Hi Shayne. I watched that video and of the 3/4 symptoms mentioned I have only had the severe cramps. I've never had the second wind, fatigue when exercising or the red urine (the other symptoms). You mentioned you didn't have second wind. What about red urine (rhabdomyolysis?)? How did you get on with the dietitian also? Cheers Clarky
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Thanks!
My cramps do occur after rest days (I travel with work and exercise is not possible) If I consume carbs combined with no exercise during this period I will cramp,..sure as when returning to exercise .... the only possible escape from a week of cramps when returning to exercise is to avoid carbs during a period of "no exercise" . I dont have an answer but believe the reduction of carbs may contribute to escaping from the "hell" dealing with muscle cramps when returning to exercise
Shayne, I'm glad to hear you've got some sort of diagnosis, and I really look forward to hearing what the recommended dietary or other guidance is.
My first reaction after reading the list of McArdle's symptoms was similar to those above -- basically, no way. McArdle's is described as a genetic inability to process muscle glycogen. But many of us here are high functioning athletes with plenty of explosive power available without a warmup (ever show up to a cyclocross race with just enough time to get to the line?). And what many of us experience is entirely episodic; with a certain set of preconditions, like an unusual amount of rest, long-haul travel, or increased carb intake, and particular eccentric muscle activity (ie walking downhill), an episode occurs, which lasts for days until it clears up.
But the more I think about it, the more I think it's probably a mistake to try to find some holy grail of matching symptoms with a corresponding magic treatment. It seems clear that most of us are experiencing some sort of metabolic myopathy -- basically, with the right conditions, we go into rhabdomyolysis. It seems very likely there is a combination of genetic factors, specific body chemistry levels brought about through particular rest/dietary conditions, and physical triggers that makes a sort of perfect storm to initiate an episode. Maybe it doesn't match the exact set of symptoms that define McArdle's, but biology is always on a spectrum.
My first reaction after reading the list of McArdle's symptoms was similar to those above -- basically, no way. McArdle's is described as a genetic inability to process muscle glycogen. But many of us here are high functioning athletes with plenty of explosive power available without a warmup (ever show up to a cyclocross race with just enough time to get to the line?). And what many of us experience is entirely episodic; with a certain set of preconditions, like an unusual amount of rest, long-haul travel, or increased carb intake, and particular eccentric muscle activity (ie walking downhill), an episode occurs, which lasts for days until it clears up.
But the more I think about it, the more I think it's probably a mistake to try to find some holy grail of matching symptoms with a corresponding magic treatment. It seems clear that most of us are experiencing some sort of metabolic myopathy -- basically, with the right conditions, we go into rhabdomyolysis. It seems very likely there is a combination of genetic factors, specific body chemistry levels brought about through particular rest/dietary conditions, and physical triggers that makes a sort of perfect storm to initiate an episode. Maybe it doesn't match the exact set of symptoms that define McArdle's, but biology is always on a spectrum.
I think your probably right... I have given up looking for a cure/solution other than to reduce the level of training I do. Cycling was pretty much my life but it has helped me to prioritise a few things like family and work. Ironically I actually feel like I have a better balance now - I still enjoy cycling (although no longer racing) and I don't worry about having a couple of extra beers and gaining a couple of pounds! It's meant I've spent more times with the kids as well. I also bought a motocross bike which is a nice distraction ; )
Wow, I'm a bit excited that I've finally found others having the same problem as me but at the same time a bit disappointed after reading all 11 pages that there seems to be no definitive answer to our problem.
I'm a competitive cyclist (USA Crit and Track) and like many others have stated I get the same 'stabbing' pains in my quads after intensive training blocks, usually only after resting for 1-3 days. Typical training week is ~ 12 hours 250miles on the high end which include 2 training crits, 1 active recover ride (~20-30miles), 1 solo temp ride (~30 miles) 1 race day which may consist of 2-3 races = 80-100minutes of racing.
The pain, just like everyone else, jumps around to different muscle groups in my quads, above the knee, hamstrings, glutes. It's a sharp stabbing pain, causing the muscles to feel like they are contracted and leaving my quads very soar afterwards.
I live on the third floor of my condo complex and have to take 4 flights of stairs. I can always tell when I'm about to have an attack when I walk down the stairs and about 30 seconds later the quads start to tingle and go into full spasm. Going upstairs is not problem, it's always the down part. I've been dealing with this problem for about 5 years now, it's very frustrating.
My only solution has been to get on the trainer/rollers and spin for 30 seconds to 1 minute, just about the time the quads start locking up but not full spasm, get off the bike and stretch deep. Rinse and repeat this for 1-2 hours for anywhere from 1-4 days until I'm to a point where I can ride again with only mild tightening. Once it's mild enough I seem to be able to ride through the initial tightness and I'm right back to having ZERO problems and 100% heath.
Been to my primary DR, chiropractor , PT, massage, nothing works. After reading some of the posts here seems like the only thing left to do is muscle biopsy but I really cant be on crutches for a week and off the bike for 6 weeks in the middle of race season.
Like everyone else here, cycling is life, it's so frustrating to be sidelined while watching all of my friends racing and training and all I can do is sit and watch. Try to tell anyone whats wrong with you and you get the same generic, "Well you're not stretching enough", "You need to eat more potassium and hydrate", "Foam roller and compression". NONE of these things work to solve the problem, I've been there, done that, got the Tee Shirt.
Anyway as I said I'm glad to have found this thread and will keep an eye out for any real solutions. Thank you to everyone that has contributed a story here, it's nice to know I'm not the only one out there with this disorder.
I'm a competitive cyclist (USA Crit and Track) and like many others have stated I get the same 'stabbing' pains in my quads after intensive training blocks, usually only after resting for 1-3 days. Typical training week is ~ 12 hours 250miles on the high end which include 2 training crits, 1 active recover ride (~20-30miles), 1 solo temp ride (~30 miles) 1 race day which may consist of 2-3 races = 80-100minutes of racing.
The pain, just like everyone else, jumps around to different muscle groups in my quads, above the knee, hamstrings, glutes. It's a sharp stabbing pain, causing the muscles to feel like they are contracted and leaving my quads very soar afterwards.
I live on the third floor of my condo complex and have to take 4 flights of stairs. I can always tell when I'm about to have an attack when I walk down the stairs and about 30 seconds later the quads start to tingle and go into full spasm. Going upstairs is not problem, it's always the down part. I've been dealing with this problem for about 5 years now, it's very frustrating.
