Double Crush Syndrome – the root of my problems. (There’s a joke in there somewhere…)
For weeks I have been mystified by the intensity of pain I have been feeling in my right leg, particularly my right calf and right glute. Since first consulting with my chiropractor, who specializes in sports injuries, the focus has been on treating the pinched nerve in my lumbar spine. But lately I have been feeling a recurrence of the posterior tibial tendinitis I thought I’d corrected over the summer and started asking questions about how nerve pain originates (spine to foot, or foot to spine?).
Enter Double Crush Syndrome–the effects of the tendinitis in my ankle are exaggerated due to the pinched nerve in my spine (and/or vice versa), thus producing more pronounced symptoms. Treatment of only one of the sites rarely results in remediation of the symptoms. It turns out that multiple injury sites are often involved in repetitive stress injuries such as tendinitis; a classic example is Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS), which is often coupled with nerve damage in the cervical spine.
Dr. Robert L. Kane, DC, CCUCS, a private practitioner in Redwood City, CA, writes the following: a nerve is similar to an electrical wire transmitting signals from one end to another. If a small amount of damage (injury) is done to the wire, we may not notice a change in the signal transmission (symptoms). But if a small amount of additional damage is done at another area further down the wire, the signal may then be affected by the cumulative effects of both injuries. This, in turn, causes noticeable transmission problems (symptoms) at the original site. And since the second area of damage was too small to create symptoms on its own, it may go undetected unless the entire wire is examined. (See full article here.)
What now? On Friday I will talk with my chiropractor and his physical therapist about the research I’ve done and see what they have to say about how to tackle resolving both the pinched nerve and the tendinitis. I’ll be (finally!) getting x-rays to confirm what’s going on in with my spine. I will also consult with both my PT and, separately, my trainer in Boulder next weekend to see what they recommend. Ultimately I’d like to design my own rehab program based on all the info I gather, and implement it under the guidance of the chiropractor and his PT (as long as they buy in) since I have the most consistent access to them at present. Hopefully I’ll be able to continue running throughout, I’m really happy to be back at it.
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