body bizarre

[mtngrrrl]

while i was on a climb this fall a strange thing happened. here's the scene: i was plodding up a glacier in the dark on a rope team. we were moving on the slow side, but trying to keep it steady. the wind was coming from my left, hard, but no harder than i've experienced and not of the gale variety. i was wearing a layer of duofold tights, a layer of fleece pants and a pair of gore-tex shell pants on the bottom. i'm pretty sure i had an additional down layer on the top. hands, head and feet were all well-protected. (i'll have to check with my partners about the temperature since i don't remember.)

at some point i noticed that my left hip had gone numb. my initial reaction was that it was cold from the wind constantly hitting it. i banged on my hip with my fist a bunch of times each time we paused. my hip felt weird and kinda tingly for the rest of the plod, and i had an occassional unsettling zing shoot through it, sorta like pain, sorta like how your funny bone feels when you hit it. i felt a bit like my left leg was cold to the bone.

coming down from the summit, the sun was up, and i don't really remember much about my hip problem. i just remember being hot on the glacier for a change. on the way out of the mountains, the numbness returned from time to time, as did the strange zings. i thought maybe it was from sleeping on the ground for an extended period. i use a ridgerest, but they're not very soft. and i sleep on my side a lot, right where the funny area is.

it's a few months later now, and i still have slight numbness and some rare zinging sensations. i was wondering if anyone else out there has experienced something similar. maybe it's from the cold. could it be frostnip of the hip? my legs were the coldest part of my body during the climb. maybe it's from sleeping on the ground for a few weeks, though that seems bearable. maybe it's a combination of factors, or a simply result of my body just crapping out. (doesn't the warrenty expire after 30?)

yeah, yeah, i should go to a doctor, but i'm one of the legions of unemployed with disaster-only insurance, so i'm avoiding that.

anyway, unprofessional medical opinions are appreciated, and professional ones are even better. feel free to share your own bizarre body stories.

[Courtenay]

This sounds a little more to me like a slightly pinched nerve (the recurring "zings") that could be from a tight iliotibial band, glute, or other hip muscles -- did you try anything like stretching, and what are your primary exercises for getting prepared for climbing (are you a runner, trail runner, or is your main activity of choice climb, climb, climb?) While it could be frostnip, it doesn't sound quite right. Fill us in on the above and remember that on-line advice can never take the place of a visit to the doctor. Even calling MED-INFO if you're a resident of King County could provide some useful advice.

[ 02-09-2002: Message edited by: Courtenay ]

[Bronco]

sounds like you were wearing enough cloths to be warm in -40 weather. Also sounds like possibly by wearing so many layers you were restricting circulation?

[Dan_Petersen]

I have exactly the same symptoms, but not from climbing in the cold, but rather from biking. Courtenay agrees with the assessment of my doc, which is a pinched nerve. I have suffered serious iliotibial band inflammation in the past and stretching is definitely important. However, nothing has made the slight numbness disappear over the last five years. I just get used to it.

Also, I have a suspicion that a contributory cause is a slight biomechanical (for lack of a better word) fault in my pelvis. I notice that my left "sit bone" is slightly forward of the right when on the bike saddle. I only notice at over 200km in the saddle.

No help, just sympathy.

[mattp]

I've had pinched nerve problems on and off for years, but instead of numbness I experience muscle spasms and shooting pain. But there is hope: recently, Wotan of Ballard suggested to me that a contributing factor may be imbalanced muscle development – he related a story to me of how he had been having some similar problems that were cured when he found a physical therapist who advised him that his regular activities were strengthening his abs and quads to the neglect of opposing muscle groups and he started on a corrective exercise routine.

[Courtenay]

Matt has a good point. A PT or exercise specialist familiar with your activity can help design a program to keep you doing what you love to do while trying to reduce any problems you might be experiencing. If you like, I'd be happy to talk with you off-line as well, as that's something I do with my climbing clients. You can e-mail me privately at court@bodyresults.com

[jon]

I had a similar injury for about six years due to high muscle tension in my back and legs, as well as significant overdevelopment on one side of my upper body. Lots of pain. Lots of doctors with egos with misdiagnoses. No solution until this summer when I went to a new doctor and he was willing to admit that he wasn't sure what was wrong and the best thing to do was send me to a good physical therapist and have them work out the problem. After about six weeks of PT at the UW sports medicine clinic they isolated the problem and for the most part I have been pain free.

[Bronco]

if PT doesen't work, you might try a THERAPUTIC massage. I had one recently and it was very painfull but effective for some neck and knee problems. I have had good luck with PT in the past as well and would recomend it first.