My only solution has been to get on the trainer/rollers and spin for 30 seconds to 1 minute, just about the time the quads start locking up but not full spasm, get off the bike and stretch deep. Rinse and repeat this for 1-2 hours for anywhere from 1-4 days until I'm to a point where I can ride again with only mild tightening. Once it's mild enough I seem to be able to ride through the initial tightness and I'm right back to having ZERO problems and 100% heath.
Been to my primary DR, chiropractor , PT, massage, nothing works. After reading some of the posts here seems like the only thing left to do is muscle biopsy but I really cant be on crutches for a week and off the bike for 6 weeks in the middle of race season.
Like everyone else here, cycling is life, it's so frustrating to be sidelined while watching all of my friends racing and training and all I can do is sit and watch. Try to tell anyone whats wrong with you and you get the same generic, "Well you're not stretching enough", "You need to eat more potassium and hydrate", "Foam roller and compression". NONE of these things work to solve the problem, I've been there, done that, got the Tee Shirt.
Anyway as I said I'm glad to have found this thread and will keep an eye out for any real solutions. Thank you to everyone that has contributed a story here, it's nice to know I'm not the only one out there with this disorder.
Welcome SB23. How often you you have these episodes? You might be a more susceptible than others if you have to walk down a lot of stairs every day, as eccentric muscle loading seems like a common trigger. Have you ever tried loading up on NSAIDs when you feel an attack coming on, as per this comment?
viewtopic.php?p=2061501#p2061501 (oops fixed the link)
viewtopic.php?p=2061501#p2061501 (oops fixed the link)
Welcome, SB23. I apologize for being MIA for a bit, I was waiting for everything to come back before I posted again...It is not McArdles disease, or Tarui's disease and they are now unsure if it is a metabolic disorder / glycogen storage disease. The kicker is, they are unsure if they have enough usable material (muscle) to perform further tests on! The level of frustration has reach an entirely new level, which I didn't think was possible. smh
Now, we are essentially back to square one and I need to see if they can do any more tests on my tissues. I do not want to go through / pay for another surgery, that is for certain.
Now, we are essentially back to square one and I need to see if they can do any more tests on my tissues. I do not want to go through / pay for another surgery, that is for certain.
Re:
I get these episodes about 3-4 times a year seemingly for no reason. As you said, i walk down stairs everyday multiple times a day but only have these problems a few times a year, usually when the training volume goes up for race season.
I've not tried NSAIDs due to my chronic kidney disease, I tend to stay away from things that make my kidney work any harder then they have too. I have elevated elevated creatinine levels (1.50 mg/dl Creatinine, 21 mg/dl BUN). My doc seems to think this is "normal" as I have very large legs (typical track sprinter build) thus a lot of tissue breakdown which causes my kidney to work overtime, been monitoring my Bloodwork for a 5-7 years and the number remains about the same.
I may consider trying the NSAIDs just to see if there is any change in my condition, I'm pretty desperate to get back to training I've got some big races in April and I need that fitness!
globecanvas said:
I get these episodes about 3-4 times a year seemingly for no reason. As you said, i walk down stairs everyday multiple times a day but only have these problems a few times a year, usually when the training volume goes up for race season.
I've not tried NSAIDs due to my chronic kidney disease, I tend to stay away from things that make my kidney work any harder then they have too. I have elevated elevated creatinine levels (1.50 mg/dl Creatinine, 21 mg/dl BUN). My doc seems to think this is "normal" as I have very large legs (typical track sprinter build) thus a lot of tissue breakdown which causes my kidney to work overtime, been monitoring my Bloodwork for a 5-7 years and the number remains about the same.
I may consider trying the NSAIDs just to see if there is any change in my condition, I'm pretty desperate to get back to training I've got some big races in April and I need that fitness!
I've just had these symptoms and spent last night in hospital on an IV. My CK was over 10000 when tested on Tuesday morning. I had pain Thu/Fri last week which worsened on Sat & Sun. I rode 3 times the weekend before but not in the week. It was warmer than it had been for a while that weekend and I was probably dehydrated.
My diagnosis was this https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exertional_rhabdomyolysis .
There's further info here https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3031324/#!po=72.9167
When I was discharged my CK had dropped to circa 6000 overnight after fluids to flush my kidneys and I have a retest early next week to check progress.
I still have some mild symptoms and stiffness but nothing like the weekend. I did try and ride at the weekend but like lots have commented only rode a few 100 meters and pretty much had to walk home. No doubt attempting to ride probably made matters worse.
If this accurate it is muscle damage which takes longer than DOMS to appear and the up to 5 days aligns with the amount of time it took my pain to start and the period many are seeing as 'not riding time's before problems start.
There isn't a solution once it starts it seems except treating the elevated CK levels to remove it from the body and protect the kidneys. The main thing appears to be managing things to prevent an issue in the first place.
Also interesting:
http://www.athleteinme.com/ArticleView.aspx?id=241
http://watchfit.com/general-health/injury/effects-of-rhabdomyolysis/
http://bmjopensem.bmj.com/content/2/1/e000151
One of the things I'm unclear on is why the pain happens in the same place at the same time most of the time - as though the legs are connected somehow?
My diagnosis was this https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exertional_rhabdomyolysis .
There's further info here https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3031324/#!po=72.9167
When I was discharged my CK had dropped to circa 6000 overnight after fluids to flush my kidneys and I have a retest early next week to check progress.
I still have some mild symptoms and stiffness but nothing like the weekend. I did try and ride at the weekend but like lots have commented only rode a few 100 meters and pretty much had to walk home. No doubt attempting to ride probably made matters worse.
If this accurate it is muscle damage which takes longer than DOMS to appear and the up to 5 days aligns with the amount of time it took my pain to start and the period many are seeing as 'not riding time's before problems start.
There isn't a solution once it starts it seems except treating the elevated CK levels to remove it from the body and protect the kidneys. The main thing appears to be managing things to prevent an issue in the first place.
Also interesting:
http://www.athleteinme.com/ArticleView.aspx?id=241
http://watchfit.com/general-health/injury/effects-of-rhabdomyolysis/
http://bmjopensem.bmj.com/content/2/1/e000151
One of the things I'm unclear on is why the pain happens in the same place at the same time most of the time - as though the legs are connected somehow?
Hey everyone -
Just checking in and seeing if anyone has any new ideas or made any progress...
I am right back to square 1 again and being referred out to other specialists since I have exhausted my current ones. I had a faux episode after taking 2 days of light spinning and had that initial tightening and "full" feeling in the legs once I resumed training again. Now, 4 days later, I rode 135 miles yesterday without any issues, this is still so perplexing!
Just checking in and seeing if anyone has any new ideas or made any progress...
