Doctors orders: stop riding the bike
 

I am devastated. I just joined here a short while ago after buying a new hybrid bike and have really taken to riding every day to improve my health and because I'm having a blast rediscovering the joys of biking. I had some discomfort with my saddle, purchased a better one but was suffering from NDS and soreness. I got used to the seat, or it got used to me and the numbness has gone away but for the last two weeks I've had testicular pain, hip pain and pain in my flank that radiates to my groin, knee and then down to my big toe. It's hard to describe but it feels like a tooth ache in my hip/ groin which radiates down. It has gotten so bad I can't sleep on either side (if at all). There is little to no pain during the day but by bedtime I'm really in agony. I went to my doctor today and had a cat scan, blood work and urinalysis. I have had kidney stones in the past and thought it might be another stone. The cat scan came back negative, no blood in urine but blood work results won't be available until Monday. I also need X-rays to be done next week. In the mean time my doctor told me to stop riding the bike! I don't know if it's a hernia, bone cancer, bursitis or what. He did ask if I had changed my routine lately and I told him I've been riding 20mi. a day on a new bike and told him about the numbness and knee pain. I think at this point it's the old "doc, it hurts when I move my leg like that. Answer from doc? "stop moving your leg like that" I'm taking pain medicine so I can sleep and feel cheated out of something I really enjoy doing. I'm now just hoping they can find out what is wrong. Prayers or positive thoughts appreciated. Anyone else have something like this happen after starting to ride after 4 decades off a bike? My dog has gotten used to going with me on short rides around the block too. When I say "want to go on a bike ride?" he gets all excited. My wife also likes to ride but now I'm grounded so she has to ride alone. This whole situation is a real bummer. I was already picking out my next bike and now I'm sitting on the couch or walking.

Hang in there and wait for results.

No need to meet bad news half-way. Expect a simple answer and a simple solution. I hope you get favorable news and are riding again.

Thoughts and prayers for a speedy recovery and positive solution!

Have you had your bike fitted properly? Some of the symptoms you describe are typical from riding a bike that is not fitted correctly and from pushing to big of a gear....

Hang in there man... When you get the all clear to ride again make sure you get a proper bike fitting and measured for the correct saddle.

Don't dis pare recumbent hang in there.

Let the doc try to figure it out. You will get a couple 3 new scrips :sarcasm: and be on your way. Really, do you think a rest day or two may change things? Are you riding at the point where your muscle structure is getting stronger but now revealing problem areas where a recovery day would help?

I'm totally guessing here but you might want to do a little reading about iliopsoas tendinitis, iliopsoas bursitis and the psoas muscle. All of these can lead to hip pain, knee pain and pain in the groin.

While it's good to rule out all the "scary stuff", this sounds like a classic overuse injury caused by doing too much too soon. It might be helpful to get checked out by a physical therapist.

Good luck with your recovery. With a little rest and the right program, you'll hopefully be back on the bike very soon. Once you're healed, make sure you don't repeat the exact same pattern that caused the problem.

I did start riding w/o enough extension but have fixed that (raised seat) 3 weeks ago. I also started out pushing too big of a gear but have been focusing on spinning for quite awhile now. The bike feels good to me and I'm not having any pain while riding. My doctor is pretty good and is focusing on finding out what the problem is and not just medicating. Bursitis was mentioned and my father had it. I'm 58 years old. If this is bursitis it's an awful disease. Very painful aching/throbbing type pain. Not as bad as a kidney stone but bad enough that the pain will wake me out of a sound sleep or not allow me to fall asleep at all. I'm not giving up and actually wouldn't be disappointed at all if I had to ride a recumbent. I don't like waiting for test results and can't help the worry but it is what it is and will be what it will be. I have really immersed myself in this sport/hobby/past time but may not have given enough thought to my age and I did NOT "take it easy" getting going. Thanks for the support. I'll post what the doc finds good or bad.

Recumbent?

