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Persistant leg pain, very depressing.
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Hi guys have posted a while ago but just looking to see if anyone has ever experienced something like this before.
Woke up after a run over seven months ago after a normal five miler in a lot of pain in my lower left leg. Just thought I'd pulled something so did a little run the next day (BIG mistake) and after this I realised that I couldnt run at all as everytime my foot hit the floor (walking or running) I was in a lot of pain.
Ive been to physios, sports massage people, A+E, doctors and hospitals. Ive had an x-ray and an MRI both have come back clear for anything, which I am grateful for, as it means I dont have anything toooo bad going on but i'm still in pain everyday.
I've given up any type of training now (was cross training as everyone said it would be fine to do) for over a month and thats made no difference at all.
The pain is always in my lower shin area, and can be on either the inside or the outside. Its hard to desribe but sometime feels as if something is jarring in my leg and can feel like an heavy throbbing pain.
I am able to walk and run now without the pain coming on with the impact of my foot hitting the floor. I can run without feeling anything (sometimes a little twinge) but its the next day it really hurts almost as if its stiffening up.
Its been over seven months now and literally having pain everyday (havent had one pain free day yet.) I'm getting quite depressed about it as its stopping me from doing a lot of things I want to do such as running and I feel as if its never going to go away! Also the fact that no-one can seem to find the cause of it, if I had a name for it atleast I could understand it more!
thanks for listening!
nicky
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Comments
I don't know if its of any help, but your experience sounds a little similar to mine. I had a pain in my lower leg start during a gym class (we were doing donkey kicks- no idea if that was the cause as it makes no sense but thats when I felt the pain suddenly come on).
I tried to ignore it, then tried to stretch it, then tried to massage and ice it (over a few months) but nothing helped so I went to my GP who ran an x-ray which showed up nothing and I was sent to a physio who to cut a long story short, was no help and possibly made things worse. I ended up not going back and just tried to bite my cheek through the pain as the physio had told me I was just being pathetic about the pain and to grin and bear it.
About 1.5 years later I went back to my GP and saw a private physio who said I needed to see an orthopeadic Doctor and after being referred, (now 2 years after the pain came on). This was the reason why I finally had an MRI scan done- otherwise it wouldn't have been, the MRI I was told via my GP (whom the reports were shown) was given the "all clear", no issues I was told and so read the computer. I had a follow up appointment booked and nearly didn't turn up as it sounded pretty pointless to do so. But I went and then was told by a student consultant the results were fine, the Doctor then checked the pictures and then changed his mind- it was not fine. It was full of inflammation- nothing good or bad could be seen either way!
It was due to this I was able to get a Nuclear Bone Scan. This scan showed an apparently very obvious tibial stress fracture. (It also showed up a whole load of other stuff which I wasn't too happy with either: osteoarthritis. That scan was a mixed blessing!)
It took about 6-8 months rest from running, living in trainers (padded soles) and being careful to get rid of it. It hurt to walk on, it was prodded at by physios and Doctors and as much as I could feel the pain, the running I was putting myself through made any prodding really feel pretty non existant. This is what put many of assuming it was anything worth investigating. It was the impact that really hurt, the greater the impact the more I felt it and it got to the point where it felt like my whole leg hurt, not just a fixed point (which is what the scan had shown). I could sometimes point to a fixed area where it felt it came from but much of the time it was just a throbbing ache all over my leg and would throb more at rest at the end of the day when I rested. I found that when running if I used compression I could get away with a lot as the compression seemed to hold back the inflammation and so reduced the pain to some extend.
Go see your Doctor and ask for more details on the MRI, it could be something totally fine but just incase its worth getting things ruled out to prevent it getting worse.
hi jenn thanks for replying.
It sounds very similar to my situation! Last time I rang the doctor he mutter something about sending me to a bone and msucle clinic almost a month ago but havent heard anything since! The doctors have been rubbish as far as taking me seriously I just keep getting fobbed off with "rest" Its just really frustrating as I can heardly do anything I want to do out of fear of it hurting to much the next day!
Are you back to running now then?
Thanks again!
I think now a days we all get fobbed off by medics as cash and budgets seem more important then anything else. Having said that though, the only way to get rid of the pain is to rest and for a few months. Its an injury that needs to heal and little or reduced movement helps as much as boosting the blood flow through massage, stretching and non-impact exercise. Basicly cycle a lot and do lots of yoga but without the jumping. Unless its a clear break which requires a plaster there is no other way to fix it- doubt Doctors know this though.
The bone and muscle clinic sounds a bit like a physio clinic- do they run scans? I'd suggest it to them, they may well either request a scan or re-refer you back to your GP for a scan, no physio will want to work on a problem unless they have ruled out a break or potential break as if they make it worse- which they could, they could risk being liable.
If its hurting, basicly stop. Pain is a sign of a warning, you wont feel pain unless something is wrong and if its pain rather then irritation or that wierd discomfort that maybe-is-maybe-isn't pain then its an injury, some pain is good but if its going on for too long its likely to be bad pain as your body has not had time to repair itself and become stronger. The longer the pain goes on the longer your going to need to rest if and even with the most sympathetic GP in the UK there are waiting lists sometimes months long (think mine was 4 months long just to get an initual asessment appointment let alone the wait for the scans and more waits for the reports to get back and that was being in London). I didn't get any physiotherapy for the fracture, I was just told to rest and never run again. I didn't want a physio appointment though as they'd let me down and actually caused me more pain by visiting them before so I'd have refused the appointment before.
Its gone now (the stress fracture) but I have osteopernia (the precurser to osteoperosis/brittle bones) and osteoarthritis and managed to fall on my knees 6 weeks ago and then banged my leg elsewhere, my legs are as a result not too good at the moment and I'm in two minds about going for yet another scan, all I will be told either way is to rest things if there are any issues that show up so in answer to your question, yes I am back to running now (barefoot style
) but its not without pain- though not pain caused by running.
Don't give up....
I have had very similar problems in the past, that still effect me to this day. Mainly form my lower back and right down my sciatic nerve. It turned out the cause of my pain seemed to have spawned from bad diet and incorrect posture. If the muscles and bones are bent in directions unfamiliar on a daily basis then problmes are bound to arrise. I think that the most important thing is to rest the muscle and perform the lightest exersie possible. Then just be sure not to push yourself to much. It may be best to go and see a physio again, or even go for a bone scan.
As my problems were so great I ended up having to creat myself an exerise corner at home. Pretty much made up of soft gym mats and flooring I go from the internet gym mats. lying on a sorf surface floor really helped my back when exercising and stretching.
I should image that you need fine tuning to get your leg back to its full working capacity, form what you describe it seems as though you have pushed the muscle or bone in your leg that little to much.
Al the best and I hope you get better