I am right back to square 1 again and being referred out to other specialists since I have exhausted my current ones. I had a faux episode after taking 2 days of light spinning and had that initial tightening and "full" feeling in the legs once I resumed training again. Now, 4 days later, I rode 135 miles yesterday without any issues, this is still so perplexing!
Well, I just recovered from a full blown attack..Five days of pain until I was able to work through it. I was active on the bike and had maintained a strict LCHF diet. I then had to travel interstate which meant 2 days no riding and attendance at a wedding. At the wedding I consumed LC foods but digressed and ate potatoes, the only hi carb food for many weeks.... not many, .... after this meal is when the full blown attack occurred. The 5 days I mentioned of pain and suffering was after this meal.... I'm still trying to find answers to this condition
jb001e9634 said:
To me this is the signal of rhabdo type episode rather than a severe cramp -- that it occurs in multiple muscles, in both legs, at the same time.
I just got back from a week in the tropics on vacation with the family, the exact same situation that triggered the most severe episode I've ever had, last year. Long-haul travel, a week off of regular training, potential for dehydration, eating poorly/too much, alcohol, and sporadic eccentric-muscle exercise. I was paranoid of having another episode so I pre-dosed on nsaids prior to the first day of exertion during the vacation (hiking in the jungle) and tried to drink as much water as possible. The hike included climbing a Mayan pyramid which seemed like the perfect setup for a nightmare episode, walking down hundreds of steep steps after hiking a few miles in the heat. I climbed down backwards and very slowly. The day after flying back, I did a regular/hard bike training day without pre-dosing on nsaids. No episode, no trouble.
It's all circumstantial and maybe it's correlation without causation, but I haven't had a full blown episode in a year now. A few times (maybe 4 times during the year) I would pre-dose nsaids prior to potentially triggering activity, and once I double-dosed after feeling an episode coming on.
+1 on that. I took a normal dose of NSAIDs (ibuprofen) the last time I felt an episode coming on and that seemed to relegate the symptoms and allow me to workout as normal. After a couple days of working out, I was over the hump again and back to baseline.
Since all my metabolic tests came back as negative, I am going to stop pursuing that road. My new theory is that something is occurring during the healing process of the tissues. I am unsure if we just develop too much inflammation during this process (which would make sense why the NSAID works so well), or if there is a hormonal imbalance somewhere. I am still waiting on the genetic testing, but may seek advice from an endocrinologist in the meantime...
Since all my metabolic tests came back as negative, I am going to stop pursuing that road. My new theory is that something is occurring during the healing process of the tissues. I am unsure if we just develop too much inflammation during this process (which would make sense why the NSAID works so well), or if there is a hormonal imbalance somewhere. I am still waiting on the genetic testing, but may seek advice from an endocrinologist in the meantime...
I don't know if this is helpful - just wanted to add to this thread just in case.
I'm another one that suffers from this. I've been cycling for a few years now. For the first year or so I would regularly take 2-3 days rest because I thought that was a good thing to do. I can remember having these episodes occasionally and just figured they were something everyone had occasionally. At some point I asked several other cyclists but they had no idea what I was talking about. I remember finding this forum thread but there was no real answer. I just started avoiding long rests.
As I got more and more serious about cycling/racing, I no longer take more than a day (maybe two, but very rarely) completely off the bike. I had actually forgotten about these episodes until yesterday when it hit me again for the first time in over a year. I have been training and racing really hard (8-15 hours a week. intensity has been high with 50-75 mile Cat 3 road races on the weekends) this spring. Last week I did recovery rides two days in a row as I was feeling tired, then off the bike for two full days, then started to spin on the trainer the evening of what would have been the third day off (so ~80 hours with no riding). I felt it start after about 2 mins of riding. My left leg (vastus medialis) suddenly had a little tightness. This quickly turns into slight pain, then worse pain, then worse pain if I continue to spin. When I get off to stretch it is crazy painful but I stretch really deep and it feels a little better. Get back on the bike and the pain comes right back. Repeat, repeat, repeat... When I decide I'm done and get off the bike it hurts to walk.
Today my leg feels better and I'm walking ok. I decide to ride at lunch and about 2 mins in I get the same thing just slightly different muscle in my left leg (vastus lateralis I think). After stopped several times and stretched really deep I'm able to push through and do some 2-3 minute hard climbing efforts. That muscle is sore after the ride but not terrible. Ibuprofen seems to have helped. I really hope it doesn't happen again tomorrow.
Others here have talked about rhabdo so I'll throw this out there too:
A few weeks ago (a Tuesday evening) I'm at the end of three hour hard ride and my right calf cramps really hard. I suffer for 3-5 minutes and am finally able to pedal home. The the next morning it's balled up and tight when walking. That night (Wednesday night) there is a local race and I decide to try with the tight calf. The race ended up being really intense (1.5 hours at 25mph with 1500 feet of gain). My calf felt fine during the race but as soon as I got off the bike it felt much tighter than before the race. The next morning is was crazy tight. Could barely walk so I took the day off (Thursday). Friday I did an easy lunch ride. Saturday morning I did a long, hard group ride and felt great (calf was just a little tight). Sunday I felt fine but noticed my lower left leg was a little swollen and I had a little bit of pain behind my knee. Google said it could be a blood clot in my leg so I immediately get an ultrasound on that leg. No clot. They run some blood tests and my CK level comes back at 7800 (normal is 50-340), so super freaking high. I wait a couple days and see my normal doctor to run blood tests again. CK had dropped to 2800. Blood glucose was low (56) and liver enzymes were elevated (don't know the number). Doctor says CK levels and liver tests are consistent with some degree of rhabdo. He said I could continue to ride but take it a little easy. Several days later we repeated blood tests and CK was 550 and other tests were normal.
What is going on?
I'm another one that suffers from this. I've been cycling for a few years now. For the first year or so I would regularly take 2-3 days rest because I thought that was a good thing to do. I can remember having these episodes occasionally and just figured they were something everyone had occasionally. At some point I asked several other cyclists but they had no idea what I was talking about. I remember finding this forum thread but there was no real answer. I just started avoiding long rests.
As I got more and more serious about cycling/racing, I no longer take more than a day (maybe two, but very rarely) completely off the bike. I had actually forgotten about these episodes until yesterday when it hit me again for the first time in over a year. I have been training and racing really hard (8-15 hours a week. intensity has been high with 50-75 mile Cat 3 road races on the weekends) this spring. Last week I did recovery rides two days in a row as I was feeling tired, then off the bike for two full days, then started to spin on the trainer the evening of what would have been the third day off (so ~80 hours with no riding). I felt it start after about 2 mins of riding. My left leg (vastus medialis) suddenly had a little tightness. This quickly turns into slight pain, then worse pain, then worse pain if I continue to spin. When I get off to stretch it is crazy painful but I stretch really deep and it feels a little better. Get back on the bike and the pain comes right back. Repeat, repeat, repeat... When I decide I'm done and get off the bike it hurts to walk.
