ValleyForge wrote:RhapsodyX wrote:All three doctors who examined me and the chiro (who is one of the "good ones" from word-of-mouth) were all thrown by the lack of any back pain.
Yup. A disc prolapse frequently gives
no pain in the back. Pressure in your thigh and the symptoms in the car are classical.
Ditto for me 14 months ago.
Crazy left leg pain, worse driving to chiro (he's good for my back generally but didn't spot this) no relief after 2 days so off to physio. I had immediately linked leg pain to my back, but it took a few further physio treatments before she referred me for an MRI which revealed the disc bulge (not prolapse) - At this stage I was hobbling/limping as RX described and had numb patches down the leg and on the foot.
From the MRI the radiologist/surgeon/whatever recommended the MRI-guided cortisone ....which I had about 2-3 weeks after the first symptoms with no real guarantees, but measured confidence from all that it would help. It did, and my back recovered well with treatment and exercise over ensuing months.
However, the left leg was withered and very weak and I had tinglings and numb spots coming and going for another few months. I've been told that even after the pressure on the nerves (the pressure affected both the motor and the sensory nerves) is released
the damage to the whole system can take 6-18 months to completely resolve, assuming it does.
I regained good motor nerve function over a few months though initially I could not pull my left leg over the top of the pedal stroke. This persisted for probably another 2-3 months, and still occasionally I feel a little hesitation there...
The sensory nerve was having fun for months and I still feel 'patches' on my shin and twitches in various left leg muscles from time to time. It has taken 14 months of exercise/riding for my left leg to get anywhere near the right leg in strength, but thankfully I've had no further major back issues.
Despite all this I actually rode up Mt Buffalo in the 2017 AAC200 about 10 weeks after first symptoms, basically quite carefully and slowly on one leg and spending many stretches out of the saddle to keep momentum/cadence up and help re-train the left leg on a long climb. Of course I pulled out at Bright and did not complete the 200, but it was a confidence booster.
Since this whole unfortunate episode I've lost some more weight (-5kgs), done some cycling specific functional strength work and, in the last few months, completed some solid 'big' rides. I'm probably in better nick now than any time in the last 25 years and hoping to complete the AAC200 in a few weeks. I still have a regular chiro session and have 4-6 weekly massages from my (new)physio. They both know I am an informed client/patient and have modest endurance cycling goals. I talk to each about the other's treatments and info. It works pretty well for me.