Calf muscle tingle

[Jerryjan]

Hi Guys
I am 61 have been cycling for the last 6 years or so, but in the last 3 years have been doing greater distances. I usually ride about 175 k a week spread over 3 rides. I have noticed the next day I have a tingling pain in my right calf. I ignored it for a long time, it started become more pronounced and was also getting right lower back pain when sitting at night watching telly. When ever I go cycling no problems. So I started doing sciatica stretchers and crunches to build up core muscles. Ended up going to see the doctor he referred me to a physio but the massages helped but did not get rid of the problem. I am seeing a sports doctor who does acapuncture with electrical pulses. Have not felt any benefits yet. My neighbour who also cycles suggests that I do hamstring stretches which I have started doing and I think stops the tingling but it's early days yet. I was wondering how often I should stretch my hamstrings when riding normally with out any problems. Also what stretches should I be doing as my winding down is usually just having a coffee and sitting down. Sorry about the long post cheers Jerry

[sogood]

Whilst stretching has not been definitively proven to prevent cramping, but anecdotally it seemed to be of benefit for some. What concerns me with your story is the association of right lower back pain and the "tingling" in the right calf. Is it time to check your bike fit again (last one probably 6 years ago)? With progressing age, maybe a more relaxed fit is called for.

[Jerryjan]

Thanks for that last bike fit was 18 months ago my bike is a trek Domane which is a pretty relaxed bike.

[CKinnard]

You will need more than massage. You might seek out an osteopath or a physio who specializes in manual therapy, especially British osteopathic and Nordic.

Either of these should give you a more wholistic treatment, that improves flexibility of your lumbar and thoracic spine and muscles that pull on the lumbar region, sports massage and stretches for your lower limbs and butt, and advanced core exercises specific for cyclists. They may also be able to advise on the latest for reducing inflammation via diet, hydration, and other lifestyle variables.

[march83]

referred pain, tingling, lower back. could be pressure or tension on the s1 nerve bundle? I had (and still do, from time to time) similar symptoms prior to being diagnosed with a bulging disc at L5S1 which was severly crushing my S1 nerve.

i eventually had surgery to rectify it, but i was in a state where i had lost strength in my left leg, i was getting a lot of weird nerve issues in my left leg (tingles, chills, numbness, severe pain, etc) and there was concern that i would suffer permanent damage so it wasn't really a decision so much as a necessity. your symptoms don't sound nearly as bad.

Enough about me though: with your issue, i would suggest looking at muscle groups that can cause this sort of problem. hamstring is definitely one, but also look at piriformis syndrome. s1 nerve flossing (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6Uw6-V0uuA" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; <- i do a lot of this) could help. it might be worth asking the question about disc degeneration especially at your age. if this is a concern that your physio shares then there's a lot you can do to manage it. massage never really helped me very much, but stretching and light traction in particular has helped a lot over the years. I also spend a lot of time on my stomach or on my back rather than on the couch - this might be worth trying. i'd personally steer away from doing crunches because they're pretty bad for the back. static bridges and planks would be better

with physios, if you're not getting much out of it then there's no harm in trying someone new. I went through a few before i found one who was really effective in managing my pain. We do a lot of dry-needling and we're always trying new things to keep me progressing.

[Jerryjan]

Thanks March hoping I haven't got a disc problem , sorry to hear you have. I will try the exercise from the itube vid I have read a lot about the piriformis and have tried stretches that have been recommended. These seem to help but not fix the problem. I think the muscle in my lower back is a little inflamed but when riding no problems at all. I keep changing the exercises I do twice a day as I see improvements. I my pain is more annoying than debilitating but I would like to be free of it. Thanks for your input.

[march83]

no worries, and good luck getting to the bottom of it.

fwiw, i'm 31. at my worst i could hardly walk, but now i'm fitter, stronger and most importantly more flexible than i was when i was a teenager. I don't imagine i'll ever play competitive soccer again, but i knocked over the 3 peaks last year post surgery and i do a lot of road racing, mtbiking and track racing.

regarding bike fit, i moved over to selle smp saddles on my road bikes and an adamo on my track bike after my surgery and i don't know why i didn't do it sooner. rotating my hips forward has helped relieve my hip flexors (stretch these if you're not already) and has actually allowed a more aggressive position on the bike. saddles are so personal so they may not help you at all, but if you can get your hand on one it might be worth a try.

[flashpixx]

I offer my experience not so much as a possible remedy rather how I discovered how a similar issue was diagnosed and remedied.

I had a bike fit by a physio and he fitted 2 wedges under the cleat to raise the outside of my foot, causing my knee to move inwards and in better alignment. After this I have had no further issues.

The danger of course is that without a professional opinion, any potential remedy may cause more problems.

Glad to hear you are out on the Domane and you have resolved any issues you had with it.

[CKinnard]

Jerry, by your age, discs are pretty much solidified and atrophied, so less likely to bulge against your nerve roots causing sciatica.
Your situation will differ significantly from someone under 40yo.

Pressure on nerve roots is more likely from vertebrae sliding forwards one on another causing stenosis, facet jt arthritis, or space occupying lesions (cysts, abscesses, fibrosis, etc).

You mention you do sciatic stretches, but then say your neighbor suggested hamstring stretches. These are invariably the same thing.
Acupuncture is unlikely to help mechanical originated symptoms, and I'd ask the sports doctor to clarify whether the problem is mechanical in nature, or not.

As I alluded above, you'd more likely benefit from core strengthening, better posture, review of your hydration and nutrition, and loosening of the lumbar facet jts.
A few very firm massages into the back of the lower limbs and buttocks should take care of nerve tethering.

(I consult to a top UCI Pro Tour team re this stuff.)

[Jerryjan]

Hi CKinnard, I think your right about the acupuncture, the Doctor did say before i started if 6 sessions did not show an improvement then acupuncture will not fix it. Like a said before hamstring stretches ( which I have only just stated doing) remove the pain straight away. But if I sit for a long time I have to stretch the hamstring again, but I think its improving. I think my lower back cdould be inflammed from all the exercises I have been doing, so have decided to cut back on anything vigerous and keep on with the sretches. I will try this for the next 2 weeks and see if the improvement is lasting. Thanks to everybody for youe input.