Today my leg feels better and I'm walking ok. I decide to ride at lunch and about 2 mins in I get the same thing just slightly different muscle in my left leg (vastus lateralis I think). After stopped several times and stretched really deep I'm able to push through and do some 2-3 minute hard climbing efforts. That muscle is sore after the ride but not terrible. Ibuprofen seems to have helped. I really hope it doesn't happen again tomorrow.
Others here have talked about rhabdo so I'll throw this out there too:
A few weeks ago (a Tuesday evening) I'm at the end of three hour hard ride and my right calf cramps really hard. I suffer for 3-5 minutes and am finally able to pedal home. The the next morning it's balled up and tight when walking. That night (Wednesday night) there is a local race and I decide to try with the tight calf. The race ended up being really intense (1.5 hours at 25mph with 1500 feet of gain). My calf felt fine during the race but as soon as I got off the bike it felt much tighter than before the race. The next morning is was crazy tight. Could barely walk so I took the day off (Thursday). Friday I did an easy lunch ride. Saturday morning I did a long, hard group ride and felt great (calf was just a little tight). Sunday I felt fine but noticed my lower left leg was a little swollen and I had a little bit of pain behind my knee. Google said it could be a blood clot in my leg so I immediately get an ultrasound on that leg. No clot. They run some blood tests and my CK level comes back at 7800 (normal is 50-340), so super freaking high. I wait a couple days and see my normal doctor to run blood tests again. CK had dropped to 2800. Blood glucose was low (56) and liver enzymes were elevated (don't know the number). Doctor says CK levels and liver tests are consistent with some degree of rhabdo. He said I could continue to ride but take it a little easy. Several days later we repeated blood tests and CK was 550 and other tests were normal.
What is going on?
Hi all,
After Taking vacation in Mallorca with Daily Short but high Intensity rides (1.5h with 300w average) i got an Attack again. 2 restdays , 1 travelling, 1 with Bad Weather-lying and Reading in bed , was the trigger. I got again this strong muscle pain and commuting with the bike was barely possible. Also riding with slow high power pedaling Could Not solve the issue. Then i tried the ibuprofen 200mg. Today i Could ride with no Problems. I would have expected the soreness to get worse by today. It seems that this Medecin can help. Low Carb-diet is Not possible for me. I would die ...
Best regards
Bernhard
After Taking vacation in Mallorca with Daily Short but high Intensity rides (1.5h with 300w average) i got an Attack again. 2 restdays , 1 travelling, 1 with Bad Weather-lying and Reading in bed , was the trigger. I got again this strong muscle pain and commuting with the bike was barely possible. Also riding with slow high power pedaling Could Not solve the issue. Then i tried the ibuprofen 200mg. Today i Could ride with no Problems. I would have expected the soreness to get worse by today. It seems that this Medecin can help. Low Carb-diet is Not possible for me. I would die ...
Best regards
Bernhard
Had my muscle biopsy today so i'll post back when I get the results. not expecting it to reveal much but hopefully rules some stuff out!
Sciatica for sure, i got the worst sciatica last years the days i had take a break for some days.
Wow.. I thought I was the only one that suffered this problem..
Here is my story:-
I've always cycled everywhere since school and in 2010 I took the plunge and got a road bike.
In 2013 i was riding a reasonable 18mph avg speed everywhere, clocking up the miles and was on a mission to get super fit and lose weight.
I downloaded MyfitnessPal to my phone and reduced my calorie intake to 1200 calories, which in hindsight I think was the start of my troubles...
Everyone knows reducing calories is the most effective way to lose weight. I was still cycling and training hard which meant burning off 1000+ calories per day plus reducing my calories meant a massive deficit to my nutrition levels.
I know it sounds like I was being an idiot with this approach but losing two stone in 3 months, getting faster and stronger on the bike, getting more top ten Strava segment placings was just so addictive.
The day before my first sportive I was sitting on the floor playing with my dogs and it felt like acid and entered my left quad from the top and I could feel it pouring down the muscle. I was in agony so immediately stood up and tried to walk it off.. after an hour the pain had dulled.
The morning of the sportive I drove 50 miles in my car to the sportive with friends. I put the wheels on my bike and bang my left quad went again....I tried to walk it off but it wasn't stopping. The sportive started and i can tell you every pedal rotation hurt like hell. I was determined to complete the 75m sportive with my 5 mates. 10 miles in I was struggling to keep pace. Mates assumed it was cramping so was telling me to stand on my pedals and stretch...another miles and both quads were killing me..Mile 17-20 were a nightmare..I stopped at 20 miles and could barely get off my bike because of the pain.. I burst out crying and said something was wrong with my legs. I told the guys to carry on and I would just ride back to the start. After riding 10mph back and stopping multiple times i finally got back to the sportive start. I went to the toilet and my urine looked like coke cola!!! Not good. I drank 2 litres of water straight down and 30 minutes later my urine was back to normal colour. I sat in the sun and waited 3 hours for my mates to return and by the time they did my legs felt ok.
Following weekend after light cycling I was standing at the station waiting to go and watch the Rolling Stones in Hyde Park and bang both quads went.. I burst out crying in the middle of the station.. I couldn't bend my legs.. I hobbled like a robot to the taxi's and somehow got in the taxi and came home. My wife was a massive support trying to bend my legs so I could actually get in the taxi.. I thought I was going to pass out with the pain... I phoned up a mate and he gladly came over and grabbed the Stones tickets and went down to London.. gutting!!! 3 hours after sitting on the floor the pain subsided and I got up and started hobbling around.. My legs felt bruised and sore.
Monday lunchtime I decided to walk to the local bike shop which was 1 mile away... half way, bang.. both quads went.... I sat on the path with legs stretched straight out and was seriously deep breathing trying to control the pain...I remembered my daughter was at home so asked her to pick me up and take me to hospital.
After arriving at the hospital bloods were taken and the tests began. WIthin 30 minutes a nurse stuck electrical connectors on my feet, legs & chest as they thought I’d had a heart attack. I told them I was a keen cyclist and I felt fine apart from the agonising pains in my quads. They told me that my CK enzyme was 13,200 and normally these ‘CK Spikes’ happen after a heart attack. After ten minutes of monitoring my heart trace they was assured it wasn’t a heart attack… thank goodness!!!
I was then given a saline drip that was used to hydrate me and flush out any impurities that were collecting in my quads.. Unfortunately it took 3 days of saline drips in hospital to get my CK down to below 350.
