Rehab for mild hamstring pull?

[deskrider]

Thanks to all of you for your comments and PMs. I know this is more complicated than I originally thought. First, I do have some flexibility issues from sitting at a desk for decades and not riding, second, I do have some L5 problems from a back injury 5 years ago that left parts of the left leg numb, and finally I have very short legs and a long torso so I tend to scoot my seat back or instinctively scoot myself to the back edge of my seat. The kinesio tape one of you mentioned might be a good idea while it heals, but I don't think my L5 problem can be "solved" and I ride two different bikes so I need to try to figure out which one might be aggravating it more and see if changes should be made. I also think my left leg is a bit shorter than the right, but I think both bikes are ok on seat height as that has been checked and triple-checked by people who are qualified. Sounds like I better go to PT and get as much advice as possible to deal with these issues and do a proper recovery before it causes more problems. Do any of you think riding in cold weather could make it worse? I notice that 37-38 degrees the back of my legs get cold, even with 2 layers on. That might make it stiff?

[bluebug32]

Do any of you think riding in cold weather could make it worse? I notice that 37-38 degrees the back of my legs get cold, even with 2 layers on. That might make it stiff?

I'm sure the cold isn't doing your muscles any favors. But if you do ride outside be sure to get in a nice, slow, long warmup. Have you tried embrocation on your hamstring? Anything to keep that muscle nice and warm.

[nscrbug]

I'm sure the cold isn't doing your muscles any favors. But if you do ride outside be sure to get in a nice, slow, long warmup. Have you tried embrocation on your hamstring? Anything to keep that muscle nice and warm.

X2 on the embrocation...especially in the colder weather. I religiously use Body Glide Warm FX on all sorts of troublesome areas for me (knees, lower back, neck and shoulders). It has a nice warming effect that stays with me for a good while. I just love the stuff and usually end up buying 3 or 4 sticks at a time, just so I won't run out.

[indysteel]

Thanks to all of you for your comments and PMs. I know this is more complicated than I originally thought. First, I do have some flexibility issues from sitting at a desk for decades and not riding, second, I do have some L5 problems from a back injury 5 years ago that left parts of the left leg numb, and finally I have very short legs and a long torso so I tend to scoot my seat back or instinctively scoot myself to the back edge of my seat. The kinesio tape one of you mentioned might be a good idea while it heals, but I don't think my L5 problem can be "solved" and I ride two different bikes so I need to try to figure out which one might be aggravating it more and see if changes should be made. I also think my left leg is a bit shorter than the right, but I think both bikes are ok on seat height as that has been checked and triple-checked by people who are qualified. Sounds like I better go to PT and get as much advice as possible to deal with these issues and do a proper recovery before it causes more problems. Do any of you think riding in cold weather could make it worse? I notice that 37-38 degrees the back of my legs get cold, even with 2 layers on. That might make it stiff?

If your saddle is positioned correctly in terms of fore/aft, you really shouldn't feel the urge to scoot back on your seat. The fact that you are suggests to me that maybe it's not positioned far enough back. The problem is that when you scoot bag, you're effectively making your hamstring extend more than it perhaps should. When a fitter moves a seat back, he/she will typically lower it a bit to compensate for that (or conversely, if he moves it forward, he'll raise it a bit).

[Seajay]

If your saddle is positioned correctly in terms of fore/aft, you really shouldn't feel the urge to scoot back on your seat.

+1 Fore/Aft....height too.
One thing I notice a lot at the shop is a poor fitting saddle sometimes will cause the rider to want to slide back.

DeskRider....why do you think your L5 issue cannot be resolved? I admit it DOES take a LONG time and constant work.

[deskrider]

It might not be able to be resolved because P.T. didn't do any good--in fact thee PT evaluation in and of itself made my left leg numb. I think there is some kind of permanent structural and/or nerve damage in this area and any kind of twisting will make it worse. I have done exercises for 2 years and have not noticed any improvement. I'm just lucky it isn't as bad as it was 5 years ago! I think the PT person was somewhat scared when she did my eval and noticed that just resisting pressure side-to-side as she held my leg then caused the numbness to return. I had NO pain during the evaluation and no indication anything was wrong but the next day the numbness was there. It lasted for a year, which is what happened when I first injured myself by sitting twisted in a chair for 3 hours while they were doing construction in the office. Ow...
I'm open for any ideas and suggestion though, but so far the Dr. and the PT person I have seen are puzzled.

[LivetoRide]

Have you had an MRI done of your L5 area?