Sharp pain down back of left thigh

[Sandwich]

Hi

I would love it so much if any of you could help me as I'm currently feeling a little fed up with a mysterious injury (??) that I picked up about 4 weeks ago now.

General background: I am 22 years old and run at an average intensity both on and off paved surfaces for roughly 1hr15m 4-5 days a week on average and also cycle to commute. I have done this largely problem-free for at least 5 or 6 years now apart from some now resolved problems with my knees. I am slightly overweight (BMI about 26) but this has been constant.

So about 4 weeks ago I was doing my normal run and towards the end I noticed a strange sharp twinge quite high up and slightly laterally in the back of my left thigh. I thought it would resolve overnight but it didn't, it actually got worse. It is sharp and seems to go in a line down the back of my leg, always slightly laterally. Sometimes it feels like it's also in the very lower left quadrant of my buttock, again in a line and slightly laterally. It doesn't feel muscular at all. It tends to come on in the toe-off and stance part of walking or running, but there is no particular movement that elicits it - hip extension possibly fits best, but if I just isolate my hip and extend it, there's no pain. If I toe-off slowly, it doesn't hurt. When I'm walking I can feel it as a constant discomfort. The intensity of the pain definitely varies, but the majority of the time it isn't sharp enough to make me limp, which happens only occasionally. When running it is definitely sharper and more painful but it becomes less troubling as I keep running and after about 30mins it's just felt as a discomfort instead of a pain. Occasionally it seems like it goes forwards into my quads just above the knee or down the lateral part of my left lower leg as well, but I wonder if this is just part of a compensation. I have absolutely no pain in my back and have tried moving my back every which way and it's totally unrelated to any pain in the leg.
When it first began, I ran for the first few days until it was obvious it wasn't going to resolve quickly and then I rested it for two and a half frustrating weeks where I did nothing except for walking and my normal cycling to and fro (which doesn't make it hurt at all). Eventually I felt just so rotten and restless that I went for a run where I had to push through it for the first 30 minutes and then suddenly it really reduced in how much it was hurting. The next day I woke up and it was like the pain had gone! I rested again that day in case I jeopardised this miraculous recovery. Then the day after, it was back again. I've run since and the amazing recovery hasn't happened again.

Ibuprofen and Diclofenac seem to have very little impact on the pain. Some nights I have woken up from it. I went to my GP about it in the third week, but she didn't even examine it and just gave me some Naproxen. On the basis that the Diclofenac didn't help, I've not paid for the Naproxen and am not currently taking anything.

I'm in the middle of revising for some exams at the moment and I could really do with getting my run back in just to help me concentrate - so I will absolutely love anybody who can make any sort of suggestion as to what it might be, or whether I need to go and see somebody (and if so, who and how!!).

Thanks so much! I hope that's enough information about it!

Alice

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[anka_nikoleta]

Hi.
Can you do a simple exercise, laying flat, facing up, and bring your knee towards the opposite shoulder? Try with both legs, and tell me please if it feels different right-left when you do that or if reproduces the symptoms you generally have.

[Sandwich]

Hi,

I just tried that a few times but it didn't reproduce the symptoms - both legs felt fine.

[Yarok]

HI

check is any tenderness around sacroiliac joint, gluts ( medius), or iliotibial band.
take care
Yaro

[nmarman]

The SI joint is the most common area but the lumbar facets are very likely the problem as well. As these are the only areas aggravated during hip hyper extension. The disc may also have involvement but the pain will rarly be sharp. if it is discal generation. Easily fixed with manipulation.

[kwunfu]

Hi there,

As much as you may not have pain in your lower back the potential sources of symptoms are either your lower back or your hamstring/ gluteal. As it appears that you have some understanding of anatomy it may be a facet joint irritation which may explain the referred pain down the front of your thigh and why it is aggravated with running but dulls off as you run further. Lumbar rotation stretches might help however as it does seem to be limiting your function i.e .running and it has taken more than 4 weeks to resolve I would suggest seeing a manipulative physiotherapist. In this advice I do assume that it is not a hamstring or gluteal tendinopathy as they are more than unlikely to refer but one cannot predict what the human body does with injury.

With this there is a lot of information I do not know and would have asked i,e, any change in behavious prior to going on this running? i.e. increased sitting time ? also if there was any previous injury i.e rolled ankles or history of back pain and that kind of thing.

Hope this helps. Definitely seek some professional advice though if it hasnt resolved by itself over 4 weeks.