I was booked into see a Neurologist a month or so after. After describing what I’d been doing with my nutrition and hydration he basically said that I’d damaged my body. He said it was an incredibly rare thing to see these CK Spikes and there’s no real way of treating them apart from Saline and rest and also not getting your body into a position for this to occur. He asked if I would provide blood for future analysis but didn’t promise any quick results.
Received a letter 1 year on but said CK analysis was still being planned at some point in the future.
2014 I think I overdid the cycling again and my legs started to go.. But the minute I started feeling the pain I drank 2 litres of water and ate some food and popped to my hosptial.. Damn my CK was 8000 so I spent 1 full day on saline.
2015 I went to Yosemite National Park in California. The plan was to hike to the top of Yosemite falls which was nearly an 8 hour hike. I carried 2 litres of water in a camebak which i know I had to ration so I had water for the entire trip.. That was a bad mistake. I hiked for 2 hours and bang both quads started to go.. I couldn’t believe I had a CK Spike half way up a mountain path.. I managed to waddle 30 minutes to the bottom of Yosemite falls and drank my entire camelbak of water and eat all the food I had in my rucksack. I sat around taking in the amazing waterfall for an hour then decided I had to get off the mountain.. I hobbled for 3 hours down the mountain path. Again I was walking like a cross between a 90 year old grandad and a robot (not being able to bend my legs more than a few degrees at my knees).
When I finally got to Yosemite Valley the pain was gone but my legs felt bruised. I went to the Cafe and drank 2 litres of water and had some cake and crisps. An hour later my legs felt even better.
Not issues in 2016 although I have twitches.. But I don’t know if that’s psychosomatic knowing if I get dehydrated and low in sugars I might spike..
Nothing so far in first 5 months of the 2017.
So here I am typing my CK Spike story.
What have I learned.
I think I damaged my legs in 2013 by training too hard and not getting appropriate nutrition and hydration. I don’t think I had enough protein to repair my muscles. If you look into CK and the way it works in the body it’s a grey area.. Pretty undiscovered. I have a friend who’s a chemist and he started reading papers on CK and he thinks I damaged my legs at a molecular level in the muscle cells
How can I stop this from happening for me?
Don’t overtrain i.e. not training every day
Rest is very important for cells to repair
Appropriate nutrition. So if I diet I don’t ride much and if I’m cycling I don’t worry too much about my diet.. Don’t diet and train.
Proper hydration. Last year I weighed myself naked on digital scales.. Cycled at normal pace for 1 hour with zero water..it was tough. Came home and weighed myself naked again and found I had lost 4kg!!! I know I’ve always been a sweaty guy but jesus, 4 kg per hour.. That’s double the fluid loss than an average guy will go through. So based on the 1litre = 1kg in weight I now have an idea how much I should be drinking each hour.. Although I find this impossible because I would need to be a camel.
I take each day at a time and try to have a more grown up approach to my body.
Are you guys suffering the same as me..It sounds like cramping but it doesn’t feel electical it feels like acid.. I know my CK level is spiking off the chart that’s why I call it Spiking.
Will my Consultant come back with his analysis… maybe one day?
Am I worried? Not really and especially now I’ve found in the last year I’m not alone in the world who’s gets these horrendous painful issues with their quads.
I hope some of my story might shed some light on your painful quad issues. I’m not a doctor so if you think you are Spiking get yourself to hospital ASAP and ask them to check your CK Enzyme levels.
Thanks for your time,
Matt
P.S. If you want to discuss more please feel free to contact me:- matt@mattycross.com
Here is my story:-
I've always cycled everywhere since school and in 2010 I took the plunge and got a road bike.
In 2013 i was riding a reasonable 18mph avg speed everywhere, clocking up the miles and was on a mission to get super fit and lose weight.
I downloaded MyfitnessPal to my phone and reduced my calorie intake to 1200 calories, which in hindsight I think was the start of my troubles...
Everyone knows reducing calories is the most effective way to lose weight. I was still cycling and training hard which meant burning off 1000+ calories per day plus reducing my calories meant a massive deficit to my nutrition levels.
I know it sounds like I was being an idiot with this approach but losing two stone in 3 months, getting faster and stronger on the bike, getting more top ten Strava segment placings was just so addictive.
The day before my first sportive I was sitting on the floor playing with my dogs and it felt like acid and entered my left quad from the top and I could feel it pouring down the muscle. I was in agony so immediately stood up and tried to walk it off.. after an hour the pain had dulled.
The morning of the sportive I drove 50 miles in my car to the sportive with friends. I put the wheels on my bike and bang my left quad went again....I tried to walk it off but it wasn't stopping. The sportive started and i can tell you every pedal rotation hurt like hell. I was determined to complete the 75m sportive with my 5 mates. 10 miles in I was struggling to keep pace. Mates assumed it was cramping so was telling me to stand on my pedals and stretch...another miles and both quads were killing me..Mile 17-20 were a nightmare..I stopped at 20 miles and could barely get off my bike because of the pain.. I burst out crying and said something was wrong with my legs. I told the guys to carry on and I would just ride back to the start. After riding 10mph back and stopping multiple times i finally got back to the sportive start. I went to the toilet and my urine looked like coke cola!!! Not good. I drank 2 litres of water straight down and 30 minutes later my urine was back to normal colour. I sat in the sun and waited 3 hours for my mates to return and by the time they did my legs felt ok.
Following weekend after light cycling I was standing at the station waiting to go and watch the Rolling Stones in Hyde Park and bang both quads went.. I burst out crying in the middle of the station.. I couldn't bend my legs.. I hobbled like a robot to the taxi's and somehow got in the taxi and came home. My wife was a massive support trying to bend my legs so I could actually get in the taxi.. I thought I was going to pass out with the pain... I phoned up a mate and he gladly came over and grabbed the Stones tickets and went down to London.. gutting!!! 3 hours after sitting on the floor the pain subsided and I got up and started hobbling around.. My legs felt bruised and sore.
Monday lunchtime I decided to walk to the local bike shop which was 1 mile away... half way, bang.. both quads went.... I sat on the path with legs stretched straight out and was seriously deep breathing trying to control the pain...I remembered my daughter was at home so asked her to pick me up and take me to hospital.
After arriving at the hospital bloods were taken and the tests began. WIthin 30 minutes a nurse stuck electrical connectors on my feet, legs & chest as they thought I’d had a heart attack. I told them I was a keen cyclist and I felt fine apart from the agonising pains in my quads. They told me that my CK enzyme was 13,200 and normally these ‘CK Spikes’ happen after a heart attack. After ten minutes of monitoring my heart trace they was assured it wasn’t a heart attack… thank goodness!!!
