As a former collegiate runner, I was used to my fair-share of overuse injuries but when I found myself with a nagging hip pain in my life as predominantly a cyclist now, I wasn't sure where to begin. After a few months of trying to treat it on my own (stretching, ice, NSAIDs, various exercises), I found the problem only getting worse. I was now developing a tingling or numbness down the front of my quad in addition to the hip pain.
At this point, I was starting to panic. I had just finished one of my best cycling seasons ever and had been accepted to compete in a national-level off-road cycling series called the Life Time Grand Prix as a “pro” cyclist. My mind was ready to tackle the winter of training head-on and get geared up for the long season ahead but my hip said no.
This is when I sought out help from Dr. Greg at Precision Osteopractic Physical Therapy. After some testing, Dr. Greg diagnosed me with meralgia paresthetica which is a condition in which the lateral femoral cutaneous nerve is being pinched. He determined that due to some muscular imbalances I was overusing the muscles in the front of my right hip during the repetitive cycling motion, causing pain and inflammation. This inflammation was then causing the nerve to be compressed resulting in the numbness and tingling I was experiencing.
I also learned that wearing pants with a tight waistband or belt (hello skinny jeans) can make this problem worse as it compressed the nerve. I altered my work wardrobe and Dr. Greg also had me adjust my seat positioning while driving to further reduce the irritation. We coupled this with exercises to target my muscle imbalances and nerve gliding exercises to help release the nerve. Within a few weeks, the numbness had almost completely resolved.
We are still working on getting my hip back to 100% but Dr. Greg was able to help me keep my symptoms well-managed throughout the cycling season which was no small task since I was riding 20+ hours per week and over 10,000 miles this year! I appreciated that Dr. Greg was willing to work with me to develop a plan that would allow me to keep riding and competing instead of just saying “don’t ride”. Dr. Greg also was instrumental in getting my position on the bike dialed and was willing to talk to my coach, the bike fitter, and other members of my team to make sure we were all on the same page.
So I might feel a little silly with my loose-fitting pants and my car seat pillow, but the guidance from The Precision Physical Therapy Team helped me make it through an even more successful season of racing!
Sarah Lange 2024 Race Results:
New England Gravel Championship: 1st
Vermont Overland: 1st
Pavement Ends Gravel: 1st
Ned Gravel: 2nd
Leadville 100 MTB: 5th
Steamboat Gravel: 6th
The Rad: 6th
Unbound Gravel: 10th
CONGRATS ON A GREAT SEASON, SARAH!