[payaso]

I'm not a doctor, but I play one on TV. No really I used to be one of the un-insured masses too so I sympathize. In my injury resume, doctors have been best when the injury requires a cut, paste, stitch, cast kind of deal. When it comes to nerves, and feelings, etc, you're gonna get a different answer from every one you go to. I have 2 recommendations for you: first check into Washington States low-income insurance program and once enrolled make like it just happened. Second, try going to the Bastyr Accupuncture college. For about $30 you get a professional visit with supervised students. I have had some success in the past with them regarding nervy kind of injuries like sprains, and broken bone recovery and the like. They are located in Wallingford on the corner of 45th and Stone Wy. Accupuncture works!

[Courtenay]

Another simple home remedy for trigger point flare-ups and mild aches and pains (from neck to shoulder to mid-back and on down) is to take something as simple as a tennis ball and self-massage right on the affected area. I know this works really well on hard-to-reach areas such as mid-back near the scapula (shoulder blades.) Alternating ice and heat (ice packs with hot tubs, hot showers; Icy Hot, etc. can also help) sometimes can help, though like the other suggestions here, massage therapy, stretching, PT, sports med exercises, properly designed exercise programs -- all can help. Good luck and let us know if we can brainstorm further.

[Matt_Anderson]

I've had similar injuries and need to echo the other advice about PT's. Especially where the back is concerned, strength aand stabilization have made several debiliing back problems of mine go a way.

[goatboy]

Along the lines of this same topic ...

I've suffered from what I diagnose as a sciatic nerve problem for over a year now.

I have numbness and aching and tingling in my right leg and right butt cheek.

I tried exercises as prescribed by a PT but gave up after a about 6 weeks or so when I had no appreciable improvement.

Was I too fast to quit? Was it reasonable to expect improvement within 6 weeks?

My girlfriend (who is a surgeon) recommended that I NOT do anything like chiropractic treatment, but I didn't know what else to try. What about accupuncture?

I'm clueless. Maybe Courtenay or another knowledgeable person has some experience with this or advice?

Thanks,

Steve

[nolanr]

Ice/cold pack can work wonders on any kind of "tweak", at least that's what I've experienced. Something similar to Courtenay's suggestion of massaging w/ a tennis ball is ice massage. Freeze some water in a dixie cup, peel away the edge 'til some of the ice is exposed, then go to town on the affected area. It's fairly intense, 5 minutes or less is plenty.

[Courtenay]

Steve wrote:

<< Was I too fast to quit? Was it reasonable to expect improvement within 6 weeks? >>

It depends; were you following the frequency recommended by the PT? In other words, if the recommendation was "daily 3 times" were you able to do it as often as suggested? And what sorts of things were you doing, mainly stretching, manual therapy, or did you get into some strength training as well for legs and hips?

<< My girlfriend (who is a surgeon) recommended that I NOT do anything like chiropractic treatment, but I didn't know what else to try. What about accupuncture? >> Each and every "alternative" means has an application that will work for some people. I wouldn't necessarily knock chiropractic care universally. It's done good things for me, but I was careful about who I chose to see. As with the PT, if something doesn't work, you go on to the next thing. I'd suggest perhaps trying a good massage therapist (as another option that's already been suggested) or maybe even a good "yoga for climbers" type of class. What is your current stretch routine?

<< I'm clueless. Maybe Courtenay or another knowledgeable person has some experience with this or advice? >>

Is the numbness and tingling constant, or just during certain activities -- i.e. are you okay sitting and not okay standing, and vice versa? Does hiking aggravate it, is biking okay? As you can see, suggesting things to try gets pretty tricky on-line but I hope this gives you a little more to think about. Again, I'd be happy to talk with you more off-line if you'd like. Court@bodyresults.com

[mtngrrrl]

hey thanks for all the feedback. didn't mean to post and dash.

i'm sure i was not wearing so much clothing as to restrict circulation. each layer fit comfortably over the next with no uncomfortable tightness. it was bloody cold though. i also wondered if it might be the sciatic nerve, but my symptoms don't match with what i've read. a pinched/aggrevated nerve does.

as for other activities, i'm an sometimes road runner and skier. i've been stretching more after these activities, and it seems to be helping a bit. i'm glad to hear other people have other similar problems. <i'm not alone!> i used to cycle a lot and i had numbness problems until i changed saddles and adjusted the tilt rather aggressively. things were much improved after that. dan, you probably tried all this, but just in case...

hope looms on the horizon for a "real" job, so i'll check out a PT if/when that rolls around.