reoccuring running injury (Read 428 times)

It is actually very difficult to assess much with so little information: Are you a heavy guy? What kind of shoes do you wear? How do you land when you run? Where do you run, outside or treadmill? Is your course hilly, concrete, asphalt, dirt trail or grassy field? How fast do you run those 4 miles? .... And, probably most imortantly, what is your pain threshold like??? I don't want to make an assessment lightly because you never know; you might be actually having a real problem (not that I'm saying what you're experiencing is "not real"...); but my gut feeling, the fact it goes away with a couple of days' rest, if anything, it's a classic case of not-doing-enough or often-enough rather than over-use injury. I mean, running 4 miles a couple of times a week is not really over-using it though it depends on the situation and background of your training. My suggestion is to cut the distance down to, say, 2 miles, but try to do it more often, perhaps 4~5 times a week. And, don't just jump and stop running but continue for a while. When your body tries to get stronger, there is some initial discomfort. There is a difference between sharp pain that you can pin-point vs. dull pain that occurs around the general area. Also a kind of pain that eases as you continue and your body gets warmed up vs. a kind of pain that keeps sharper and sharper as you continue. If latter, stop right away and seek professional opinion, not just on-line 20-differeit-opinions-for-free. But if former, keep at it for a while and see if it completely disappears in 2 or 3 weeks time. If you're running on concrete for the first time--or for the first time for a long time (like you keep taking a break and your body never had a chance to adjust)--your knees, your quads or you shins would take a lot of pounding. Until your over-all form becomes smooth--once again, if you continue to interfere, it'll never be effieicnt--, or if you're perhaps heavier than you'd like and carrying extra weight--once again, continued break will not help--, you'll be taking quite a bit more poundings. The only way to overcome that is to continue exercising. Make sure you apply ice massage after the exercise and keep the general area warm other time (for better circulation). Another thing is; if you are heavy heel landing runner, and if you wear regular thick-heeled training shoes, chances are that you're slamming down your foot hard. If your shoe has thick heel, this would accelerate the speed of "slamming" and this actually creates micr-scopic shock wave shooting up your leg--one of the main causes for shin splint. Try to learn to land more softly, more like mid-foot landing instead of heel strike. If you're a beginner and hadn't run much to begin with, 4 miles at a time (I don't know how fast you're running though) and only doing it twice doesnt' sound like a good idea. A little often is the way to go; not a lot only a few times. Even though the over all amount cannot be "over-use", this could create situational "over-use" and this should be avoided. Instead of 4 miles twice, try 2 miles 4 times first and see how it goes. Good luck! So Javier... Is it a Cuban name? It's the same as the former world record holder in high jump; Javier Sotomayor. A cool name!