Question about injury

[Leif]

Last Saturday I was zooming around the local rink and for reasons I forget I caught an edge and ended up falling onto my backside causing significant pain. Usually high speed falls are the least painful. I remember that it was a hard impact. Anyway, I was wearing padded shorts so even though I landed on my coccyx, the pain in that area was minor. I am sure it would have been severe otherwise, perhaps even a fracture. However, I had severe pain in my right leg, in the muscle area on the outside area between the knee and my waist. Sitting down and getting up again was absolute agony. Two days later and the pain is going but I still cannot walk normally. Does anyone know why I have pain in the leg muscle despite landing on my backside?

[Leif]

I was chatting to a colleague, and he suggested that it is due to damage to the sciatic nerve and that pain is often felt lower down in the legs.

I don't suppose anyone has suggestions for better pads? I have padded shorts with a D30 (soft plastic) insert, which are very good. I am sure I would not have been walking for a day or two after the injury had I not been wearing the shorts, but I'd like something even better.

[Bill_S]

I had significant pain in the same area last year. I couldn't sleep at night lying on my right side (well, still can't). It has improved over the summer when I haven't skated much.

I'll be watching this thread to see what suggestions are made. I might benefit too.

[Leif]

I had significant pain in the same area last year. I couldn't sleep at night lying on my right side (well, still can't). It has improved over the summer when I haven't skated much.

I'll be watching this thread to see what suggestions are made. I might benefit too.

Soprry to hear that. Did you see a doctor about the pain? In my own case it is going away rapidly.

I had a similar fall six months ago, before I wore pads, and I was barely able to walk the next day. It was much more severe, and people were suggesting I visit the doctor.

[Isk8NYC]

I've whacked my tailbone - got knocked down by a six-year old pushing a skate aid.  Kid was looking one way and he clipped me at the ankles and I slid down the front of the plastic frame onto my tail.  I wasn't going fast, but boy, does that smart. 

One of our facility's massage therapists recommended having the area massaged by a pro, because it's an awkward area.  In between, she suggested using a small ball against the wall to massage the area.  I used one of our paneled doors, putting the ball into the molding groove, and a Spaldeen ball - worked really well.

For sitting, I rolled a small fleece blanket and arranged it like a horseshoe for desk work.

It took about six months of regular anti-inflammatories, ice, cushions and rest. 

[Leif]

It took about six months of regular anti-inflammatories, ice, cushions and rest.

Cripes.  I guess I was very lucky! It does not help that I have a lean build, I think more generously padded people have a softer landing.

[Bill_S]

A few years back, I had a tailbone injury that took over a year to improve. I have the cushions to prove it. 

The leg problem (actually, both right and left legs at the time) did not arise from a tailbone whack. I do fall on occasion, but I don't remember a fall causing it.

I went to a doctor after about two or three months of the leg pain and oddly he asked about a back injury. The one incident I remembered was carrying a 40-lb view camera and tripod pack about a 1/4 mile. I ended up with a case of lower back pain where I couldn't walk correctly or skate. It was about a week before I could walk upright again. He stated that sometimes back injuries can cause pain in the legs, but after some experiments I could tell that he wasn't sure of the cause. He mentioned getting cortisone injections in the area if it didn't clear up.

I see him every six months, and I will follow up with the lingering right leg pain at night when I visit in November.

BTW, it didn't bother me much while skating or walking, although I could feel it after a skate. It was mostly at night when I tried to sleep on my sides. It's still a mystery to me where it came from, but perhaps the lower back injury had something to do with it.

[FigureSpins]

Cripes.  I guess I was very lucky! It does not help that I have a lean build, I think more generously padded people have a softer landing.

yeah.  no.  not in my case.

[rd350]

Sciatic nerve pain would not occur on the outside of the leg (as you described between the outside of the knee and waist).

I highly recommend you see an orthopedist, or a PT and get yourself professionally assessed.  No one can or should diagnose you online.  What causes one person's pain doesn't necessarily cause another's in the same way.

Hope you feel better!

[Query]

Cripes.  I guess I was very lucky! It does not help that I have a lean build, I think more generously padded people have a softer landing.

I saw a documentary (as well as a dramatization) about the GLOW (Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling) ladies that recently appeared on Netflix - an early Professional Wrestling league. They talked about the damage done to the backs and knees. Sure, it was all theater, but to make it look like they hit the mat and such hard, they actually had to hit pretty hard. The ones who had the most trouble, like the lady who called herself "Mountain Fiji", were the heaviest - they basically couldn't walk anymore. Of course, they were thrown, and fell from heights, a LOT. And the ladies started out as actresses, rather than professional athletes. Nonetheless...

When I fall backwards, I like to curl my back and neck forwards, and roll through the fall, like the beginning of a backwards somersault. This is an order of magnitude than falling and stopping where you hit. And I believe you can't do it safely by accident, unless you practice doing it on purpose a fair bit, so your instincts are fast and correct.

But when all is said and done, I see nothing wrong with wearing padding, if you aren't completely confident you can do it safely when needed. I know padding doesn't look pretty, but injuring your spine could cripple you for life. Not worth it. So what if you look like a football or hockey player?

[Leif]

The one incident I remembered was carrying a 40-lb view camera and tripod pack about a 1/4 mile. I ended up with a case of lower back pain where I couldn't walk correctly or skate. It was about a week before I could walk upright again. He stated that sometimes back injuries can cause pain in the legs, but after some experiments I could tell that he wasn't sure of the cause.

That must be quite a camera. I hope the pictures were worth it. It is interesting about your sleeping issues, I have minor leg issues at night and it never occurred to me that it might be due to back issues, perhaps even posture at work.

