Ouch! Anyone know what this is? (Read 1762 times)

Hi everyone I have been training for a marathon for 3 weeks now, slowly increasing my weekly mileage according to training plans. I've been a runner off and on for 13 years now and have had my share of running mishaps and injuries. However, I now have something going on that I have NO idea what it is. The best way to describe what's going on is "reverse" shinsplints. The inside of my calves/shins along the inside bone is KILLING me! Moreso on my left leg than my right, but man does it hurt! The pain feels more like bruising than shinsplintish, and hurts terribly in spots when touched. Does anyone know what this is? Or what could be causing it? Or how I can make it go away without stopping my training? Thank you so much for your help! ~Erin

Erin, 1. Most injuries, regardless of their location, start in the feet. Knee, hip, back and shin problems almost always start in the feet. 2. Pain in the lower, front inside of the leg is shin splints. It is frequently caused by calf muscles that are too tight and/or overpronation. The calf muscles are usually too tight from being overworked, which is why new runners are more suceptible. The best thing you can do to fix the cause is change your shoes. First and foremost, be sure that the shoes you are wearing match yor foot type. You need to know your foot or arch type. If you have high arches your foot doesn't pronate much, normal arches pronate some, flat acrhes pronate a lot. That pornation can cause shin splints as well a host of other problems. If you've got shin splints, chances are you have a normal arch, which calls for a stability shoe, or flat arches which call for a motion control shoe. If you don't know your foot type, you can learn more here: http://www.runnersworld.ltd.uk/foottype.htm. Some running stores will videotape your gait while you run on a treadmill in order to evaluate your foot strike and degree of pronation. If you have such a running store nearby, go take advantage of this service. If you determine that you are currently wearing the correct show type, I'd suggest getting new shoes anyway. Just beacuse a shoe is labled as a "stability" or "motion control" shoe, doesn't make it right for your feet and body mechanics. I've bought hundreds of pairs or "cushioned" shoes over the years (I have a high arch) and no two are the same. Some work well, others cause me all sorts or aches and pains. Before you run another step, be sure you are in the right shoes. Otherwise you will only continue to aggravate the problem. Once you have the right shoe you can start running again, but it would be a good idea to cut back on yourr mileage. You should also ice your shins for 10 -15 minutes immediately after each run. A good way to do this is to freeze small paper cup full of water. When you are ready to ice, peel the paper from the top half of the cup and rub the ice up an down your shine. Cracked ice and bags of frozen peas or corn work fine too. Finally here a couple of resources: the following web site, Dr. Pribut's Running Injuries Page, is very good for diagnosing all sorts of running injuries, including shin splints. Go to: http://www.drpribut.com/sports/spsport.html. I'd also recommend "The Runners' Repair Manual" by Dr. Murray F. Weisenfield. Don't get discouraged. Virtually nobody tarins for a marathon without some nicks and brusies. I'm three weeks from my next marathon and am nursing a sore hip flexor. Good luck and hang in there. Tim

Erin, Everyone has given good advice and I totally agree. But being a Certified Athletic Trainer I see a variety of injuries among distance runners. We studied a bunch of weird injuries in school as well. I would definately see a doc ASAP. This is because the kind of pain you are describe could lead to DVT (deep vein thrombosis). This can be a very serious condition. Hope everything goes well!!! Shari

i've been dealing with that EXACT same thing!!! i went to my chiropractor for some back work and just mentioned it to him (he also has a degree in exercise physiology). anyway, he felt the part of my let that was causing the pain and said there was a really deep knot there. so, i scheduled a deep tissue massage for my leg, and most of the pain is gone now. maybe try that before you jump to the worst case scenerio conclusinos

The inside of my calves/shins along the inside bone is KILLING me! Moreso on my left leg than my right, but man does it hurt! The pain feels more like bruising than shinsplintish, and hurts terribly in spots when touched. Erin, The part that grabbed my attention was the "along the inside bone" and "hurts terribly in spots when touched". Those were two things that caused me to finally go to the doctor when training for my first 25K a few months ago. Mine turned out to be multiple stress fractures. The hurting is spots when touched is called point tenderness and can be a sign of fracture. The pain can radiate up or down the bone from the spot that hurts. Regular x-rays can't diagnos stress fractures, a bone scan is required & treatment is just sitting on your butt! Actually, it is no weight bearing exercise for 6-8 weeks, but when you are running 10+ miles a day & they tell you to quit cold turkey, it feels like sitting on your butt! I hope you've seen your doc & are improving or at least have been diagnosed & treated. Good luck! Eryn