Pro bike fitting + referral to physical therapist and a doctor with some cycling experience. It -may- require getting off the bike for a short period and that happens to everyone at some point but it's not a solution in the long run. The solution is to continue to investigate as to the cause. A good bike fitting is critical because it may just be that and if it is, your doc will never discover it.

Answered your P.M., about this one, as most have said, let the doc work with you to figure this out. the sleep loss, and using a sleep aide is the thing I would want taken care of first. Getting some unassisted sleep is important for the body to heal, and to rebuild. It sounds like your doctor is trying to get to a root cause of what is happening to you, and not just doing the pop-a-pill-an-hour, routine.

Best of luck with sorting the problem out, keep us posted. More in my P.M.

Bill

Good luck - I'd hate to have to give up my bikes!

Hopefully it's all about overuse, and under fit (both ways)...

Just another hurdle to get over.

Your pain sound like it could be back problems. My wife just had back surgery for spinal stenosis that caused pain to radiate down her legs.

Exactly. We may be seeing a case of overtraining and the phenomena of "referred pain" as it radiates through the hip/leg/lower ab region. For someone just coming into cycling and at such an age while riding 20mi a day? Recipe for troubles of various sorts.

Best wishes on a thorough and rapid recovery. Let's all hope it is just some sort of transitory overuse syndrome. Keep us posted!

I agree with what most have said. Take a deep breath and let the doc do his thing. It sounds like you have just started riding and that you are riding 20 miles per day. Assuming you are riding 4-5 days a week, that is a bunch of miles for a new cyclist. Overtraining will cause the body to react in some truly nasty ways. Unless you are a very fit athlete going in, that is too much, too soon. Rest up, see what the doc says. When he releases you to ride again, ease your way into it.

I agree with all of the above. Stop riding until your doctor clears you and follow their advice. It may be helpful to get a second opinion, if he tells you to stop riding permanently.

1. Overtraining. Ease back some. Make sure you're getting proper hydration/nutrition, before, during, and after your rides.
2. Get a professional fit.
3. This may be part of the fit, but look to see if you need a new seat. It may be that the saddle is compressing something the wrong way, and a new saddle will ease that.
4. Physical Therapist
5. If all else fails, get a recumbent.

GH

Not that 'bents are a last resort. Au contraire, they can be a good FIRST choice. But they're a more expensive solution - not good for someone trying to keep costs down.

Or someone that has a bike that they like, but can't ride it any more because of medical issues.

If he had the medical issues and was asking about buying a new bike, then it wouldn't be a last resort.

I guess the true last resort would be to stop riding bikes completely and pick up an activity that is less stressful on his body, like swimming.

GH

Hope everything turns out for you and you can start riding again soon. When you do start riding again, do yourself a favor and, as others have mentioned, get yourself a good pro bike fit. Most issues with sudden onsets of pain can be directly attributed to a poor bike fit as the underlying problem.

Sounds to me like a pinched/irritated femoral nerve. The femoral nerve runs through the ilio-psoas group of muscles, and can often become impinged if those muscles are tight or overworked, as other people have already mentioned. I've had this badly from time to time, but not from bking.

If the doc clears you of all of the scary scenarios (Which I hope and feel pretty confident he will.) That's the place to look, and how overwork/bad position/bad seat fit might be causing it.

Keep us posted, and Good luck!

you will be back on the bike...and this time get one that fits. There is more to it that saddle height. Get a good fitter and go from there.

Lookatthatseat
 

And tell me how pain free riding can be,,,,,,

The foam pad underneath my shiney hiney is great.. Now get this,,I recently hit a speed bump way too fast and got airbore,,yeah I did..
My butster was airborne about 2 or 3 inches off the seat,,then I landed back in the seat,,no pain at all. It was simply cushy for my tushy. Standing up is not an option,,take a look..

Oh and I ride in regular cargo shorts or running shorts If Its hot..

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=452913http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=452914http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=452912http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=452916

Last picture is with my rear disk brake and fatter smoother just as fast rolling rear tire and bags..

prostatitis