Question
8 days ago, I decided I wanted to start running. I'm kind of a big girl (200 lbs/ 5'6"), and have been losing weight for several months. I was getting to the point where walking just wasn't enough for me to keep losing. I jogged @ 4 MPH for about 15 minutes, with fast walking here and there. I felt great when I finished. However, when I awoke the next day, I literally could not walk without screaming. My femoral nerve had a sharp pain at the top (hip) and numbness going down my femur. This went on for several days. I took darvocet 100mg and of course went about my life, assuming I had bursitis or something. By the 4th day, my sciatic nerve was going crazy, and my thoracic, upper back was hurting directly on the spine. Today, it's not nearly as painful. I have been resting for a few days, and I'm scared to go back to doing ANYTHING physical, including walking. There is still a numb sensation in the sciatic nerve, and also pain in my spine. My lower back has had no pain. I have also been taking gabapentin 300mg for the past several days about every 8 hours. I got these from a relative, but I'm curious as to whether I should see my dr. or not. I'm getting pretty desperate.  

Answer
Hi Megan,

Congratulations on trying to better your health, one thing you want to keep in mind is don't do too much too soon. Give your body time to adjust. If this is the first time out this summer, you are probably experiencing "weekend warrior syndrome".

Whenever you aggressively pursue a physical activity after long periods of dormancy, most people get sore all over, this is quite normal.

Your case is a mixture of both, the numbness in your anterior thigh could be a condition called Meralgia Parasthetica.

It's characterized by pain, paresthesia (abnormal sensation of burning, tingling, etc.) and numbness on the lateral or front surface of the thigh in the region supplied by the lateral femoral cutaneous nerve.

The lateral femoral cutaneous nerve, a sensory nerve arising from the L2 and L3 roots, may be compressed or stretched in obese or diabetic patients and during pregnancy.

The nerve usually runs under the outer portion of the inguinal ligament to reach the thigh, but the ligament sometimes splits to enclose it. Hyperextension of the hip or increased lumbar lordosis (forward curvature of the lumbar spine), such as occurs during pregnancy, leads to nerve compression by the ligament. However, entrapment of the nerve at any point along its course may cause similar symptoms, and several other anatomic variations may damage the nerve during stretching.

Not to worry though, most cases resolve spontaneously, if not, see your D.C.

The sciatica may be caused by overdoing it, try aerobic low impact exercises to start, swimming, treadmill or yoga stretches. This will prevent the sudden shock to your body early in your exercise regiment. If the symptoms persist, a bulging or herniated disc at L5/S1 is likely and should be decompressed non-invasively with flexion/distraction therapy. Many D.C.'s do this but you may have to call around to find one.

If it is bursitis, meaning it hurts with any passive range of motion, ie; have someone move your hip while you are on your back for you, if this causes pain, the likely diagnosis is bursitis. Treat this with rest, ice and passive R.O.M. exercises to prevent a frozen hip.

The sciatica must be treated by a D.C. if it persists, the other diagnosis's can be treated with rest and ice and by a physician if they don't respond or get worse.

In the future just take it easy at first, slowly acclimate yourself to exercise and you'll find a much more rewarding experience.

Good Luck, you're on the right track, keep at it!
Hope this helps..
Dr. Timothy Durnin
drs.chiroweb.com