brihoppy

hey all...this is a request to any doctors who might be out there and take a glance at this...your input would be much appreciated...

please note...the reason im asking is because im stuck far from any british doctors, and the med staff i have available speak very limited english...(no NHS jokes...!!!)

case history...

i had been running about 12-15 flat miles per week on tarmac/grass/treadmills for quite a while (a good few months) up until about 10 weeks ago when i was forced to stop after returning from a run one night with a very sore lower back...

having unfortunately suffered on and off for a few years now with a painful back after high impact exercise, i realised that i simply needed to rest, which i did for around 4 weeks, until i felt like i could exercise again...i started with some low impact; x-trainer, bike, but the mere movement aggravated the pain in my back so i stopped...

a matter of a couple of weeks later, i seemed fine again, and managed quite a few sessions on the x-trainer, then progressed to the treadmill, and all seemed well again, although the stiffness/soreness was present, it wasnt anywhere near as bad as it had been weeks previously (when i could barely bend over to tie my laces)...

then on new years eve, i started to develop stiffness again (in my back )...which led to 3 of the most uncomfortable nights sleep ive ever had...!!!

every position i tried provided no relief whatsoever...the pain seemed to shift from the small of my back to just above my right buttock and caused my leg to constantly spasm for 2 days nearly...that day i went to see the doctor, who is hungarian, and i was given a gel to rub into the affected area...this provided no relief at all...

the next day, i returned to the docs, who injected local anasthetic into the area and put me on a course of anti-inflammatories (indomethicin) and painkillers (paracetemol based)...this has done very little if anything to relieve the pain, although last night i found one position i could sleep in that at least got me a little sleep...

the state im in now is that the spasming seems to have stopped, but i feel like ive got a dead leg...theres a pain in my hip/buttock that is mostly an ache but occassionally stabbing, and my leg feels heavy and slightly numb, with my thigh being ever so slightly sore to the touch...sitting, standing, laying down and walking can be quite painful...

the last time i went to a british doc, she did some mobility tests, and said according to my symptoms, it was muscular and not sciatic or a trapped nerve, and it seemed to clear itself up...but this instance has become quite prolonged...i was scheduled for some physio in the uk, but unfortunately had to come to the sh*thole im currently stuck in before i could attend...

im back in the uk in 10 days, but i dont think i can wait that long...!!!

sorry for the long-winded post, but any advice would be really appreciated...

thanks in advance...

edited to add that im sure the hungarian doc is perfectly competent but the language barrier is just damn frustrating...!!!

imi

im no doctor but if i was in your situation, i'd try my best to fly back earlier. If you have private healthcare, isnt it possible to find an english speaking doctor.....leg going numb doesnt sound like a muscular problem to me...sounds more like a pressing nerve.

brihoppy

flying back early could be an option, but reeeeally last resort...

thought about trapped nerve, if its possible it actually 'feels' like somethings being pinched in there...?!

mad_dr

Slipped disc mate - I guarantee it (well, pretty much). A good friend (who used to be VERY active) had exactly the same symptoms as you. Doctors etc were telling him that it was muscular/sciatica and couldn't be helped. He underwent acupuncture, cupping, heat massage etc and nothing was helping this pain in his hip and leg. He would be in pretty much constant pain and was really suffering from it - bearing in mind he was another martial artist, the mental suffering was almost as bad as the agony!

Anyway - after months of treatment that hdid NOTHING to help him, he referred himself to one private doctor who - after only about 15 minutes - diagnosed a slipped disc. I'm unsure of the exact treatment they then used but within a couple of weeks he was right as rain and back in the ring.