Sciatic nerve pain would not occur on the outside of the leg (as you described between the outside of the knee and waist).

I highly recommend you see an orthopedist, or a PT and get yourself professionally assessed.  No one can or should diagnose you online.  What causes one person's pain doesn't necessarily cause another's in the same way.

Hope you feel better!

I do feel much better now, almost back to normal, thanks. Sadly an appointment to see a doctor for a non urgent issue would take 4-5 weeks, and after a 5-10 minute examination I'd have to wait months to see a PT, so it's not worth it. I do find that online information can be helpful, albeit one has to exercise scepticism e.g. back it up using reliable sources such as our health service web site.

When I fall backwards, I like to curl my back and neck forwards, and roll through the fall, like the beginning of a backwards somersault. This is an order of magnitude than falling and stopping where you hit. And I believe you can't do it safely by accident, unless you practice doing it on purpose a fair bit, so your instincts are fast and correct.

But when all is said and done, I see nothing wrong with wearing padding, if you aren't completely confident you can do it safely when needed. I know padding doesn't look pretty, but injuring your spine could cripple you for life. Not worth it. So what if you look like a football or hockey player?

And what is wrong with looking like a hockey player?  I am a hockey player but I do understand that figure skaters want to look elegant in competitions and exhibition skating,but I'm with you on this, in practice sessions there is nothing wrong with discrete padding. My shorts and knee pads go under my tracksuit bottoms, and a figure skating coach (who asked if I was alright after a fall) didn't even realise I was wearing them. I no longer wear a helmet, I think my spate of falls was due to oversized skates and poor sharpening, both now fixed. I must admit I cannot control my falls. Most are benign, and I laugh afterwards. In the last fall I dropped a good distance onto my backside, and there is nothing I can do to avoid the pull of gravity, apart from not using my hands to stop the fall (to avoid hand injury), and keeping my head up (to avoid a bang).

[Nate]

yeah.  no.  not in my case.

Lol.  Agree.  I'm not generally "generously padded," but I'm a lot less lean than some of the kids (male and female) that I see on the ice.  The falls hurt.  And it also depends on how you fall (falls that slide a lot hurts considerably less than the thunderous falls straight into the ice).  If you're a bit jumper, the falls will hurts more unless your jump carries a lot of distance (in which case the impact is absorbed more favorably).  "Deer in headlights" falls hurt the worst (unexpected, tense, body locks up due to the surprise of it).


The awful thing is that I always tend to falls right where there is a gap in my padding :-(  Otherwise, my padded shorts work flawlessly.

[AgnesNitt]

I fell and bruised my coccyx. Yes you can bruise your bones and it takes a long time to heal. My experience is to keep exercising as usual to keep the blood circulating. I continued to skate and my regular exercises  but at a much slower pace. . It took a few weeks to heal.

I once bruised my feet (thrown off a horse) I had one pair of shoes that I could walk in and they were torn and 5 years old. I wore them to a job interview, after I had plastic surgery to fix my nose. So I had on ugly shoes and occasionally my face would twitch. I did not get the job.

[FigureSpins]

I once bruised my feet (thrown off a horse) I had one pair of shoes that I could walk in and they were torn and 5 years old. I wore them to a job interview, after I had plastic surgery to fix my nose. So I had on ugly shoes and occasionally my face would twitch. I did not get the job.

ROFLOL!

[skategeek]

I fell and bruised my coccyx. Yes you can bruise your bones and it takes a long time to heal. My experience is to keep exercising as usual to keep the blood circulating. I continued to skate and my regular exercises  but at a much slower pace. . It took a few weeks to heal.

I once bruised my feet (thrown off a horse) I had one pair of shoes that I could walk in and they were torn and 5 years old. I wore them to a job interview, after I had plastic surgery to fix my nose. So I had on ugly shoes and occasionally my face would twitch. I did not get the job.

Oh, ouch.  I sunburned the tops of my feet once, really bad.  Wore my sneakers loosely laced to reduce pressure on them, and walked around like Frankenstein to avoid flexing them.  As a result, the tops of my feet cramped.  I didn't even know they could do that.  Ow.  (This was pre-skating, so luckily that wasn't even an issue!)

[Bill_S]

At the risk of further thread drift, here's my burn story after which I had a job interview...

I was testing a powerful new photographic strobe in a house that I had rented in the 80s. I didn't realize that the pulse of light from the strobe, when it was nestled next to decorative dried Pampas grass, could cause a serious fire.

Edit: I found a photo showing the dried Pampas grass in the location where the fire started...



The dried grasses caught on fire, and without thinking clearly (or at all?) I grabbed the flaming stuff and ran for the bathroom to put it under the shower. By the time I made it, the carpet was on fire where I ran, the shower curtains were on fire, and after I turned on the water to put out the flaming stuff, I realized that the fiberglas tub was blistered. I stomped out the carpet fire, then I looked at my hands. Immediately I went to the emergency room with the help of a friend who heard the smoke detector's alarm.

The dry humored nurse receptionist was busy looking at papers behind counter and asked for my insurance card. I explained that I couldn't get it out and lifted my hands over the counter to show her. With flesh peeling away and oozing stuff showing underneath and dripping on her papers, it was the only time I was rushed right into treatment with no wait.

In keeping with the theme of Agnes' story,  I had a job interview in two days. The mishap left me with both hands in white "boxing glove" mitts, some small burn spots scattered across my face, and hair and eyebrows singed away unevenly. The potential job was for an engineering sales position, but I looked like a refugee from war instead of a polished salesperson.

You can guess the outcome of that job interview.

[Query]

I didn't realize photography was so dangerous.