lower leg strengthening exercises?

[greenmeansgo]

I've had a weird almost cramp-like pain in my lower leg for a few months now. It started when cycling, usually but not exclusively fixed, and would build in intensity until I stopped pedalling (would have to as it got so bad). Then it generally went away temporarily after resting.

The pain is down the outside of my lower leg (right leg only), and feels muscular.

I have tried the following to address the problem:

• Hardening up - unsuccessful
• Not cycling for a few days - slight improvement after a few days
• playing with bike set up (saddle height, flat pedals instead of spds) - small improvement
• hiking - for some reason after a hiking weekend the pain went temporarily. I expected the hiking to make it worse but it didn't trouble me at all

But it's been several months now, so I went to the doctor to see if he can refer me for physio. I am now on a waiting list. The first thing they'll probably do is give me generic stability and strengthening exercises, right? So I might as well just get doing them while I wait for treatment. Anyone got any recommendations or other thoughts about what I should do/ what's causing this?

I've been doing:

• balance on one leg
• one leg squats
• one leg squat variations to touch the ground with my hand in various places
• resistance band old inner tube with a knot in, around the feet when sitting on the floor, alternately using one foot to resist the outward rotation of the other
• one legged calf raises
• foot raises (opposite to pointing your toes)

Thanks

[hellymedic]

Suggest calf stretches.

Stand on lowest stair using just ball of foot. Hold handrail, lean forward slightly and let your weight make your heels drop below your toes, as much as possible.

[campagman]

loop old inner tube around a solid object and the other half around your foot. Then pull foot up towards knee keeping rest of leg straight. Good for working shins.

[Alouicious]

Get some Wedge shims for your shoes. Sounds like you need the ball of your foot raised a little.

Also try some Spesh BG insoles.

A much less expensive experimental solution is to put a washer between pedal and crank to widen the pedal beam. This brings the whole foot more toward a position directly below the knee and hip.

[greenmeansgo]

I should add that I've been riding with Specialized BG shoes and footbeds with shims for 2 years or so.  They were an excellent improvement over my old shoes/ the new shoes without the BG footbeds and made riding feel much more comfortable.

Now though if anything I'm more comfortable on flats.

I'm also more comfortable (just more used to?) riding bikes with the pedals closer together. My tourer and MTB have a higher Q-factor than the road bikes, so in effect I've tried the washer experiment already.

I think I might have overdone the exercises a couple of days ago, since the pain has got worse rather than better. I'll give the stretches a go too and see how things go.

Thanks all.

[mattc]

I've had a weird almost cramp-like pain in my lower leg for a few months now. It started when cycling, usually but not exclusively fixed, and would build in intensity until I stopped pedalling (would have to as it got so bad). Then it generally went away temporarily after resting.

The pain is down the outside of my lower leg (right leg only), and feels muscular.

...

• one legged calf raises
• foot raises (opposite to pointing your toes)

Thanks

My physio really rates calf raises for general "leg/posture health". It's not about building bulk, so don't do them real slow, and don't go too high (your foot "cocks" out when you get too high), just smooth and controlled.

Build up from both legs on the flat ... => ... one-legged with toes on a step.

I have no idea if this will help you!

When does your pain come on? I assume you're talking about the calf muscle?

[greenmeansgo]

My physio really rates calf raises for general "leg/posture health". It's not about building bulk, so don't do them real slow, and don't go too high (your foot "cocks" out when you get too high), just smooth and controlled.

Totally - it's about control rather than power.

When does your pain come on? I assume you're talking about the calf muscle?

It's not the calf muscle, it's down the side. Probably the m. peroneus brevis (possibly also longus)  in this diagram:

The pain comes on a lot of the time now, but it started when I'd been cycling for a while (more than half an hour or so) and was usually after fairly intense cycling. I don't really get it so much riding MTB on flat pedals.

I've also no idea if these exercises will sort the problem, but I'm fairly confident they'll do no harm 

[Rich753]

There's a weird thing that marathon runners have reported in the past, the "shin muscle" (maybe the m.p.b. in your diagram?) gets too big for it's sheath.  Not a problem in normal life but as you start working the muscle and it pumps up with blood the pain builds becos' the sheaf won't/can't expand to accommodate the growing muscle. When you stop the muscle shrinks and pain subsides

No idea if this is your problem, but thought I'd add some speculation to the mix 

[hellymedic]

M in this diagram just stands for 'muscle'.

Shin pain in runners is usually due to compression of tibialis anterior and may be relieved by surgigally openinig its fibrous envelope.

The OP's problem sounds liike a pain in the peroneals to me...

[Rich753]

Do you not get compression in the peroneals then?  Is it only in the tib ant that compression occurs (and if so, why?).

[hellymedic]

I am no expert in lower leg anatomy. As I recall, the problem is that the envelope round tib. ant. is tougher, tighter and more extensive than round other muscles.

[Alouicious]

Shin Splints Treatment, Symptoms, Causes and Diagnosis by MedicineNet.com

[Wendy]

That's another common skater muscle pain area, in our case usually caused by skating too much too quickly.  This muscle plays a key part in skate control, edging, and pro/supination.

I reckon it's something in your bike fitting, as posted above.  If it were my pain, I would try the following:

Paying to see a sports physio privately.  Not cheap, but you only get one body and it's worth looking after.
Getting a bike fitting session with the bike whisperer, Scherrit.
Doing lots of edge control exercises, such as standing in your bare feet and rolling your knees and ankles in towards each other, and then out again.  The floor contact point in your feet should roll from one side to the other whilst doing this.

I am not an expert though, so don't take my advice, nor any internet advice since it might well be totally useless or even harmful for you.

[Wendy]

p.s. my immediate guess would be that your cleat is too far to the inside edge of your foot.

[greenmeansgo]

Thanks for the ideas guys and gals.

It's definitely not shin splints. I had a mild case of that once and it feels completely different to that.

I'm so far avoiding paying for a private cycling physio, though I might have to do that in the end. There was a guy at Evans who fit me on my road bike who did this kind of thing outside of Evans...now where did I put his card?

I'm not convinced it's the bike set up either. Had I changed something and then it started happening I could understand it, or if it happened on some bikes and not on others...

[Rich753]

I am no expert in lower leg anatomy. As I recall, the problem is that the envelope round tib. ant. is tougher, tighter and more extensive than round other muscles.

That makes sense, thanks.