Kit,

Glad you found the article useful. Sounds like you're well on the mend, which is fantastic news! Keep me updated with how everything goes.

Kim

Fluffy - Hi there sorry to hear about your back. I would go and get yourself checked out for sure, you prob. need an x-ray and specialist knowledge. mine was spine slippage as a young teenager (birth defect) and I had to have it fused to stop it doing lots more damage. had couple of ops, bone from hip fused spine, etc, etc. so I def. know how mine occurred unfortunately !! I know vertebrae can self-fuse because I had it mentioned to me when mine started wearing out but they told me it usually happens through inactivity and gymnastics doesnt sound like that. Like I say, try and get yourself to your doc and get a referral to an orthopaedic consultant (especially if you are suffering pain). Good Luck CJ

Thanks mate, will do.

My mum also had some of her hip bone put into her neck along with a few plates a couple of years ago to stabalise it. Dad tried to chear her up before the op by singing "your hip bones connected to your.....neck bone...." luckily she couldn't lift her arm to bop him one.

Fluffy

xx

LOL - I love the sound of your Dad ... good luck Fluffy, let me know how you get on. x

Kim,

As per my previous query, I'm recovering from pnuemonia albeit very slowly. My latest x ray shows scarring on the lungs and my ESR has fallen to 27 (whatever that means). I still have pains / aches in the chest and feel really tired, but I'm not sure if I'm just feeling sorry for myself and imagining this.

Is there anything I can do to speed up the healing process? Is it too early to try and get back on the bike?

Thanks

I think Dr Kim is away in Majorca this week, I remember her saying something about a training camp. So if you don't hear back right away this is why!

Dr Kim,

I started biking a couple of months ago (MTB) and about 3 weeks ago (as I started doing longer rides) I noticed I was getting pain in my thumb joints. Now my hands are a little stiff some mornings. I noticed a slight swelling on my thumb joints this morning too. Is this due to my body not being used to what its now being put through? Is it likely to ease off as my hands get used to my biking?

Did anyone else get hand pain when they first started biking?

Any help or advice would be gratefully received as I don't want to stop biking because of this, biking is new to me and I love it!

Thanks

Rae (Rachael)

Rae,

When I do longer rides I don't have such an extreme reaction with the thumbs swelling or whatever but they do get stiff from being in one position for a long time. If you ride when its cold this would probably make it worse. I wear gloves and I think they're great- they stop any blisters too. I guess the best thing to do is when you're riding to keep moving them and when you get back soak them in warm water to stop them going stuiff. Apart from that I don't know...

Lots of love from,
Hannah
xxx

Hi Rae

I also had thumb trouble when I stated riding for longer periods. My problem was getting used to the Shimano thumb shifters, if you have these, just think how often you are changing gear !! I think this could be the source of your thumb pain.. mine did eventually go and, like your bum, you just have to wear them in !!! Happy biking. CJ

Hi CJ,

I hadn't even thought about that, and yep, I have Shimano shifters! I've just about worn in my bum so I guess it makes sense to need to wear in another part of the body!

Thanks for the advice. I've also been advised to get hold of a Glucosamine suppliment which should help with joint problems apparently, so I'm off to my local health food shop for a chat this morning.

How long did it take before your thumbs stopped hurting?

Rae.

Hi Rae, glucosamine does help. I use it in a gel form, you can then rub it straight onto the painful area and it will be specific. It's about £7 a tube but lasts ages. It took a little while for my thumbs to get better but I also play piano and was doing lots of playing/practice which probably didn't help either. Keep your shifters/cables well oiled and that will make a big difference too. If you can't do it yourself get your LBS to help out - flash 'em a smile and they may not even charge !! CJ

Hi there Rae, another vote for glucosamine! I also use the Ergon grips which made a big difference - no pain now in hands or wrists. You need to take a bit of time to set them up correctly (a helper would be useful). Available from Minx-Girl website.

try some ibuprofen gel after the ride too, seems to help. And (this will prob sound silly) check your gloves. The first pair I bought were blokes' fingerless mitts, and the thumb 'sleeve' was too long. I didn't think it mattered, but the end of it was just above the joint, which meant my thumb was sort of folding round the material. I can't explain it exactly, but I got women's gloves and the pain went...

