Five Months Later

I've written about my pinched Siatic nerve which gave me problems in June with my right leg, similar to the problems with my left leg in June 2011 which left it partially numb for 6-8 weeks before fading away, and the sudden pain in early July which left me flat on my back for 4 days unable to stand, sit or walk.

And I've written where the bulk of the pain faded leaving the front half of my right leg almost completely numb from just above the knee to the ankle with just enough feeling when you touch the skin but no reflect response or pain when hit or poked.

I started walking in early September, starting with 2.5-3 miles and working up to 5-6 miles, the distance I was walking last winter (to town and back, 2.5-3 miles one way depending on the route). I've been walking 3-4 days a week, taking a week off sometimes due to illness (flu/cold) or business and life.

So where am I at now five months later? Well, walking about 6 miles is good, I'm up to a 15-16 minute pace the whole time except for hills and the continual problems of shin splints which I haven't resolved trying a variety of shoes and KT tape.

The KT tape has helped relieve some of the shin splints but it's dependent on the shoes and air temperature, no pain when it's warm but the pain returns in the first mile or so as the air temperature drops, especially below 50 degrees.

I have more shoes to try, another old pair I tried before which helped some and a new pair on order similar to the pair that works the best. Shin splints have long been a problem since I started running 35 years ago and while disappearing for months, it always came back for months to years.

I'm fine with it when walking normally where I'm not pushing for time or walking more than a mile at a slow to moderate pace with stops, like shopping, but it always seems to come back if I walk faster or longer distance without stopping.

The problem is that I underpronate with my left foot, less so with my right so there is no problem with shin splints, just the left leg. But with the pinched Siatic nerve in my right leg now, I'm not close to what I was walking last winter.

And this is where I'd like to be this winter, walking easily at a moderate to faster pace (15 minute miles) for 6-8 miles. That was the goal last winter which I didn't reach for other reasons, even though I had routes already mapped out to town and back.

Also I was carrying 15-25 pounds of groceries or other purchases then which I can only carry up to about 10 pounds now. In short, I have a long way to go, really in both senses of the idea of time and distance.

I have no idea if or when the numbness in the right leg will fade away. The specialist just said it takes months into years to let the bulging disc heal and until then moderate stress on it but still exercise to keep from losing too much fitness.

Gee, thanks for the prescription, we've can't solve it and you can only keep it from getting worse.