History of sciatica (or what I perceive as such). For years, left leg has always felt “different” with bouts every year or so of pain in glute area that might radiate down the leg. Usually accompanied with some numbness down in calf and foot occasionally but always goes away. Also, every two years or so I would “throw out my back” as people like to say. It would sideline me for several days. Late last year I had another similar incident but thanks to ya’ll, I didn’t freak out and relaxed and continued training with what my body was giving me.
The last two weeks now, I’ve felt some considerable numbness in bottom/side of foot and around my ankle/low side shin. Those things don’t bother me too much. What does raise a concern for me is the fact that I can’t extend/splay my toes out on my left foot. Now I haven’t noticed before the other day (but doesn’t mean it hasn’t always been like this) but when I separate my toes on each foot, there’s a distinct difference between my left and right foot. On my left it takes concentrated effort to separate my 3rd and 4th toes they also look curled up. I can post a picture if needed. Thanks everyone!
Hi Sean, sorry about the delay in response. This isn’t an immediate concern if you can tolerate modified activity and training, as sensory and motor changes can improve with time. Have you seen any change in your toe function over the last 2 weeks?
The ability to move my toes has improved but it definitely still feels different and requires more effort than my right foot. I haven’t made any changes in my training at all but the last few days, my left feels different than my left as well. I don’t believe it is weaker but it feels that way. Not sure how much of all is this me being hyper aware of everything in my leg and how much is a real issue. Is this some form of sciatica or nerve impingement and at what point do I think I would need to see someone? I
Glad to hear it’s improving! It’s very possible that you’re experiencing nerve-related symptoms, ala sciatica, given your symptom description. In reference to “Not sure how much of all is this me being hyper aware of everything in my leg and how much is a real issue”, I can totally understand where you’re coming from and sometimes it can be frustrating and confusing when symptoms are not very straight-forward. However, what I would say to that is that your symptoms are always real, but this doesn’t mean that there is inherently “something” we need to protect and be careful of. With back and radicular (sciatica) symptoms, medical attention and imaging is only pertinent if you’re experiencing bowel/bladder changes or significant motor loss. Hyperawareness can come as part of the territory of having persistent symptoms and may further contribute to them, but according to some of the literature, addressing fear related beliefs about your symptoms and exposing yourself to specific movement can help moderate these effects. (I’m currently in the midst of researching and writing a piece on hypervigilance/awareness as we speak)
Overall, seeing someone is really up to you and whether or not you feel like you have control of the situation and you can partake in the activities you want to do to your fullest potential. We do offer consults with our rehab team, or depending on where you live we may be able to point you to a trusted clinician near you. But if you’ve been able to continue your training without modifications and symptoms seem to be improving, it might be a sign to carry on.
Let me know if you have any other questions or updates, hope that helps!