Hello,

Firstly a word of warning, this is quite a long post, mainly due to the fact that it is an ongoing issue and that I have been trying various lines of treatment. Although I have received good treatment, I feel like I have exhausted some outlets and think that getting fresh ideas would be sensible. Furthermore there may be people on here who have had similar symptoms or know of a patient who has. Any advice would be hugely appreciated.

History;

The problem first started around 2 years ago and apart from the Achilles issue(which I shall mention later) it has not changed a huge amount in that time.

I am in the Military, in an active role(as a paratrooper) and have been in this role since I was 16, so about 9 years. In that time I have done a lot of running, weighted marches and general fitness. I would say I am in good shape, I am 180cm tall, 13 Stone and run a half marathon in about 1:20. I began cycling about 3 years ago and began competing in road cycling events within a year. Symptoms began to present about a year after I took up cycling although it is potentially unrelated.

I first went to the physio due to numbness in my toes and cramping/flushing sensation in my calfs when cycling. To be more specific I would lose all sensation in my toes about an hour after beginning cycling. I also started to notice a flushing sensation in my calfs and cramping. The cramping was definitely not related to a nutritional deficiency as my diet is good and I have always been vigilant with hydration and electrolyte levels during exercise. I tried a series of flossing exercises but the conditions remained the same.

Approximately 4 months later I started to notice that the higher intensity I trained at, the more likely it was that cramps would occur, for instance, a hard row followed immediately by a run. I also started to notice the flushing sensation after long drives in the car, successive days on the bike and prolonged seated periods. At its worst I would cramp after a long drive, The flushing sensation would increase until an actual bite point where the cramp would occur.

The latest thing to go was my achilles, standard tendonitis and although I cant prove it, I imagine it is related. At the same time I developed a dull ache in my back, worse when seated for prolonged periods but again may or may not be related.

Treatment:

  • Initially poor flexibility was addressed, it could still be improved hugely
  • Flossing was attempted but unsuccessful
  • Due to the symptoms always being symmetrical on both legs the physio thought it was my back so I had an MRI which showed;
    • A stable but old pars defect, potential from cricket as a youngster
    • A small step in one of my vertebrae but again no action required


Due to the back being clear the physio did not prescribe anything and instead I am doing my own plan to attempt to address the problem. I am doing;
  • General flexibilty
  • Lumbar mobility
  • Eccentric calf raises
  • Flossing


I would like to try and pinpoint the problem and address it head on. I stumbled upon a paper about numb feet and referred low back pain caused by very tight calf muscles. I have extremely tight calfs and hamstrings. Is this a possibility, should it be my first port of call?

I will hammer out 2 hours of physio exercises a day if necessary, especially to get back on the bike in winter without numb feet. Any help would be great

Thanks Rob

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