carry on doctors

Spine viewed from the side. There is a crack in the lowest bone. This often arises in kids who do lots of sport as a kid as the bone is still developing. Common in Japan with the intensity of "bukatsu" maybe, but my sporting youth was not too hard.

The hips viewed from the front. The right one (left side on the picture) has more wear. The doctor is surprised I have no issue with this. The left one is also worn and has some calcium deposits which medicine I'm taking should help to remove.

Shinobu says I've transformed from a bike geek to a medical geek overnight! The timing of my injury couldn't be better, right at the end of the season. I just hope we can get it sorted.

I went to see the doctor for more consultation this morning. Looking at the symptoms, we are thinking it may be a hip issue:

symptoms

pain down the leg
モモから膝まで痛い

挫骨神経？

can raise the foot behind the knee

can't raise the left knee up (quadriceps won't contract)
立った状態で膝を曲げてかかとを後ろに上げられるがモモを上げられない

difficult to straighten the left leg after standing from sitting
椅子、床に座った状態から立ち上がると左足を伸ばせない

when standing still, left leg feels longer and bends / when the left leg is straight, the right foot is off the ground
立った時に左足が長く感じる、左足で立つと右足が浮く

no pain when sitting or standing still
座っているとき、立っているときには痛みない

difficult to straighten left leg when lying down
横になったときに痛くて左足を伸ばせない

painful to sleep on back or right side
仰向け、右を下にして寝るとモモから膝まで痛い

can sleep on left side with knee bent at 90 degrees and cushions between legs
左を下にして膝を曲げてクッションを挟んで寝ている
no pain in leg muscles to touch
触っても痛くない

some pain in lower back but most pain in leg when moving
動いた時に腰に少し痛みがあるが脚がとても痛い

painkillers make it easier to walk but the limited mobility of the leg is the same
痛み止めで痛みがない状態でも筋肉は動かない、運動神経のもんだい？

I'll go for an MRI scan this afternoon. For someone who's a bit scared of going in the elevator, 30 minutes in an MRI machine should be fun! Shinobu has done this twice. "Whatever you do, don't open your eyes!" is her advice. I'm going to take Guy Clark's The Dark with me. Hopefully they'll let me play it.....


Fingers crossed, the MRI will help us get to the bottom of the problem.