swings and roundabouts

birly-shirly · May 31, 2016

The 3 sports I've really enjoyed as an adult are golf, running and cycling. It's nice to have options, as enthusiasm waxes and wanes for each, depending on the weather, and form, and time available. Cycling used to be the perfect 2 hour escape on a weekend morning. In less time than it would take to get to the golf course and play 9 holes, I could be out and back having burned off enough energy to get me through the weekend without my inner 5 year old having an outburst, thus allowing me to behave like a responsible adult around my own family for the remainder of the weekend.

One issue with cycling, particularly mountain biking, was that I started to develop lower back pain on steep climbs. And the clincher is that the path into the hills on the outskirts of my city is known to local cyclists as "Puke Hill". Take from that what you will...

So, I have kind of drifted away from mountain biking for a while. Family is a bit more grown up, and I have more time for golf, and been enjoying the improvement that comes with a bit more time for practice. Just starting to miss cycling though, and have been making a conscious effort to do some of the core strengthening and stretching exercises that might deal with the back pain.

Yesterday I had the Bank Holiday off work, and went out on one of my old routes that I've not ridden in a few years. Up Puke Hill. I didn't - though I did pause to "admire the view" at the top. Was greatly encouraged that my back was solid throughout, so it seems like the exercises are paying off. A more comfortable saddle wouldn't hurt, and stronger legs will no doubt come, but tired pain is different from low-back-seizing-up-until-you-get-off-and-walk pain.

All was good, 'til I got up this morning and could barely walk. Could not put any weight at all on my right leg without shooting pain in my hip. Half hour walk to the station to get to work seemed totally out of the question. Got in to see a physio, who tells me that it all sounds very like arthritis.

Of course, I'm going to see a medic to get this confirmed. Ironically, cycling seems like the least damaging of my sporting pursuits. Further running seems contra-indicated. Golf in itself is probably OK in the longer term. However, golfing has always meant walking and carrying to me and my home course is quite hilly in places.

Arthritic hips are hardly unique, so I'm sure we have our fair share of them here. How's it working out for you?

70sSanO · May 31, 2016

This may sound like an odd question, but are your legs the same length? In the 80's after some more intense road biking, my right hip would hurt so much to the point where I had to drive with my left foot.

I got my legs measured and found out that the left one is about 3/8" shorter, so on left leg extension I was pulling on that right hip. I can't say that it will impact your case or your arthritis, but it seems odd that your hip hurts after a non-impact sport.

John

scomac2002 · May 31, 2016

b-s, I know exactly of what you speak. This year I've been getting back onto my road bike a bit as I hadn't ridden hardly at all in the previous two years. I started out easy with runs of no more than 20 km and all was fine provided that I wasn't pushing pace. About two and a half weeks ago I went on an extended route that took me out past 35 km with a few more rollers and a pretty stiff cross/headwind on the return leg.

I was fine until I rested back at home and I could barely walk due to hip pain which turned out to be nothing more than an irritated ITB and hamstring. When you start pushing hard, particularly big ring climbs out of the saddle when you're not used to it, the muscles will bark! I recall a couple of years ago my BIL took me out on the Shorts Hills Bench around St. Catharines and all we did all day long was go up and down the escarpment for about 45 km! I was thrashed at the end and wasn't able to walk comfortably for probably three days after. There's being in shape and then there's riding shape which can be two entirely different things.

HoldenCornfield · May 31, 2016

Birly, the only cycling I do is on this:

Easy on the joints, and at least 50 smiles per hour.

oldschoolrocker · May 31, 2016

bs,

I haven't been in the saddle for a number of years, but, I do believe all the extensive training I did at a younger age, up to and including my forties, was a contributing factor in the back issues and sciatica that I experience now.

Best thing I have done for that is to get a Teeter Hangup. Paid for itself in a couple of months in that it allowed me to forego the chiropractor 3 X week when I was in town.

Toughest ride I ever did was the Escape to Mt Mitchell. That was brutal.

birly-shirly · May 31, 2016

This may sound like an odd question, but are your legs the same length? In the 80's after some more intense road biking, my right hip would hurt so much to the point where I had to drive with my left foot.

I got my legs measured and found out that the left one is about 3/8" shorter, so on left leg extension I was pulling on that right hip. I can't say that it will impact your case or your arthritis, but it seems odd that your hip hurts after a non-impact sport.

