# Saphenous Nerve injury from riding



## Reiningcatsanddogs

That symptom could be lots of things from Sciatica Sciatica Symptoms - Diseases and Conditions - Mayo Clinic to another form of neuropathy....make sure to get it checked out by a physician that way you know exactly what is going on and how to deal with it.


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## gottatrot

It's quite likely with these types of nerve pain issues that the cause is from shortening of muscles surrounding the nerve, especially if the pain can be connected with an increase in exercise.

Nerve pain is fairly common with people doing new kinds of exercise. You probably haven't injured the nerve badly, it's more likely the nerve is being pressed on by a tight muscle or being impinged somehow.

I've experience a couple of similar issues:
A kick by a horse in the piriformis area made the muscle get tight and short while I wasn't using it as much due to pain in the area. I forgot about the injury, but then my lower back started to hurt. Eventually, shooting pain ran down my sciatic nerve (which is the outer, rear butt and leg not the inner, which you are experiencing). The piriformis muscle runs right over the sciatic nerve. Once I discovered this fact, just stretching that muscle out for a couple of weeks resolved all the pain, numbness, tingling and back issues (which I'd been having for a year).

Another common thing runners experience is IT band syndrome. Just wearing the wrong pair of shoes a couple times caused this severe outer knee pain that made me think I'd injured myself. Again, doing the right stretches to get the muscle lengthened out took the pressure off the area and my pain went away completely after a few weeks.
Iliotibial band syndrome - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

You've isolated the area of pain, and it seems to be around the saphenous nerve. That's a good first step. 
Here's one stretch for the saphenous nerve:
Flossing Saphenous Nerve For Saphenous Neuralgia | Pain Medical Musing
A video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2ywfkqYeWQ

Sometimes just understanding where the issue is and learning how to stretch that area can make all the difference in the world.


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## Whizzer

Thanks to both of you for the thoughtful responses.

Gottatrot, I'm going to start doing the stretches you recommended. I appreciate the detail of your answer! And I hope your sciatic pain never returns!


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## boots

Nerve pain in the legs _can_ be caused by "piriformis entrapment" or "piriformis syndrome." In addition to stretches, some times a sensible chiropractic adjustment can really help. 

One thing a person can do to check the alignment of their own pelvis is: Stand in front of a mirror with your hips exposed. Locate the "points of the hip" with a finger tip of each hand. We tend to think of them as our "hip bones." The points found usually just below belt line. Search for Anterior Superior Iliac Spine. Are they level? If not, an adjustment might help.


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## tinyliny

do you mean the tops of the pelvis? the ishium? not the hip bone (the greater trochanter)


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## Whizzer

I don't have any pain along my sciatic nerve, buttocks or back of my legs. The numbness/hypersensitivity is localized in the inside knee and inside calf of my left leg. It's certainly strange. It's been a little better the last week, so maybe I just needed some rest? I've also been doing the Saphenous stretches that gottatrot suggested.


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## livelovelaughride

It could have something to do with how the fibula and tibula in riders gets pushed around (rotated on a vertical axis). I know my chiro frequently has to adjust the head of my fib because of how the lower leg falls in riding.

I think if it was saphenous nerve you would have muscle weakening due to the (muscle) fibers not receiving the message to fire...but I'm just guessing there.

Try a really good chiro or physio.


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## Whizzer

Thanks livelovelaughride! I haven't seen my chiro in awhile so maybe after some adjustments I will have fewer symptoms.


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