I have tried so hard to avoid injury as I pprepared for IM LOU and now as the taper begins I have what appears to be sciatica pain. Lower back, through the ass, and down the lower leg. It started Thursday, made my way thourhg my last long bike on Saturday but had to bag the last long run on Sunday. IM LOU is my first (and likely only) IM and all I want to do is finish. Now with only 3 weeks left I need HELP… fast! I need suggestions for it will take to arrive healthy in Louisville on August 26th! I have worked too hard for too long to blow it now!
Stretch. Relax. Taper!
do you have a PT?
Thanks. I am literally scared to death this will ruin everything I have worked so hard for. (trying to relax… this on top of normal taper madness I am going to drive my wife nuts!!!)
Get checked out for a piriformis issue - I had one and it is a damn good mimic for sciatica. A good PT and some ART/deep tissue massage can help you through this.
I second the piriformis possibility. I had the same damn thing 4 weeks out from a marathon this year. A lot of stretching and some massage from my wife got me back to 100% in about 2 weeks.
I was trying to figure out what good a PowerTap would be for his issue 
.
It’s probably piriformis (as others have mentioned). I had this last year and got myself some TP massage balls and within a few days it was all better.
good luck.
Thanks everyone, your words are encouraging. So while it heals should I not be doing any workouts? Light easy work outs?
I literally couldn’t run a month ago, which didn’t bug me too much until it effected my bike…went to a Chiropractor (my 1st time). We scheduled an adjustment 2x a week plus ART 2x week. ART on your ass/hip hurts! But, it works…
Still no speed demon (shooting for a 4 hour IM run), but now “running” injury free into IM LOU.
I also do funny stretches and hip exercises. PM if you need details.
Also, BioFreeze post-workout does wonders.
You know those “freeze” ointments are actually decent. I’ve used a few in the past couple months and kind of like them. Also the “asperin” type creames.
Dude, PM me with your email address and I’ll send you the “fix yourself up” instructions, but you GOTTA DO THE WORK.
This can be fixed in time for your race–whether you can continue training or not, can’t really tell you.
I have helped several people on this forum overcome their issues.
It’s most likely an issue with your back, and when that has issues, the entire kinetic chain gets involved.
Well I never had it affect my bike, so I cannot comment there. You will probably need to cut back the run miles. I got it coming off a marathon and had to cut back to no more than about 5 miles per run (3 times a week). Also, for about two weeks I went completely tread mill, since between the concrete and the constant hills here I couldn’t give the muscle much rest. I was back up to 12-15 miles in about three weeks with no pain. Also had a regimen of naproxyn (aleve). Perscription level was 500 mg - so if you go ITC, double the recommended dose - that should put you at 440 mg IIRC. Better than ibuprofin for this stuff.
Be faithful to your streching, try to stay to flat and soft surfaces. Aqua running may be in the cards if you still feel at this point you need 1.5 hour runs, but you are only three weeks out, so I wouldn’t worry two much - you would pretty much be cutting back distance on your taper anyhow. As long as you keep your general fitness up and keep working the muscle but not overworking it you should be fine.
Good luck - this is not terminal to your race.
My thots:
- Be careful
- Stretch (McKenzie stretches - search online)
- Chiro coupled with ART
Stretch and a good sports massage therapist!!
I have sciatica. Have had it for 3 years. At times it gets bad and then disguises itself for a while. Those people that say “stretch” are full of crap. There are a few things that do work…are you ready??
- Stay active…resting will only hurt it more.
- Ice/heat will help if it is hurting when you lay down. However, you may not have time for that…so
- a drug called Amytriptiline. It is actually a tricyclic antidepressant. However, a small dose before bed will kill the sciatica. Makes you drowsy for the first couple of weeks in the morning…but that goes away. A small dose does not even affect brain levels the way the normal dosage does. I believe this drug blocks substance P which binds to pain receptors.
- a drug called Tramadol. Also known as Ultram. it is a nonnarcotic pain reliever. This one is good as well.
My recommendation: Stay active and take one of the two drugs I mentioned. Also, try to find a whirlpool and get on the jets.
Finally, if mine is so bad that it needs split second relief: I lay on a sheet of ice. If you are interested I can give you the company that makes the ice sheets! Don’t worry though, basically a nerve is exposed in your tissue is what it amounts to. It gets better and tissue eventually moves around giving the nerve more “breathing room”.
Diagnosis is: A bulging disk and my hip is out of alignment. The disk seems to be the biggest worry. Treatment is anti-inflamatories, muscle relaxers, PT every other day right up until the day I leave for Kentucky and limited exercise. Now I am scared to death I am not going to get to the starting line and it is making me sick to my stomach. I just cannot imagine making it to the start. I will ask for cortisone if I am not ready by then. Taper is bad enough, but this just sucks and I am doing my best not to be miserable to be around.
go see either a chiropractor or ART specialist (you can find one on www.activerelease.com) or get myofascial release massage therapy (you can find one at www.myofascialrelease.com). EVERY time I hear a simple prescription of anti-inflammatories, it throws up a big signal.
The best medical care any athlete could find is an office that has MD’s, chiro’s, and experienced massage therapists working together. This is the best way to cover the spectrum (surgical, structural, and soft tissue expertise).
In the vast majority of cases where people believe it is “sciatica” (because it is probably the only phrase they have ever heard), it is probably actually something simpler - typically a piriformis issue like others have mentioned. Once that tiny little muscle tightens up (it is in on the side towards the back of your butt), it exerts pressure on the sciatic nerve (that runs underneath it).
It is a repetitive stress injury common in runners, cyclists, and people who are sedentary at work (they relax their legs while sitting at their desk, let them open slightly, and eventually the muscle does not realize it has a wider range of motion). It IS fixable - sometimes VERY fast through ART or MFR - perhaps after only a couple of sessions.
If you don’t want to monkey around, see if you can get an epidural shot of anti-inflamitory. It’s usually used later on but in your case it might work quicker in healing the bulge.
same thing happened to me a couple of years ago. i rested a lot, didn’t do any sitting unless i absolutly had to. stand up or lay down.
raced IMLP and felt ok.
wanted to kill myself i was in so much pain sitting on the plane going home 3 days later.
2 months later, surgery.
good news is, after surgery i really took stretching and core work seriously and after 20 years of on and off back pain i haven’t had a single problem.
still doing IMs
i think the knees are about shot though…
surgery is often not required, i think i’ve read that the success rate is no better than non-surgery. for me it was best because i needed an ‘instant fix’. i think if you are patient enough and do it right you can work through it without a knife.
don’t want to scare you, your’s certianly might not be that bad now. but take this seriously because you now have a life long issue to deal with. how long do you plan to live?
there are many here who know more than me (actually, just about everybody) so listen up.
good luck