John

Funny you mention this, as I've read of so many runners and cyclists having their pain and overuse injuries put down to that. My older brother discovered that he had unequal length legs a couple of years ago and it was contributing to back pain. I got my legs measured today and I'm in good shape on that front at least. So I got that going for me...

b-s, I know exactly of what you speak. This year I've been getting back onto my road bike a bit as I hadn't ridden hardly at all in the previous two years. I started out easy with runs of no more than 20 km and all was fine provided that I wasn't pushing pace. About two and a half weeks ago I went on an extended route that took me out past 35 km with a few more rollers and a pretty stiff cross/headwind on the return leg.

I was fine until I rested back at home and I could barely walk due to hip pain which turned out to be nothing more than an irritated ITB and hamstring. When you start pushing hard, particularly big ring climbs out of the saddle when you're not used to it, the muscles will bark! I recall a couple of years ago my BIL took me out on the Shorts Hills Bench around St. Catharines and all we did all day long was go up and down the escarpment for about 45 km! I was thrashed at the end and wasn't able to walk comfortably for probably three days after. There's being in shape and then there's riding shape which can be two entirely different things.

In a perverse way, that's comforting. Which I'm sure is how it was intended. I have no doubt there's a sport specific element to fitness that can cause very surprising consequences. There have been periods in my life when Ive been pretty run and/or cycling fit, and it really doesn't transfer over well to other activities. The worst ever was a mountain walking trip after which, like you, I really couldn't walk properly for days. I was actually approached by station staff on my commute, to ask whether I was " in need of assistance" as the rest of my fellow commuters disappeared up the platform into the distance.

Birly, the only cycling I do is on this:

Easy on the joints, and at least 50 smiles per hour.

Very nice. Though right now, I'm thinking block and tackle for getting me on and off something like that.

bs,
I haven't been in the saddle for a number of years, but, I do believe all the extensive training I did at a younger age, up to and including my forties, was a contributing factor in the back issues and sciatica that I experience now.
Best thing I have done for that is to get a Teeter Hangup. Paid for itself in a couple of months in that it allowed me to forego the chiropractor 3 X week when I was in town.
Toughest ride I ever did was the Escape to Mt Mitchell. That was brutal.

I think it's always hard to weigh up the pros and cons of pushing yourself. There's been a debate in the UK for years as to whether pedal cyclists should be required by law to wear helmets. When I was growing up, nobody did. Now, it seems the vast majority do out of choice. But one medic intervened in the debate to insist on a certain point of perspective - that NOT cycling is far more injurious to health than whatever statistical risks attach to cycling with or without a helmet.

I went to my GP this afternoon to get a second opinion on the arthritis diagnosis made by my physio. The GP made a similar point, that within the limits of pain-free activity, it was important to NOT give up on the running and cycling at least until the situation was confirmed as being arthritic. He was also much more optimistic than the physio that the case for arthritis was not clearly made out.

If I have a concern about my role in this, it's that I've had a much lower level of pain in that hip for years, which I've effectively ignored other than as an incentive to stretch haphazardly. The hip has never bothered me when running, only when walking or getting up from a chair, which is strange in itself and which I took as an indicator that nothing terribly serious was causing the pain. But if it does turn out that I've been running for 10 years on a joint showing early signs of arthritis, then I doubt that has done me much good. On the other hand, I ran some races, I've run with friends and I've run with my kids - none of which experiences I'd want to hand back.

Guys - thanks for all your responses.

ScooterMcTavish · June 7, 2016

BS - when I read "bike" and shooting pain, I'm tempted to wonder if you have something going on with your sciatic bundle in that leg. Last year, I had started running again, and after a few months, thought I had torn my calf muscle.

After visits to the physio, we had isolated the problem to my glute, which was strangling the heck out of my leg's nerve bundle. A combination of massage and stretching has certainly helped, but I now view running with some trepidation.

The official term for this was "false sciatica" - similar symptoms, but easier to treat.

birly-shirly · June 7, 2016

That may be a very good call, Scooter. The exercises I was given were a combination of hip-flexor and glute stretches and glute strengthening (or, to quote one T Woods, glute activation LoL). A week on, and things are certainly feeling better and I'm a bit more optimistic that I might not be dealing with any irreversible degeneration of the joint. However, it's hard just now to pin down the cause to either the hands-on manipulation, the stretching and strengthening exercises, or the 3 square meals of anti-inflammatories that I've been chomping daily. As of today, I am coming off the painkillers and will see where that leaves me.

'Til now and my mid-forties, i've always exercised pretty much on the things I enjoy. I like running and cycling and hiking out of doors, but I don't take much pleasure from going to the gym or doing abstract, non-purposeful exercises. Beginning to wake up to the fact that I might need to spend more time on just that sort of regime of flexibility and stability work in order just to carry on doing what I enjoy.