I had a setback to my Sciatic nerve healing in February, which was likely aggrevated by one of the walks in January where I felt twinges in my lower back walking up a hill but it faded so I didn't think about it.
The February setback was the first significant setback since September 2012, but kept going on my daily walks until the body and especially the legs were overly tired and the next day my left leg was in pain from the hip to the big toe (one of the nerve paths down the leg).
I rested for nearly two weeks but got tired of waiting and felt good enough to walk, but kept the walks shorter, just 6 miles to town and back with less in the backpack (~8 lbs). It seemed to work as I was able to add a half mile. Until.
Until one walk my legs gave out about a mile from home but there was nothing to do but just walk slower and slower to get home. The next day, Wednesday 12th the pain returned to the left leg in full force where I couldn't walk the pain away.
This time the quadricep muscles and shin in both legs hurt, but especially the shins, more than I've ever had pain from shin splints, which I knew it wasn't because I've learned to tell the difference in pain, from nerve and muscle pain, from shin pain and shin splints, etc.
So today, Friday the 14th, the legs and lower back are better but this was more than just a rest day or two rest setback, and I don't know when I'll resume walking, hopefully Monday for the 6-6.5 mile walks again.
But it's hard to predict anymore with these setbacks when I can get back to my walking schedule again. I've almost become addicted to walking, the body and the legs get restless and my morning is real unless I'm getting ready to walk, even if I don't look forward to it because I'm tired, it's cold or raining, whatever.
Anyway, that's where I'm at, the third day of rest which is helping, but walking is better than sitting, pain and all. I'd rather give the nerves in the back and leg muscles a reason to yell at me than just yelling.
Friday, March 14, 2014
Saturday, March 1, 2014
Walking February
February started of as the continuation of January and my normal walking, and I was going about my life as normal, which these days is being careful lifting or carrying anything in front of me, such as laundry baskets up and down stairs.
Well. on Sunday the 9th after walking 7 of the first 8 days of February I woke up to snow and decided to take a day off and do chores including the laundry (note above). I didn't feel any different later in the day than other laundry days so I walked 3 more days.
On Thursday I woke up with a little more pain than normal which quickly escalated into full blown pain from the upper hip where the Sciatic nerve starts of the spine down the front and outside of the left leg, around the knee, down the shin, across the top of the foot to the big toe.
I remember the big toe feeling the tingling numb days before when I tape my feet for walking to prevent blisters and bunions but I didn't think much of it, until I read later that's the sign of the Sciatic nerve problem.
Great. So I rested the following week but it only got worse by that Thursday before getting slightly better by the following Monday that I decided to do 6 mile walks. That last two days before the leg gave out from the pain.
The problem isn't the muscles, they feel and work fine. It's the nerves which are yelling at me and it varys during the day from the whole length of the leg to parts like the hip, quad muscle, knee, shin and foot. And the pain varys with standing, sitting, walking or lying down.
In short it sucks as you would expect. So March is for getting back to short walks and see if I can get some consistency again. I also notice the leg and pain are better after walks so the key is to see if I can walk more days and get the pain to fade which is a sign the Sciatic nerve is healing.
Or so that's the plan.
Well. on Sunday the 9th after walking 7 of the first 8 days of February I woke up to snow and decided to take a day off and do chores including the laundry (note above). I didn't feel any different later in the day than other laundry days so I walked 3 more days.
On Thursday I woke up with a little more pain than normal which quickly escalated into full blown pain from the upper hip where the Sciatic nerve starts of the spine down the front and outside of the left leg, around the knee, down the shin, across the top of the foot to the big toe.
I remember the big toe feeling the tingling numb days before when I tape my feet for walking to prevent blisters and bunions but I didn't think much of it, until I read later that's the sign of the Sciatic nerve problem.
Great. So I rested the following week but it only got worse by that Thursday before getting slightly better by the following Monday that I decided to do 6 mile walks. That last two days before the leg gave out from the pain.
The problem isn't the muscles, they feel and work fine. It's the nerves which are yelling at me and it varys during the day from the whole length of the leg to parts like the hip, quad muscle, knee, shin and foot. And the pain varys with standing, sitting, walking or lying down.
In short it sucks as you would expect. So March is for getting back to short walks and see if I can get some consistency again. I also notice the leg and pain are better after walks so the key is to see if I can walk more days and get the pain to fade which is a sign the Sciatic nerve is healing.
Or so that's the plan.
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