Hi, I got hold of some Glucosamine gel and it seems to be helping. Been fiddling around with the position of the shifters too. Kit - The glove suggestion came from my boyfriend as well (biker too) and I've just got hold of some Specialized Body Geometry gloves to try - off on a long ride in the morning, so I'll see how I go. Old Bird - I looked at those grips the other day, couldn't decide whether to try them or not, think I'll give them a shot now though. Thanks for that.
All suggestions most welcome. Thanks ladies.

help me Kim, ok i think you know the story slowly getting over my spinal injury burst t4 fractured t3,t5 and I'm left with a long term kyphosis and pain but am back on the saddle and trying to get back to normal. The problem is that last week I had a sharp pain in my calf which resolved after 3 days I then got on the bike and after 6 miles was in agony! The original pain started when I got out of my car. I now have a swollen thigh area and it feels tender to touch above my knee, I had knee problems years ago from a congenital defect but if I damgaged it I knew about it! A doctor looked at my calf and felt it was a spasm but I'm not convinced, is there anything I can do or could it be my back? Is it worth forking out a lot of my wages for a specialised physio??

I climb mainly but have just gotten into mtb'ing and am hooked big time!

however about 3-4 weeks ago now I hurt my shoulder whilst bouldering (climbing)i think due to repeatly reaching for a hold.

since then my shoulder has been hurting on and off - its mainly if i lean on it, or move towards myself inwards - is it the suptaspinatus area? once moving its fine its just a sudden pain when i first move.

just been to the docs who was pretty useless and just said to rest and might have inflamatory suptaspinatus tendon/muscle.... ??? he wasnt really very sure. said to come back if still hurts in a few weeks.

any clues to whats up with my shoulder? and what kinda moves i should/shouldnt do? im just about to go to a climbing holiday for a week in france! d'oh.....

any advice or websites to look at would be great.

adele

Dear Dr Kim

By Inverness and RAF, can I take you're actually based at RAF Kinloss or Lossie? Is so I hope you're having fun - its the area I grew up in so let me know if you'd like to hear about any of the local forests! (of which there are very, very many)

In the meantime, I'd like some advice about my right achilles. I've been training for a duathlon - usually cycle communting 16 miles a day, running 3 times a week (40 min run, speed work on the treadmill, 65 mins run) and 1 curcuits and 1 pilates class.

My achilles has been a bit tender for a few weeks and is now actively getting sore (had to stop my run yesterday after 30mins). There's a bit of tenderness to touch. I'm loath to stop training (race 4 weeks away) but equally I don't want to cripple myself. I've had terrible ankle problems in the past (broken both, physio said I have the ankle joints and mobility of a 60 yr old!) which I have been working on mobilising and strengthening my calf muscles. Could the achilles and ankle be linked? Ankles have been much better recently (not 'popping out' and going over on them at all depsite doing some rough off path running while orienteering).

Should I just take ibuprofen/use ibuprofen gel? Do I need to cut down on something? Should I get myself back to sports phisio?

Thanks

ktmcn

Wow! Lots more questions...

Really, really sorry for the delay... hectic last month with training camp, then revision, revision and more revision for my postgrad exams... arrrrggghhh! Thankfully all over and done with now so I can actually get on with writing some replies! Thanks for being patient.

Ktmcn - know some good exercises for achilles probs. Right on it. Oh, and it's Kinloss!

Well, bit more to add on to my original bit.

Had a bit of a bad do at the Enduro6, well before the Enduro6 (see other thread in events) just pulling my shorts up. Sharp pain in back, neck and shoulder and hand turned blue.

Medics sent me to hospital.
Hospital sent me home couldnt find what was wrong, gave me a letter to give to GP for referal to back specialist.

Went to GP, dismissed all that everyone had said before, said she didn't think my spine was fused, didnt want to send me for an x-ray. Gave me acupuncture advised on pain killers and anti-inflamatory drugs. Back in two weeks if it doesn't sort itself out.

Ah well.

Dr Kim, welcome back.

Dont worry about the delay, any top tips on how to make my back stronger greatly appreciated (top of back and neck mainly)

Ta

Update on my thumb trouble (no problems with the delay Dr Kim). I tried the BG gloves and I've also got the Ergon grips which Old Bird suggested (took some getting used to they feel ok now), however no improvement, although I really like the new grips. Started having problems with my knuckles on my fingers too, specifically on my little and ring fingers, both hands. In a morning they almost 'pop' my finger from bent to straight! My hands are really stiff in a morning too, until I've been moving them for a few minutes.
Went to see my doc last week, she's not sure what it could be, suggested it could be something I just need to work through till my body is more used to what I'm asking of it, prescribed co-codamol, although she wanted me to take ibuprofen initially until she remembered I'm asthmatic. Got to go back for a blood test to check for arthritis. She told me to carry on riding though, as they are now the same whether I ride or not.
Any ideas Kim? Any suggestions to help would be gratefully received!