I was then given a saline drip that was used to hydrate me and flush out any impurities that were collecting in my quads.. Unfortunately it took 3 days of saline drips in hospital to get my CK down to below 350.
I was booked into see a Neurologist a month or so after. After describing what I’d been doing with my nutrition and hydration he basically said that I’d damaged my body. He said it was an incredibly rare thing to see these CK Spikes and there’s no real way of treating them apart from Saline and rest and also not getting your body into a position for this to occur. He asked if I would provide blood for future analysis but didn’t promise any quick results.
Received a letter 1 year on but said CK analysis was still being planned at some point in the future.
2014 I think I overdid the cycling again and my legs started to go.. But the minute I started feeling the pain I drank 2 litres of water and ate some food and popped to my hosptial.. Damn my CK was 8000 so I spent 1 full day on saline.
2015 I went to Yosemite National Park in California. The plan was to hike to the top of Yosemite falls which was nearly an 8 hour hike. I carried 2 litres of water in a camebak which i know I had to ration so I had water for the entire trip.. That was a bad mistake. I hiked for 2 hours and bang both quads started to go.. I couldn’t believe I had a CK Spike half way up a mountain path.. I managed to waddle 30 minutes to the bottom of Yosemite falls and drank my entire camelbak of water and eat all the food I had in my rucksack. I sat around taking in the amazing waterfall for an hour then decided I had to get off the mountain.. I hobbled for 3 hours down the mountain path. Again I was walking like a cross between a 90 year old grandad and a robot (not being able to bend my legs more than a few degrees at my knees).
When I finally got to Yosemite Valley the pain was gone but my legs felt bruised. I went to the Cafe and drank 2 litres of water and had some cake and crisps. An hour later my legs felt even better.
Not issues in 2016 although I have twitches.. But I don’t know if that’s psychosomatic knowing if I get dehydrated and low in sugars I might spike..
Nothing so far in first 5 months of the 2017.
So here I am typing my CK Spike story.
What have I learned.
I think I damaged my legs in 2013 by training too hard and not getting appropriate nutrition and hydration. I don’t think I had enough protein to repair my muscles. If you look into CK and the way it works in the body it’s a grey area.. Pretty undiscovered. I have a friend who’s a chemist and he started reading papers on CK and he thinks I damaged my legs at a molecular level in the muscle cells
How can I stop this from happening for me?
Don’t overtrain i.e. not training every day
Rest is very important for cells to repair
Appropriate nutrition. So if I diet I don’t ride much and if I’m cycling I don’t worry too much about my diet.. Don’t diet and train.
Proper hydration. Last year I weighed myself naked on digital scales.. Cycled at normal pace for 1 hour with zero water..it was tough. Came home and weighed myself naked again and found I had lost 4kg!!! I know I’ve always been a sweaty guy but jesus, 4 kg per hour.. That’s double the fluid loss than an average guy will go through. So based on the 1litre = 1kg in weight I now have an idea how much I should be drinking each hour.. Although I find this impossible because I would need to be a camel.
I take each day at a time and try to have a more grown up approach to my body.
Are you guys suffering the same as me..It sounds like cramping but it doesn’t feel electical it feels like acid.. I know my CK level is spiking off the chart that’s why I call it Spiking.
Will my Consultant come back with his analysis… maybe one day?
Am I worried? Not really and especially now I’ve found in the last year I’m not alone in the world who’s gets these horrendous painful issues with their quads.
I hope some of my story might shed some light on your painful quad issues. I’m not a doctor so if you think you are Spiking get yourself to hospital ASAP and ask them to check your CK Enzyme levels.
Thanks for your time,
Matt
P.S. If you want to discuss more please feel free to contact me:- matt@mattycross.com
Welcome Matt. You are describing exactly what most or all of us here have experienced. The pain has been described as acid inside the legs, stabbing with knives, being hit in the legs with a pipe. The pain isn't localized, like a muscle cramp; instead it is spread across multiple muscles in both legs. I'm sorry you've gone through it but at least know that you're not alone!
Please do take the time to read through the entire thread as there are some good suggestions and hypotheses, along with plenty of red herrings and incorrect theories.
Your CK levels indicate rhabdomyolysis. Typically this is brought on by extreme overexertion but in the case of those suffering as described in this thread, the rhabdomyolysis is intermittent and is associated with various triggers. The most common triggers appear to be a generally high level of physical conditioning, eccentric muscle loading (like walking downhill or down stairs), an interruption in regular training, extended inactivity (like a long plane flight), and dehydration.
My working theory is that this is some sort of metabolic disease, probably associated with some genetic condition. Whatever the disease is, there is a spectrum of ways that it is triggered and manifests itself. I have basically given up hope for a solid diagnosis saying "this is X disease that can be treated with Y." There's no silver bullet cure. Instead, personally, I simply try to minimize triggering situations and mitigate any attacks as best I can.
For me, that means:
1. Staying hydrated. Not just during activity but always. I actually think hydrating during the 24 hours before activity, is more important than hydrating during activity.
2. Pre-dosing NSAIDs (ibuprofen or naproxen) before a situation that is very highly triggering, such as hiking in a hot climate after a break in training.
3. Stopping activity immediately on feeling the slightest warning signal that an attack may be coming on. Rhabdomyolysis indicates physical damage to the muscle cells and pushing through it is the worst possible thing you can do.
4. Double-dose NSAIDs as soon as possible after the onset of an attack.
This is just what has worked for me. But everyone is different and there is a spectrum of ways this syndrome or disease manifests, so it might not work for you. But it may be worth trying. Good luck!
Please do take the time to read through the entire thread as there are some good suggestions and hypotheses, along with plenty of red herrings and incorrect theories.
Your CK levels indicate rhabdomyolysis. Typically this is brought on by extreme overexertion but in the case of those suffering as described in this thread, the rhabdomyolysis is intermittent and is associated with various triggers. The most common triggers appear to be a generally high level of physical conditioning, eccentric muscle loading (like walking downhill or down stairs), an interruption in regular training, extended inactivity (like a long plane flight), and dehydration.
My working theory is that this is some sort of metabolic disease, probably associated with some genetic condition. Whatever the disease is, there is a spectrum of ways that it is triggered and manifests itself. I have basically given up hope for a solid diagnosis saying "this is X disease that can be treated with Y." There's no silver bullet cure. Instead, personally, I simply try to minimize triggering situations and mitigate any attacks as best I can.
For me, that means:
1. Staying hydrated. Not just during activity but always. I actually think hydrating during the 24 hours before activity, is more important than hydrating during activity.
