eyphysi-21

For 10 years I was afraid to (and didn't) cycle because of a recurring lower back injury. I spend a lot of money on physiotherapy which was ineffective and, I'm sorry to say, the NHS services where I live were woefully inadequate. Then I found a copy of the above book in a charity shop, read it and did the exercises which were recommended for my symptoms, and within a few weeks I was better. Six years ago I bought my self a Mercian and have been riding largely free of trouble ever since. When my back does play up I can usually get it sorted over a weekend instead of the two months it used to take.

Over the past few months however, I've been getting symptoms of sciatica. Walking just a short distance on a gentle slope results in numb toes and painful calf muscles. I'm still cycling — not far, just 8 miles of commuting a day to and from work — but it is increasingly tiring. My left leg is much weaker, the thigh muscle aches and I get the tingling toes after 20 minutes or less. So I'm re-reading the book, have begun an exercise regime and found a Sarah Key accredited physio' with whom I'll consult.

Very specifically I'm keen to hear of anyone else who has gone the Sarah Key treatment route and how they got on, but I'll be just as interested to hear of other sciatica experiences, how they were treated and how they feel about the results of the treatment.

Colin63 wrote:Very specifically I'm keen to hear of anyone else who has gone the Sarah Key treatment route and how they got on, but I'll be just as interested to hear of other sciatica experiences, how they were treated and how they feel about the results of the treatment.

I've no experience of the book you mention, but plenty of experience of sciatica. Gradually gave up nearly all activities and spent most of my time lying on the floor. Sitting on the sofa was painful, standing was painful. At its worst, if I wanted to make toast I would go and lie down while waiting, standing that long was not to be contemplated. The one activity I could keep doing was cycling, which kept me vaguely fit and sane. I did a tough 100 miler without problems, and lots of shorter rides. I would ride to the supermarket and go round using the trolley as a kind of zimmer frame to take the weight of my back.

Saw a private physio - he seemed to know his stuff and treats Team GB athletes, but he didn't help. Worked my way up through the NHS system and had an MRI scan, which showed a disc protruding from my spine and touching the sciatic nerve. It had come out so far that it could press on the nerve on both sides (which I think is unusual). The consultant said that cycling probably helped because the leaning forward position opened up the spine and gave everything a bit more room.

Took me about year to get to the consultant (mostly because I was experiencing symptoms at a lower level in the early stages). By then it was so bad that I wanted the operation. I was on the waiting list when the pain started to reduce. Rang up for advice and was told I probably shouldn't have the operation because it wasn't guaranteed to help and could make things worse, so I backed out. Over a period of a few months, the pain largely went away, and I've now got back to nearly everything I was doing before.

In retrospect, I think the protruding disc had been there for years, I'd had occasional incidents of lower back pain which hadn't lasted long. It started to become a problem when I took up running and doing post-run hamstring stretches (which put pressure on the lower back). And it became really bad when I took up yoga. Once I stopped doing those things, my body gradually recovered in its own time. I've gone back to running (knocked 4 minutes off my half marathon PB in my first 'comeback' race, very satisfying), but I don't do hamstring stretches. And I'd like to go back to yoga, but daren't. I still get twinges from sitting on the sofa or sitting in the car for too long.

I know quite a few runners who've had various long-term injuries and have tried all sorts of therapies (one had sciatica very similar to mine, was waiting for a scan but got better without it). No treatment stands out as being effective. Most of them seem rather like me, they've almost given up on anything working, and then found they've gradually got better anyway. So my mantra is: if it hurts, stop doing it, your body is trying to tell you something. If you can do it for a while before it hurts, that's OK, just stop when it starts to hurt. The trouble with sciatica is that the link between the pain and the activity that triggers it can be rather distant. That's not to say that no therapies work, just that the subject is an art rather than a science. Even when the symptoms seem the same, everybody's detailed physiology is different, and I think there's a large element of luck in finding what works for you.

Have you been told you have sciatica? Your symptoms sound rather different to mine, but I know it can vary a lot. In particular, when your muscles hurt, can you poke them and find the spot that hurts? Sciatic pain seems very specific until you try and pin down the spot where it hurts when it suddenly becomes elusive.

Hope it never gets too bad for you and you find something that works.

Have you ever come across this device

http://www.backinaction.co.uk/mobiliser