So I hurt my legs...

I hurt my legs some time on the way up/ down stone mountain on Friday, the back of my leg from about half way down my bum to the bottom of my knees hurts when i bend them (cycling/ stair climbing motion). the pain has gotten less, but it hurt getting on the bike today, first day back. It was only a 2mile hike up and 2 down, i did slip on the way down, but did not twist or fall. I don't have health insurance, so would like to avoid the doctors, but it is my legs, and i would like them to work for a long time, any advice?

relax them, and try to stay of any hardcore cycling

just take it easy

Hmm sounds like a hamstring injury... let me guess you do lots of cycling and not that much walking, running or hill climbing. Cycling causes hamstrings to shorten since you don't fully extend your legs in the pedal motion. Anyway you have probably just buggered the muscle, a bit of deep heat, some time and stretching should see it fix itself. Would not be suprised if my internet diagnosis is wrong, but unless you can't work because of the pain and its not located in or aroung joints its hardly worth seeking medical attention for.

Oh yeah did you do this riding or walking, its unclear, the two mile hike bit makes it sound like a walking injury in which case is probably is just hamstring strain from having funny cyclist legs.

walking injury, i dont think you could drive up stone mtn, let alone bike it... though i did see a police truck parked on top of it so there might be a road.

Yeah hamstring strain it is then. Walking up and down steep hills puts very different stresses on your legs to cycling, combined with a slip where you probably braced your leg and strained the muscles a bit. Some stretches before and after riding and some massage should fix you up.

cheers, will get a hot bath and the massage oil out.

happy ending?

Try www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk, might have some advice. Hope you're alright soon.

Bit dodgy riding on roads without health insurance, don't you reckon?

almost every courrier in the usa is doing it. cant afford the insurance, so i do with out. have had almost no pain today, will try the bike again tomorrow.

@andrew yes but i gave it to myslef.

it's dreadful that people are forced to. it may be one giant hulking organisation that is rather slow, inefficient and has many problems, but I still think the NHS is one of the greatest organisations in the world.

it's dreadful that people are forced to. it may be one giant hulking organisation that is rather slow, inefficient and has many problems, but I still think the NHS is one of the greatest organisations in the world.

It should be. It's the third largest global employer, only trailing behind the Chinese military and the Indian railways. Over 1.4 million people are employed by, or contracted to the NHS (source: Commons written reply, 30th Sep 2004).

also chris is in america so I don't think the NHS can help him ;)

Should we as cyclists be concerned / doing stuff about our short hamstrings? (I am woefully inflexible - not supple either).

well I'm ok, i can get both palms flat on the floor (with my legs stretched, not just in general)

i cant do that but i can squat all the way down with my feet flat, apparently most people cant..

Did you know that the US government spend more per person on healthcare than the UK government. US healthcare is eye boggingly inefficient.

Should we as cyclists be concerned / doing stuff about our short hamstrings? (I am woefully inflexible - not supple either).

yeah, i've wondered if it makes a difference to us before.

i can squat like chris mentioned, but touch the floor with my knees straight - about 6 inches away.

I always try to go for a jog at least once a week and take my time stretching afterwards to help keep my flexibility up. Should really stretch after rides but can never be bothered, more important things to do, like drink beer. Then again I play rugby, so need to be able to transition to lots of running in the winter time.

I always stretch before rides, should be better about doing it after.

on the bike today, very slight pain at the end of the ride, i pulled over and sat in the park a bit with my leg stretched, pain went away, and i got back on the bike for the rest of the way home.

I've always been told that stretching afterwards is more important for injury prevention and good recovery than warm up stretches. I've even got a pair of those "Skins" tights to wear after long training rides, and despite looking and feeling like a real fool they do seem to help the legs recover faster.

will have to stretch afterwards as well

Hmm, maybe I should start to stretch before and after. My usual route is more of a 20 minute sprint than a 'ride' and once I get to work/uni I just stop :-/

I rarely stretch before. Can do more damage than good.
Exception is pre-race when I will warm up first, 20k to race or whatever, then stretch, then race then proper stretching when I get home. I stretch 'after' rides most of the time.

I rarely stretch before. Can do more damage than good.
Exception is pre-race when I will warm up first, 20k to race or whatever, then stretch, then race then proper stretching when I get home. I stretch 'after' rides most of the time.

Yeah stretching before hand can lead to more injuries if you haven't warmed up first. I never bother stretching before a race, find just riding around before the start is enough. Its always hard to stretch after a ride, need to work on the beer balancing act.

can we have a ban on chris crash and fligwg posting after each other in a thread? To many spinning tri-spokes - makes me go cross-eyed :)