2. Pre-dosing NSAIDs (ibuprofen or naproxen) before a situation that is very highly triggering, such as hiking in a hot climate after a break in training.
3. Stopping activity immediately on feeling the slightest warning signal that an attack may be coming on. Rhabdomyolysis indicates physical damage to the muscle cells and pushing through it is the worst possible thing you can do.
4. Double-dose NSAIDs as soon as possible after the onset of an attack.
This is just what has worked for me. But everyone is different and there is a spectrum of ways this syndrome or disease manifests, so it might not work for you. But it may be worth trying. Good luck!
Hi guys
Something to think about below. Early days but I have always been of the thought that the nerves are involved here and the muscle soreness, rhabdo etc is a symptom/result of this. The simple nerve flossing technique for the sciatic nerve and femoral nerve has brought some interesting relief while in the midst of an attack at the moment. Might be something others want to try and share their thoughts etc.
I struggle with the concept we all have a genetic disorder or its diet related etc. Maybe we are overthinking it??
Just throwing it out there. I'm sure you will all do your own research on this..
Plenty of info on the web
Nerve flossing is a specialized way of easing neural tension in different parts of the body. The process, also known as nerve mobilization, is sometimes required to mobilize entangled or hypersensitive peripheral and central nerves. These may occur due to overuse of muscles, poor posture and severe injuries. In such condition, nerves in the affected areas recoil leading to neural tension. Symptoms of neural tension include tingling, numbness, and pain in the affected region. The body responds automatically by contracting the muscles in the affected areas to protect affected nerves from further damages. The muscles, in turn, become short, tight and stiff depicting the poor condition of the nerves. Persistent and unattained neural tension can create several other physical problems that can affect myofascial system, problems in normal movements and joint problems etc. In this condition, medical experts often advise for nerve flossing to get rid of such painful and abnormal condition.
https://www.epainassist.com/manual-therapy/physical-therapy/what-is-nerve-flossing-and-how-is-it-done
Cheers
Something to think about below. Early days but I have always been of the thought that the nerves are involved here and the muscle soreness, rhabdo etc is a symptom/result of this. The simple nerve flossing technique for the sciatic nerve and femoral nerve has brought some interesting relief while in the midst of an attack at the moment. Might be something others want to try and share their thoughts etc.
I struggle with the concept we all have a genetic disorder or its diet related etc. Maybe we are overthinking it??
Just throwing it out there. I'm sure you will all do your own research on this..
Plenty of info on the web
Nerve flossing is a specialized way of easing neural tension in different parts of the body. The process, also known as nerve mobilization, is sometimes required to mobilize entangled or hypersensitive peripheral and central nerves. These may occur due to overuse of muscles, poor posture and severe injuries. In such condition, nerves in the affected areas recoil leading to neural tension. Symptoms of neural tension include tingling, numbness, and pain in the affected region. The body responds automatically by contracting the muscles in the affected areas to protect affected nerves from further damages. The muscles, in turn, become short, tight and stiff depicting the poor condition of the nerves. Persistent and unattained neural tension can create several other physical problems that can affect myofascial system, problems in normal movements and joint problems etc. In this condition, medical experts often advise for nerve flossing to get rid of such painful and abnormal condition.
https://www.epainassist.com/manual-therapy/physical-therapy/what-is-nerve-flossing-and-how-is-it-done
Cheers
Hi guys,
This is a great discussion and I won’t be the first to say that I’m glad I’m not the only one experiencing this oddity.
To contribute my story
Riding background
I’ve been riding for approximately 4 years (periods of hiatus for a few months)
I generally commute to work every day, approximately 40-45 kms per day
Weekends rides, my local loops will varying, from a 50-60 to 120 kms
I’ve had three attacks this year
Jan
Was in Bright, Victoria for a short away trip with the fiancée. During one of our hikes, as we started to descend down Mount Buffalo, I started to experience pain in my left leg, particularly around my upper thigh quad region. The more I stepped down, the pain continue to exacerbate to the point it was debilitating I had stop for a few minutes, I had to endure it until I got to the base (slowlest decent in my entire lol).
It felt like somebody was stabbing my leg and it was incredibly difficult to flex, bend and stretch. After that experience I avoided any further hikes/climbs for the rest of the trip.
March
Morning commute, about a few minutes into the ride my left thigh/quad started to seize up, the continuous pedalling made it worse to the point I could only pedal with the my right leg and then had to eventually get off the bike.
Similar symptoms as first attack
Stabbing/burning sensation around the quad, not localized it changes time to time above knee, outer or inner thigh.
As a result I was unable to walk, I was limping to take the weight impact off my leg for a few days.
I visited the physio, and he concluded I may have mild quad strain and muscle weakness. He suggested/recommended leg strength conditioning workouts, i.e. squats, leg curls and lunges and use a foam roller. About a week later the issues went away.
Present
So as of Monday morning, I experienced a similar attack as above, leg seized up becoming too painful to cycle and walk.
Going for a walk, both my quads flare up in pain, the pain seems to circulate around my quads. It can be above the knee, outer or inner thigh and sometimes just below my hips.
I end up limping around by trying to not put too much weight on my left leg (it’s more problematic than my right)
Sitting down or standing for a few minutes the pain will go away, but as soon as I start moving the quads flare up in pain again.
The situation hasn’t improved since Monday and if I squeeze my quads, I can feel they’re quite tender/sore.
I have a physio appointment booked tomorrow. So I'll see how I go and share any feedback with you all.
This is a great discussion and I won’t be the first to say that I’m glad I’m not the only one experiencing this oddity.
To contribute my story
Riding background
I’ve been riding for approximately 4 years (periods of hiatus for a few months)
I generally commute to work every day, approximately 40-45 kms per day
Weekends rides, my local loops will varying, from a 50-60 to 120 kms
I’ve had three attacks this year
Jan
Was in Bright, Victoria for a short away trip with the fiancée. During one of our hikes, as we started to descend down Mount Buffalo, I started to experience pain in my left leg, particularly around my upper thigh quad region. The more I stepped down, the pain continue to exacerbate to the point it was debilitating I had stop for a few minutes, I had to endure it until I got to the base (slowlest decent in my entire lol).
It felt like somebody was stabbing my leg and it was incredibly difficult to flex, bend and stretch. After that experience I avoided any further hikes/climbs for the rest of the trip.
March
Morning commute, about a few minutes into the ride my left thigh/quad started to seize up, the continuous pedalling made it worse to the point I could only pedal with the my right leg and then had to eventually get off the bike.
Similar symptoms as first attack
Stabbing/burning sensation around the quad, not localized it changes time to time above knee, outer or inner thigh.
