Off the bike for a while, at least

[makoti]

Two weeks ago, I had a great ride with friends. 40 miles, a little cold but easy, social pacing for the most part. Coffee (them. Lemonade for me) after. Very pleasant. Three hours later, My lower back was screaming. Couldn't lift my arms. Hit the tennis ball & roller. Things got loose, Sunday & Monday, rode inside. Not bad. Stiff, but ok.
Monday night... I began to get stabbing pains in my thigh, right side. Soon, I couldn't stand for more than a few minutes, but I could sit & sleep fine. Over the next week, it centered on that thigh area, stabbing pain became almost constant. To the Dr, but only rated a PA, got an Xray & meds. Just got an MRI that shows some decent, though "mild" bulging discs.
I've had 5 acupuncture treatments (likely with Dry Needling, which I'm told use larger needles. Hurts), two massages, and a PT appt, given lots of stretches to do all day long. My range of motion favors bending forward, luckily. All of this seems to have helped. I can walk again, with a much more mild ache, most times. I'm told I have classic L2-3 sciatic pain patterns. Wonderful.
Any one go through this? How long did you stay off the bike? Any other helpful, NON-Surgical treatments to consider?
I've been in pain for a total of 12 days, now, and I have a new found empathy for anyone suffering from chronic pain.

[weisan]

Are you going through a stressful period?

[.RJ]

I've had similar issues.

Yoga, stretching, PT, gym/core work, anti-inflammatories. Once it starts its hard to get back on top of it.

[HenryA]

If it does not hurt when on your bike, ride gently. Try to keep reasonably active. Follow the PT instructions religiously. Do all the exercises you are given and on schedule.

You might eventually have injections in the damaged area. They help most people but not all. And on the PT thing - if you’re not getting individualized attention or feel like your riding is not being taken into account look for another PT shop.

I got to learn how to bend over again. Doing it wrong most of my life was part of my problem. A good PT will likely have you working on this soon enough. That and core exercises. The more your muscles properly support your core the better your back will be. Takes some time, just keep at it.

[Tickdoc]

Yuck. Been there, done that. Muscle relaxants, rest, hot tub, salon pas pads, and eventual stretches usually work for me. I’ve had corticosteroid injections when it is really bad and it helps if they get the right spot. Haven’t done acupuncture but I know it works for some. I’d try a hot poker to the eye if I thought it helped when things are locked down.

Sorry to hear and heal up well. Hope you are back on the bike soon!

[echelon_john]

This sounds hokey, and I'm very skeptical in general, but think about inflammation broadly and address anything in your diet that might instigate/exacerbate inflammation. Someone above asked about stress; another very real factor in very real back pain!

I've been there, and it sucks. Take it easy, focus on diet/hydration/stress reduction, reduce inflammation with a low but regular dose of ibuprofen or similar, and no harm in trying *gentle* therapies (massage, acupuncture, cranio-sacral--NOT chiropractic IMO).

Good luck...

[jtakeda]

Originally Posted by echelon_john

This sounds hokey, and I'm very skeptical in general, but think about inflammation broadly and address anything in your diet that might instigate/exacerbate inflammation. Someone above asked about stress; another very real factor in very real back pain!

I've been there, and it sucks. Take it easy, focus on diet/hydration/stress reduction, reduce inflammation with a low but regular dose of ibuprofen or similar, and no harm in trying *gentle* therapies (massage, acupuncture, cranio-sacral--NOT chiropractic IMO).

Good luck...

John hit the nail here. Stress, hydration, inflammation and stretching.

I’ll talk to my sister tomorrow (DO) and see if she can recommend some stretches for you.

I’d maybe try an inversion table.

[Mzilliox]

I feel for ya, i recently cracked some ribs and now as im healing my back is very much out of whack. Its hard to stretch, but im forcing my way through it and seeing some results. Hydrate, stretch, get some rest, give it maybe 2 weeks and really do yourself good.

good luck to you

[OtayBW]

Originally Posted by makoti

Two weeks ago, I had a great ride with friends. 40 miles, a little cold but easy, social pacing for the most part. Coffee (them. Lemonade for me) after. Very pleasant. Three hours later, My lower back was screaming. Couldn't lift my arms. Hit the tennis ball & roller. Things got loose, Sunday & Monday, rode inside. Not bad. Stiff, but ok.
Monday night... I began to get stabbing pains in my thigh, right side. Soon, I couldn't stand for more than a few minutes, but I could sit & sleep fine. Over the next week, it centered on that thigh area, stabbing pain became almost constant. To the Dr, but only rated a PA, got an Xray & meds. Just got an MRI that shows some decent, though "mild" bulging discs.
I've had 5 acupuncture treatments (likely with Dry Needling, which I'm told use larger needles. Hurts), two massages, and a PT appt, given lots of stretches to do all day long. My range of motion favors bending forward, luckily. All of this seems to have helped. I can walk again, with a much more mild ache, most times. I'm told I have classic L2-3 sciatic pain patterns. Wonderful.
Any one go through this? How long did you stay off the bike? Any other helpful, NON-Surgical treatments to consider?
I've been in pain for a total of 12 days, now, and I have a new found empathy for anyone suffering from chronic pain.

I am in your current situation - now, for about a week. I've had this recurring every couple of years - the last was 6-7 years ago and was very long-lived at the time. This time, I think/hope I'll be out of it within weeks. I started with ice for a few days and then heat coupled with time on an inversion table which definitely helps. Read up on Makenzie's book(s). GL with your situation.

[ripvanrando]

Originally Posted by makoti

I've been in pain for a total of 12 days, now, and I have a new found empathy for anyone suffering from chronic pain.

I have been in chronic, serious pain for 18 months.

Go thru the whole conservative options that they give you, which could include PT, massage, accupuncture, and epidural steroid injections. If these fail and if your insurance covers, go to Texas Back Institute.

[Climb01742]

Ask ten people and you’ll get twelve opinions. I can only speak from personal experience. First, treat the symptoms. But unless you identify and treat the cause(s), you can’t get long-term relief. I’ve been tremendously helped by a chiropractor. But he ain’t your run of the mill back cracker. I was lucky. I found a guy here who genuinely and deeply understands athletes. He’s worked with athletes from every pro team in Boston. There must be someone like that in Washington. A word about chiropractors. They’re like lawyers. Some chase ambulances and some you’d trust with your life. Ruling out chiropractors would be like ruling out every lawyer. My biggest suggestion is, yes, get relief now for symptoms but don’t stop there. If you’re up for it, find someone who can help you find the cause, find the imbalance, find the neural signals that are blocked, strengthen what’s weak. My guy has gotten me through a lot. Hope you can find someone without a scalpel who can help. Good luck!

[ultraman6970]

Kidney stones?

[soulspinner]

Hang in there............

[makoti]

Originally Posted by weisan

Are you going through a stressful period?

Nothing overly unusual, but good question. I think everything has been pretty even lately, but worth taking a closer look.

[ripvanrando]

No magic advice but one short term tip. Pain seems to be cumulative. If you have other sources of pain that you can eliminate, do not wait. The tip someone gave about reducing inflammation can indeed help.