seven

Reading all the posts I don't think it (posts related to knee pain going from 26 to 29er) is related to bike setup. The effective gearing chages between a 26 and 29" bike because of the bigger wheels. This typically overloads the muscle-tendon system for the Quadriceps... resulting in tendon-related "failure"

We are comparing lots of different things there that do not all have the same aim or mechanisms. 1. Ice baths/Icing an injury/compression socks These all work by decreasing bloodflow. That is the aim. The decreased bloodflow reduces the amount of inflammation and swelling one gets after prolonged/high intensity exercise. You would want to do this in the 1st 24/72hrs (after an injury for example). To allow the cold te penetrate through all the fat under the skin and actually get to the muscle, cold therapy needs to be sustained for a significant period (>15'). 2. Heat/massage (especially deaper massage) should only be applied after 72hrs (once inflammation has subsited) - the idea with this is to increase bloodflow to allow better repair of the damaged muscle. An alternative with this is to use combination clod/heat which will also increase bloodflow. Answer: Ice batch do help - but its probably more psychological, EXCEPT on multi-day/really high intensity stuff where you get a lot of muscle damage (e.g. Epic) - then its probably an absolute must!

I agree - with calcification none of the other stuff will really help... There was abnormal bone growth (calcification, or also called spurs or osteofites) that pokes into the tensons/muscles... Its like stabbing a needle into it. For some stuff surgery is the only viable option - but diagnosis is key

Most of the surgeons listed here are brilliant... Ponky, Vikesh, Vardi, Spike, Furgeson. These surgeons very often assist each other, so they are very similar. Their techniques are very similar (depending in what needs to be done)... There is a bit of differnce in techniques and approaches between the Joburg vs CT/Dbn guys for stuff like ACL recons.

I agree. Surgery is the last option. Surgeons will sometimes do 'investigatory surgery' with a scope to try and find the problem if other tests (MRI etc) are inconclusive. Be careful with too many cortisone injections. Yes, it makes you feel better very quickly (because its an analgesic), but it breaks down connective tissue which could lead to full ruptures. It also completely stops inflammation - great to stop pain, but healing is dependent on normal inflammation, and cannot occur if inflammation is completely blocked. One of the comments mentioned a tendon rupture as a slap lesion. Its not the same thing - the SLAP refers a tear of the Labrum (cartilage cap around the socket of the joint) which provides some stability, etc. I had a severe rotator cuff disruption and some other issues several years ago after a climbing incident. Only thing that keeps me going is specific rehab exercises from Biokineticist. If I stop, pain is back, if I do my exercises, I am fine.. I would suggest you start with a good Physio/Bio with additional training in Sport, or with a Sports Physician. I agree, John is a VERY good start... Good luck.

Sounds like the achilles tendon is a bit inflamed. Is probably a 'normal' response to laying off and then overdoing it.

Jip... Will depend on which 'part' of the nerve impinges - could be sensory, or motor (muscle) part that is affected. You also have different areas of the leg/foot served by different nerves

Don't think the 212-230 is due to coffee Perhaps other electrical interference or battery running low on HRM/Strap

Doesn't sound like "dropped" metatarsal, and don't think its foot related. Could be due to tightness in the nerves running from your back to the leg/foot. Ask a Bio/Physio for some neural streches.

It takes roughly 4-6 weeks to normalise all the blood components. Its basically the reverse of blood doping... The initial 2/3 days that you feel really bad is due to the blood volume (fluid) that is lost. You replace this fairly fast, that is why you feel better after about 2 days. Red blood cells (that carry oxygen) are also lost, and they take several weeks to normalise... So if it is a big event, donating would probably affect you for up to about a month after.

The important thing is to have an isotonic mix (so that the salt content is about the same as body fluid) to ensure proper absorption. Any sugar-based substance is fine, be midful that fructose (fruit sugars) are absorbed from the intestnal tract very slowly and may cause a bloated feeling. The sugars does not have to be low GI (e.g 32GI) during training, as it cannot cause a spike while training. For the 'drop in energy levels' make sure he takes in enough carbs to replace what he is using... I can get you the formulae to caculate based on bodyweight if need be. The game may be perfect, should perhaps just check quantities.

Anti-inflamatories are not always the answer... Remember inflamation is simply the 1st step in healing and rcovery (after training and after injury). If you cut that out with drugs, chances are the healing will be sub-optimal - predispossing you to repeated injury.

Not ALL bursitis are overuse... Could be related to impact, or septic (infective) in nature... The 14h may not be a problem, but if you are going to do those hours pushing big gears with wrong bike setups and long crank arms it definately is a problem...

Perhaps try and read some of the USA's National Strength & Conditioning's (NSCA) wortk on conditioning for cyclists. If you train at low loads you may as well leave it... I'm not saying do 1RMs, but you need to fail during your reps, or you are wasting your time. There has been a lot of work showing the improvement gained by strength training. Focus on a race, and prepare your strength work towards it as you would do with your cycling. Strength base (medium reps), then more power and power-endurance work. You wouldn't start off your cycling training without LSD, and you shouldn't start off your strength work (with all the high reps you talk about) without a PROPER strength base.

Why is everyone staying away from heavy weights? If you want to get stringer - you need to lift heavy... It will depend on what you want to get from it...

Yea right!

More info? Where did you tear the fibres? Ligaments or tendon? The 2 weeks off is probably more for the bursitis than the fibres... You should be able to start slowly after that - you need to figure out why you got it in the 1st place...

We don't "shut down" our thirst, or any other senses... we just choose to ignore it... 'listen' to it, and it is the best approach you can have to hydration... Taking in carbs are a lot more important than water, and water intake should suffice if it is used to ingest a 'isotonic' carb load that the GI tract can handle. The salt in sweat is a mechanism of getting rid of excess salt, and there is no need to replace it... the average person have a daily salt intake which is 2-3 times more than the recommended max of 250mg.

With these symptoms I think a fusion is the best option. To put this into perspective - most people can return to sports like golf after a fusion; so you should be fine to return to cycling. Some adjustments to bike setup etc might be needed, and you will be out of action for a long time... But you should be much better off after the surgery than you would be without it...

Its absolutely normal

I'd say if you have no pain, indoor would be fine Your 6week follow-up should be the last 1, and you'll be outside again

Simply put: Cycling is the best training for cycling. If you cannot cycle, then anything that will work the cardiovascular system, and the same muscle groups would be great. It keeps the fitness up, and keeps the muscles used to the effort. Cross training is great to prevent overuse injuries as you try and increase training hours, as you can load the body differently.

Depends what you are preparing for... If its a multi-day event, this type of training (at the right time) is great; but you need to work up to it, and ensure that you cycle your training properly to ensure enough recovery at some stage. Leg pain/fatigue is one thing, but if you have central fatigue (elevated HR etc over a period of time) give it a break...

How did you fracture it? Did it need alignment and fixation, or was it just left? If stable and no fixators was placed, it should be stable enough to take a bit of stat training from about 3-4 weeks onward. But you don't want to risk a fall etc. untill it has been confirmed that it healed (about 6-8 weeks)

Hi Josh I agree: - Check HR in morning, afte you went for a wee, but get back into bed and ly down for at least 5 minutes. - It could be that the anticipation of training is just chasing the HR up (your mind gets the body ready for action) - Do you take "pre- workout" supplements? Those have stimulants in them and tend to chase HR and BP up... Do you have other symptoms? Best to have it checked out...