Flaming Fire burning down front of my leg

Check here for questions about Yin Yoga and hips. (Note: discussions about sciatica are in the Spine forum.)
Post Reply
snyderk
Posts: 1
Joined: Thu Apr 03, 2014 7:38 am
Location: Mount Pleasant, South Carolina

Flaming Fire burning down front of my leg

Post by snyderk »

Swan position on right side gave me these results
1) class one - panic attack
2) class two - emotional release (tears)
3) class three - a clear message, an answer, so powerful and amazing!

Week 4 I suddenly started having this burning sensation on the front of my right thigh. I would get this while sleeping and wake up from deep sleep screaming. It happened every night. Never felt anything like this.
There was also some electricity sensation/tingling throughout the day.

Went to the MD. Went to the chiro. Talked to my yoga instructor friends. MD and chiro said pinched/compressed nerve located around my psoas. Yin yoga teacher thought it may be psoas.

Note: my right psoas had been extra tight and when I would have massage or chiro my practitioners would always jam their hand about an inch over and up from belly button.

MD and chiro said this should heal in 3-4 weeks. They said to lay off the yin yoga. ice it. anti-inflamitory, rest and some gentle stretching.

6 weeks later, after "injury", still having light tingling and warm sensation. It is not as sharp but still not right. Also my right hip has inflamation I can feel now that feels like something I am used to feeling. I have felt inflamation in the past but had never felt this sharp burning sensation.

I want so badly to return to yin yoga. It was the most powerful yoga I ever experienced but I don't want to make my condition worse.

Note: I hold emotions in my body. I have a lot of stress and the last 5 years involved in some traumatic things. I am ready to release/purge all this anxiety.

Do you have any idea why/how swan could cause this burning in the front of the leg? it didn't happen in the class but started flaring up while sleeping one night.

Thank you,
Bernie
Posts: 1292
Joined: Sat Sep 23, 2006 2:25 am
Location: Vancouver

Flaming Swan

Post by Bernie »

If I may - a few questions then some speculations: When you say "Swan on the right side" were you feeling the pain in the back (left) leg or the front (right leg)? Why do you think that the Swan created the pain - surely you were doing both sides of the Swan and you were doing other poses too? What were these other postures? Are you only correlating the pain with the emotional release from the Swan on the right side: if so - why do you think that these are related?

You have seen specialists who have the advantage of knowing you and working with your body. While you have given us a very detailed description of your sensations, the ability to work out what is causing your fire is definitely limited by being restricted to internet interactions. But, let's make a few speculations and suggestions, with the proviso that all this should be taken only as such - guesses: check it all out for yourself.

First - the cause. I would have to agree with your other health coaches - it sounds like a nerve has been stimulated: such burning usually is a signal of an unhappy nerve. Pressure on the nerve could come from a variety of sources: tight muscles impinging upon the nerve, disc problems, inflammation, etc. You may have work to through several layers of potential causes before finding a treatment that addresses the right issue.

Second - what to do? If the problem is from a tight psoas, then massage might help, but I have heard conflicting advice regarding this. Some therapists feel that it is just not possible to really or effectively get at the psoas: it is too deep. Others believe that they can get to it. Certainly it can be stretched, but if the nerve is already inflamed, stretching or even massaging the psoas could make matters worse. You may have to leave it alone for a few weeks so that the nerve quiets down, and then work poses like Saddle or Dragon to stretch out the psoas. Since the Swan does work the hip flexors of the back leg, perhaps this is why you had a trigger for the pain after doing Swan. (This is the reason I asked about which side you are experiencing the pain in: left or right. If it was on your right side, then Swan on the right side was not stressing the psoas, and thus maybe the psoas is not the problem.)

Nerve compression due to inflammation? Unlike your MD’s advice, I would not recommend ice. This used to be the standard approach to treating inflammation - the acronym is RICE: Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation. More recent studies of cryotherapy has shown that ice is actually not effective. Today the process recommended is called MCE: mobilization, compression and elevation. If you are talking about your psoas, it is difficult to apply compression and elevation here, but gentle mobilization may still be effective. There is another option to reduce inflammation: earthing. You can read more about it in his newsletter article.

Disc problem? Unfortunately, here too there are so many possible causes. You can read this article on sciatica and try some of the suggestions there, like spinal flossing, to see if they help.

Finally - until you find the cause, a cure is hard to prescribe. However, even without knowing the exact cause there are some general things you can try: stay active, but don’t stress the area where you feel the “danger” lies. If you feel Swan was the cause, don’t do Swan! But mobilization is important, so gentle yoga may still be good for you: Cat/Cow flows, Spinal Flossing, etc. Earthing is a great thing regardless: even healthy people should spend time every day getting grounded. Diet can also help to reduce inflammation (think turmeric!)

Let us know how it goes.
Cheers
Bernie
Bernie
Posts: 1292
Joined: Sat Sep 23, 2006 2:25 am
Location: Vancouver

Instead of ice (as in RICE) ... move!

Post by Bernie »

As a follow up to the previous post, here is an article by the doctor who coined the term RICE (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation) back in 1978. He now knows that inflammation is a required part of the healing process and should not be aborted through icing the injured area. His article is called Why Ice Delays Recovery and was posted in March of 2014.

Note however, he is talking about an acute inflammation response. Chronic, ongoing inflammation is not healthy and does not controlling, but inflammation due to a current injury requires inflammation to heal the area.
Post Reply