As a result I was unable to walk, I was limping to take the weight impact off my leg for a few days.
I visited the physio, and he concluded I may have mild quad strain and muscle weakness. He suggested/recommended leg strength conditioning workouts, i.e. squats, leg curls and lunges and use a foam roller. About a week later the issues went away.
Present
So as of Monday morning, I experienced a similar attack as above, leg seized up becoming too painful to cycle and walk.
Going for a walk, both my quads flare up in pain, the pain seems to circulate around my quads. It can be above the knee, outer or inner thigh and sometimes just below my hips.
I end up limping around by trying to not put too much weight on my left leg (it’s more problematic than my right)
Sitting down or standing for a few minutes the pain will go away, but as soon as I start moving the quads flare up in pain again.
The situation hasn’t improved since Monday and if I squeeze my quads, I can feel they’re quite tender/sore.
I have a physio appointment booked tomorrow. So I'll see how I go and share any feedback with you all.
Just checking in. Since my last post, have gone through 2 bouts (currently 2 days into the 2nd bout). Was interesting in that i seem to have been able to delay the onset this time.
Usually, these bouts are triggered after i do a period of commuting Monday - Wednesday, then the bouts are triggered Sunday/Monday. However, there was one week when it didn't trigger. i was more physically active that weekend and so was able to do the commutes again the following Monday - Wednesday with no troubles. Did the same commutes again Saturday - Monday (again, same distance), so was expecting a bout starting Thursday/Friday, except i rode on Wednesday and was off the bike Thursday - Sunday and was fine until Monday morning. Walked a bit and did a lot of physical stuff (just not riding). Then took a real slack day on Sunday with the feet up sitting on the couch and i realised that may be a point of similarity between when i get my bouts. All the bouts (like many have stated) are preceded by a period off rest. More specifically, i'm talking about my posture during this rest phase. For this current bout, I was sitting on the couch with the feet on a footstool, legs stretched out in front of me.
Sitting with the feet up in this position has the quads in a shortened, non contracted state. So wondered if (somehow) the recovery process sets my quads in this shortened state but then when i start using it again, it's tearing (like a wound that clotted over on a flexible part of the body that then, flexed and opened the wound again, sorry for the imagery....) and that it's this new tearing that might be what this issue we all have might be?
I think i've ruled out nutrition as a cause and go back to thinking about the muscular recovery process. Certainly, a poor diet would definitely not help with the recovery process. So my next steps are to focus on my recovery after each ride, actually go for recovery rides and am strongly considering buying an indoor trainer so i can get in a quick 10 min spin at the minimum every day to stretch out those muscles.
Thoughts?
Usually, these bouts are triggered after i do a period of commuting Monday - Wednesday, then the bouts are triggered Sunday/Monday. However, there was one week when it didn't trigger. i was more physically active that weekend and so was able to do the commutes again the following Monday - Wednesday with no troubles. Did the same commutes again Saturday - Monday (again, same distance), so was expecting a bout starting Thursday/Friday, except i rode on Wednesday and was off the bike Thursday - Sunday and was fine until Monday morning. Walked a bit and did a lot of physical stuff (just not riding). Then took a real slack day on Sunday with the feet up sitting on the couch and i realised that may be a point of similarity between when i get my bouts. All the bouts (like many have stated) are preceded by a period off rest. More specifically, i'm talking about my posture during this rest phase. For this current bout, I was sitting on the couch with the feet on a footstool, legs stretched out in front of me.
Sitting with the feet up in this position has the quads in a shortened, non contracted state. So wondered if (somehow) the recovery process sets my quads in this shortened state but then when i start using it again, it's tearing (like a wound that clotted over on a flexible part of the body that then, flexed and opened the wound again, sorry for the imagery....) and that it's this new tearing that might be what this issue we all have might be?
I think i've ruled out nutrition as a cause and go back to thinking about the muscular recovery process. Certainly, a poor diet would definitely not help with the recovery process. So my next steps are to focus on my recovery after each ride, actually go for recovery rides and am strongly considering buying an indoor trainer so i can get in a quick 10 min spin at the minimum every day to stretch out those muscles.
Thoughts?
Hi all,
I'm another newbie to join this list of poor souls..
I'm not going to go into a long winded spiel as youve all stated symptoms ive got..
Painful quads, always after a decent week (at least) of riding and then a few days off..
several months ago, I was always of the belief that if I got the symptoms one day, then the next time I rode I'd be right...
And this was the case until the last couple of times.
The latest (im in the middle of one now) has lasted a week already. I was able to limp out about 12kms on the trainer (Zwift) tonight but it was a real limp. Any harder than about 1.5 w/kg and up came the pain.
I'm hoping that someone will come up with an answer to this so I'll be following you guys closely.
Thank you so much for starting this thread..as a lot have already said, there is nothing else I can find on google that describes the symptoms so perfectly...
I plan on taking this whole thread to my GP/Physio/Specialist..
I'm another newbie to join this list of poor souls..
I'm not going to go into a long winded spiel as youve all stated symptoms ive got..
Painful quads, always after a decent week (at least) of riding and then a few days off..
several months ago, I was always of the belief that if I got the symptoms one day, then the next time I rode I'd be right...
And this was the case until the last couple of times.
The latest (im in the middle of one now) has lasted a week already. I was able to limp out about 12kms on the trainer (Zwift) tonight but it was a real limp. Any harder than about 1.5 w/kg and up came the pain.
I'm hoping that someone will come up with an answer to this so I'll be following you guys closely.
Thank you so much for starting this thread..as a lot have already said, there is nothing else I can find on google that describes the symptoms so perfectly...
I plan on taking this whole thread to my GP/Physio/Specialist..
Mixed emotions going on here following all the posts that you guys have posted ,I am happy and sad at the same time. Reading up on the glycogen theory I can sort of match it to a liver problem I had in the past after collapsing from heat exsorrion in 2011. After that episode when I collapsed straight after that I started to get exactly the same symptoms as you guys amazing how similar not similar exactly the same symptoms as all of you guys. loved triathlon but was forced to stop running as flareups were much more frequent, after that I had to focus on the bike.. I have now stuck to swimming and cycling and flareups reduced by quite a bit, now a days I get three or four flareups a year which leaves me three weeks without being able to train.. I always thought before I read this thread that my problems came from my herniated disc's L3/L4 the femoral nerve exits between those two vertebrae's and if you follow the nerve roots they channel exactly to where the flareups demonstrate. Great to see that I am not alone but sad to see that there is not a cure or a conclusive diagnosis, I guess we shall have to grin and bear it every time we get an episode and Carry on training hard when we are clear .. safe riding and don't give up.
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