bishke

On 10-22-11, member "Anonymoose" posted the following in a thread titled "Chronic Quad Pain". I am experiencing the same thing. This is the third year in a row that I have been suffering from this. Unfortunately, Anonymoose did not post the results of his MD appt. I have a MD appt this week with a Sports Medicine practitioner. I was curious if anyone out there has or is experiencing the same quad pain. Thank you.


I hope this is the right sub-forum for this question. Also, let me preface this by saying I am going to a doctor this week to have this checked out but I'm curious if anyone here has experienced something similar. My background: 27 y/o male, 6'3" 170lbs, played sports through all my childhood, teens and early twenties, have always been naturally athletic and a quick healer, diet is not uber healthy but not terrible either, don't drink any alcohol, drink one cup of coffee almost daily and drink water throughout the day (probably still not as much as I should but more than any of my coworkers), and last had a physical this summer that I passed with flyer colors.

I returned to exercise this summer after basically inactivity since college. I was riding a couple days a week no more than an hour or two at a time and was fine (pushing myself hard but not to the point of collapse) for about a month. Then about a month ago I started getting what I perceive as cramps in my quads (mainly the left, but both cramp simultaneously 75% of the time). The strange thing is I only cramp days to a week after riding. I can feel no soreness or fatigue in my legs immediately after a ride or the following day and then about 5 days later I'll be walking down the street and one or both legs will have sudden excruciating pain (I have a high tolerance for pain and this pain takes my breath away sometimes) that feels like a cramp. It usually begins in a single point either on the inside or outside of the quad about eight inches above the knee and radiates from there taking 15-30 min to subside and when it does I'm left with my legs feeling very sore and very weak for the remainder of the day and usually still sore the next (I'm left more or less limping around for an hour or so immediately after this happens). It also seems to be the case that once I've had the initial "cramping" episode I will sporadically continue getting them for a few more days. After the first episode I tried to ride the bike again within a few days, still sore, and ended up having both my legs cramp, quad and hamstring, to the point of not being able to walk and practically in tears from pain about ten minutes into the ride. I took almost a month off the bike, stretching, eating lots of food with potassium and magnesium, stopped drinking coffee and the cramping did not happen again. Took two shorter rides last weekend saturday and sunday stretching before, during, and after the ride and felt great, not a hint of pain during those days or after. Thursday I started cramping again and have been on and off since then.

So, this seems bike related to me. The only change in my habit is I tried a non-covered carbon fiber seat for 3 rides before deciding I just wasn't going to get comfortable on it right before this started happening. I thought maybe it irritated the sciatic nerve (I have a fairly bony butt so maybe the nerve doesn't have much protection)? I switched back to a more plush seat before last week's rides but I've ended up back in the same scenario.

Furthermore, I'm not sure these are cramps because the whole muscle does not stiffen up when this happens and the pain seems to be fairly localized. I perceive it more like my legs are on fire in certain points then just being tight (though they do feel tight after the episode if I try to stretch). I even tried the pickle juice cure during one of the cramping episodes and it did not help. I'm worried enough to go to the doctor and bummed because I've really enjoyed cycling so far and would like to continue without this chronic pain. Anyone experience anything like this?

Carbonfiberboy 

Well, that was Ananymoose's post, not yours. You might try posting your own information, history, symptoms, etc.

bishke

Understood, but these are the exact same symptoms. I could not of described my condition any better than he did. I am thankful to find that I am not the only one experiencing this condition.

I get excruciating bilaterial quad pain/cramp about 3 to 5 days after I bike. The pain becomes so severe that I can barely walk. I have seen other posts describing this same condition, but have not seen a diagnosis other than rhabdomyolysis. The timing makes me think it is a muscle recovery issue (3 to 5 days after biking). Not sure if anyone out there suffers from this condition and has any tips. Thank you.

Carbonfiberboy 

So you're a 27 y.o. male college grad who was athletic, but hasn't done anything since college until a few weeks ago?

If it were rhabdo, your urine would get dark, sort of coffee colored. If not then that's unlikely, or at least unlikely you have a bad case of it.

Diet? What's your foundation diet? Do you use a recovery drink after rides? If so, what? Do you use any supplements, pills, powders, liquids? If so, what? What do you eat on the bike if anything? How much salt is in your diet - do you keep track of it?

It's not sciatica.

Do you leg muscles bulge when you feel the pain? Can you see like mice running around under your skin or are they static? Have you tried taking a couple of Tums when this happens? (always have them in your pocket.)

Edit: what we know about cramping:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3445088/

LGHT

I was in a similar situation and had pain for days / weeks after riding for the first 3-4 months. The key is this statement " I was riding a couple days a week no more than an hour or two at a time and was fine (pushing myself hard but not to the point of collapse) for about a month."

I was also pushing hard to the point of exhaustion and often so hard I would have to pull over and take a breath. I was also doing a LOT of incline. I found ways to help relieve the pain and eventually after I built up a good "base" I didn't have pain anymore.

It may be helpful if you post your OWN riding style distance, incline and history although the symptoms may be the same the cause could be completely different.

bishke

You make a good point Carbonfiberboy. I am a 42 y.o. male that has recently returned to bike commuting (1st week of April) after a dreadful winter. My bike commute is 11 miles each way (22 miles per day). I biked about 184 miles in April. I bike commuted last Thursday and started to feel bilateral quad cramps on Sunday after walking down a flight of stairs. This is the third year in a row that I have experienced the same bilateral quad cramps. I have read some previous posts describing the same type of bilateral quad pain. Got some great tips. I started taking a couple of Tums per day. I also have been drinking a lot more water then I normally do. I am not sure if it is rhabdo. I have never had dark urine. If anything, it may be a case of very mild rhabdo. Ultimately, I think it is due to overexertion, insufficient fluids, and not getting the correct nutrition. I am not the spring chicken I once was. I am a newbie when it comes to cycling specific supplements. I currently take magnesium and vitamin B and D. I also started drinking 45g of whey protein recovery drink per day. I bike commuted this morning. I kept the ride slow and steady. I felt a couple of quad twinges and some minor cramps, but by carefully monitoring my quad exertion via gear adjustments, the ride was successful.

johnlp37

https://www.bikeforums.net/commuting/...-too-much.html This thread has some useful information.