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Bernerbabe
Member
Hey Zac,
As you know I've had two knee surgeries in the past couple of years. October 2013 tear in meniscus in one knee, and February 2015 tear and bone marrow edema in other knee due to hitting rock on Franconia Ridge. Second surgery I got $9,500 worth of bone substitute injection (medical grade calcium phosphate). So I missed two winters of hiking, started out in December with 18 left for my winter 4K, and got 16 of them done. Surgery is never a cure-all, but I want to avoid knee replacement at all cost. Can't say enough good things about Dr. Dan and company at Alpine Clinic. I had a hard time saying goodbye to my skates (too afraid I'll tweak something), but they went to a good home. Hoping to do some x-c skiing next winter, as conditions were not good for that this year. Hope you're back out there soon--maybe for my finish on Madison & Adams in December!--Roberta
As you know I've had two knee surgeries in the past couple of years. October 2013 tear in meniscus in one knee, and February 2015 tear and bone marrow edema in other knee due to hitting rock on Franconia Ridge. Second surgery I got $9,500 worth of bone substitute injection (medical grade calcium phosphate). So I missed two winters of hiking, started out in December with 18 left for my winter 4K, and got 16 of them done. Surgery is never a cure-all, but I want to avoid knee replacement at all cost. Can't say enough good things about Dr. Dan and company at Alpine Clinic. I had a hard time saying goodbye to my skates (too afraid I'll tweak something), but they went to a good home. Hoping to do some x-c skiing next winter, as conditions were not good for that this year. Hope you're back out there soon--maybe for my finish on Madison & Adams in December!--Roberta
John in NH
Member
Summitseeker--
I had the exact same experience as yours not too long ago.
Starting in March 2014, I began to have the sensation of what I thought were "tight" and then "sprained" hamstrings. First in one leg, then both. I went to the orthopedic doctor and she said it was sprained hamstrings, and like you, recommended stretches and pt type stuff that, like you, made it worse. That went on for months and I was despairing over the loss of hiking. Hiking wasn't an activity, it was an identity. It was funny how ingrained the list mentality got into me. I was hiking 800-900 miles a year on average, running trails and marathons, and "bagging" tons of 4ks. So frustrating given I was in my early 30's and always strong and healthy prior. Losing hiking/running also came at rough time since my second daughter never learned to sleep for 17 months and I never slept either.
Anyway, finally I pushed for a second opinion. The doctor finally asked, "do you have back pain?" Yes! I had for months too. An MRI revealed that a herniated disc in my spine at L5 S1 which was pushing on the sciatic nerve and the cause of it all. They had been fooled into the fake hamstring diagnosis too before. Though the MRI revealed the source, there was no recommendation for how to get better other than time, core strengthening, and surgery which I refused.
The biggest revelation in healing the disc came when I discovered the simple Mckenzie exercises (not mentioned by my doctor). Google it (but of course ask your doctor, and this will probably only help if you have a disc in your back causing sciatica). I just did the simple one lying on the stomach and slowly pushing up on my elbows. I did this about 5 times a day, holding it for a minute, gradually increasing the angle of flexion. Basically it pushes the disc back in over time. When sciatica kicked up while hiking, I would stop on trail and do that exercise and it would often take it away. By August 2014 I was easing back into hiking more, but not exceeding 8-10 miles in a hike and sticking to moderately graded trails. It took until April of 2015 (13 months later!!!) to resolve enough to hike normally again.
Things that helped recovery:
Stand as much a possible instead of sitting during the day. If you work at a computer, set up a standing station. I propped up my laptop on a dresser at home.
Avoid heavy packs while hiking.
Take shorter strides.
Avoid steep trails. Ditch 4k mentality, everytime I tried to come back too soon it set me back months. Gradually build mileage and elevation gain/grade.
Don't shovel snow, rake leaves, dig ditches. Those things set me back. (rural nh living)
Don't do anything other than a mild standing foot on the first stair type hamstring stretch.
Strengthen your abs by doing planks, ditch crunches and situps entirely.
