random leg pain

slay0r

Hey guys,

I did a 100 mile bike ride yesterday for charity. It's the first time I've done that kind of distance (the closest being 60 miles in the same time I did the 100 in yesterday.)

I was 9 stone heavier last year (126lb) so thought that's worth a mention for the fitness levels although I did a triathlon last week so I'm in general decent shape now.

I did all my stretches as normal afterwards, I was sore but not so much that I couldn't walk or anything. Went to bed as normal after eating a MASSIVE meal of 2 gourmet burgers in 1, chips and a pint of beer!

Here's where it got bad.. I woke up with extreme leg pain in the lower part between my calf and my ankle which I'm guessing is my achilles? I couldn't straighten it, I couldn't pull it back (thinking it's cramp because I can control cramp very well myself by pulling my foot back, this didn't help) I couldn't keep it in the position it was in so I was in complete agony. It got that bad I had to call someone on my phone in my house to come and help me and it took over an hour to settle down a bit.

Does anyone have any possible explanations and any ways of preventing this in the future?! I have to add I drank a lot of fluids throughout the day and had drinks like lucozade sport a lot to keep my sugar levels up.

aa1440

Go to the doctor.

SmangeDiggs

Is there any redness, swelling or bulging along the achilles? If you lightly place your hand over achilles (or get someone else to) and flex your foot can you feel a rough creaking sensation (hard to explain but you will know it when you feel it) that is different from the other side? Is the pain in the middle or to the sides of the tendon?
Sorry 20 question...lol

slay0r

Thanks for the quick replies. I'll go and check the achilles in a minute, haven't had a chance because I didn't get much sleep last night as a result of this when I really could have done with a rest! In work now so I'll go and check. I've had that rough creaking sensation once or twice before though. The pain was right in the middle it's not too bad now just feels a little tight (not like cramp feels though)

SmangeDiggs

You can get achilles tendonopathy from overuse or intense bursts of exercise, its basically an inflammation of the tendon or the sheath around the outside of the tendon, super common in runners and cyclers.
All the usual sports injury stuff can help icing, strapping, rest, some of the anti inflammatory gel rubs can be useful as the achilles is close to the surface and responds to a good massage.
If it doesnt settle with conservative treatment other options like physio, acupuncture etc are great.

slay0r

The only part that's larger than normal is the bottom of my calf but I'd probably expect that after all the exercise yesterday. It isn't sore to touch there though I can press quite hard and it doesn't feel inflamed so I don't think it's that.

Achilles doesn't feel bad either so it's a bit of a random one for me. Sore times!