Don't lift anything over 25 pounds off the ground (I have kids I have to pick up, so that was a tough one to follow)
In the process of recovering I changed the way I thought about hiking and lived too. I got to appreciate the simple things on trail and also came up with more creative non peakbagging goals as motivations for hiking/backpacking. I turned to learning photography more too. I realized lists weren't an important goal to me anymore and that my faith and family should supersede them. To be honest, the lists had fostered a self-centeredness that hindered my growth as husband, father, and person (too many responsibilities at this point in my life). Although I did hike 500 miles last year, but I have abandoned all 4k grid like goals. Liberating! But don't get me wrong, I have many peakbagger friends and in no way am suggesting I condemn peakbagging goals for other people, we are all at different points in life with different situations so they can certainly be a valid pursuit. The NE 67 and winter list served their purposes for me at a point in my life. And I am not saying hardcore hikers are selfish people. I guess I just included this mental/spiritual bit to simply say I found good in the bad, and to say that for a long time in my recovery the mental aspect was the hardest.
This year, 2016, I finally have no more complications while hiking but I still can't run. That disc could always pop out again in the future, so I must live and act with that in mind.
Good luck, hope this helps, and feel free to PM if you think that would help since our situations are so similar.
John
I had the exact same experience as yours not too long ago.
Starting in March 2014, I began to have the sensation of what I thought were "tight" and then "sprained" hamstrings. First in one leg, then both. I went to the orthopedic doctor and she said it was sprained hamstrings, and like you, recommended stretches and pt type stuff that, like you, made it worse. That went on for months and I was despairing over the loss of hiking. Hiking wasn't an activity, it was an identity. It was funny how ingrained the list mentality got into me. I was hiking 800-900 miles a year on average, running trails and marathons, and "bagging" tons of 4ks. So frustrating given I was in my early 30's and always strong and healthy prior. Losing hiking/running also came at rough time since my second daughter never learned to sleep for 17 months and I never slept either.
Anyway, finally I pushed for a second opinion. The doctor finally asked, "do you have back pain?" Yes! I had for months too. An MRI revealed that a herniated disc in my spine at L5 S1 which was pushing on the sciatic nerve and the cause of it all. They had been fooled into the fake hamstring diagnosis too before. Though the MRI revealed the source, there was no recommendation for how to get better other than time, core strengthening, and surgery which I refused.
The biggest revelation in healing the disc came when I discovered the simple Mckenzie exercises (not mentioned by my doctor). Google it (but of course ask your doctor, and this will probably only help if you have a disc in your back causing sciatica). I just did the simple one lying on the stomach and slowly pushing up on my elbows. I did this about 5 times a day, holding it for a minute, gradually increasing the angle of flexion. Basically it pushes the disc back in over time. When sciatica kicked up while hiking, I would stop on trail and do that exercise and it would often take it away. By August 2014 I was easing back into hiking more, but not exceeding 8-10 miles in a hike and sticking to moderately graded trails. It took until April of 2015 (13 months later!!!) to resolve enough to hike normally again.
Things that helped recovery:
Stand as much a possible instead of sitting during the day. If you work at a computer, set up a standing station. I propped up my laptop on a dresser at home.
Avoid heavy packs while hiking.
Take shorter strides.
Avoid steep trails. Ditch 4k mentality, everytime I tried to come back too soon it set me back months. Gradually build mileage and elevation gain/grade.
Don't shovel snow, rake leaves, dig ditches. Those things set me back. (rural nh living)
Don't do anything other than a mild standing foot on the first stair type hamstring stretch.
Strengthen your abs by doing planks, ditch crunches and situps entirely.
Don't lift anything over 25 pounds off the ground (I have kids I have to pick up, so that was a tough one to follow)
In the process of recovering I changed the way I thought about hiking and lived too. I got to appreciate the simple things on trail and also came up with more creative non peakbagging goals as motivations for hiking/backpacking. I turned to learning photography more too. I realized lists weren't an important goal to me anymore and that my faith and family should supersede them. To be honest, the lists had fostered a self-centeredness that hindered my growth as husband, father, and person (too many responsibilities at this point in my life). Although I did hike 500 miles last year, but I have abandoned all 4k grid like goals. Liberating! But don't get me wrong, I have many peakbagger friends and in no way am suggesting I condemn peakbagging goals for other people, we are all at different points in life with different situations so they can certainly be a valid pursuit. The NE 67 and winter list served their purposes for me at a point in my life. And I am not saying hardcore hikers are selfish people. I guess I just included this mental/spiritual bit to simply say I found good in the bad, and to say that for a long time in my recovery the mental aspect was the hardest.
This year, 2016, I finally have no more complications while hiking but I still can't run. That disc could always pop out again in the future, so I must live and act with that in mind.
Good luck, hope this helps, and feel free to PM if you think that would help since our situations are so similar.
John
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