possible stress fracture? (Read 1123 times)

i'm not running crazy miles or anything, but i have what is beginning to feel like a stress fracture in my lower right shin, along the inside. it had been developing and i kind of ignored it, but this week it hurt enough that all day i've been putting off my saturday run. i'm *pretty* sure it's a stress fracture (had one in high school in the same area), but i dunno, i haven't had it looked at yet. - pain in my lower right shin about 4" over my inner ankle. only in this leg, and nowhere else in this leg. - i feel it most while running, but sometimes when i'm going up and down stairs, and once while i was standing up from sitting on the floor w/ kids (yesterday). - recently switched shoes (from asics kayano to asics gel nimbus) after asking to be refitted at a local running shop. different dude fit me, but he seemed knowledgeable and took his time. he suggested moving away from the kayano b/c in spite of my arch situation, my underpronation was a bigger issue for me (probably true-- i walk/run very much on the outsides of my feet, it sucks. has resulted in some knee and hip problems over the last couple of years). could it be just the switch? or that the shoe i ended up w/ is just plain wrong for me? - changed my birth control situation (i know hormones can impact blood calcium and bone density... so... would this be a factor also? and if so, permanent or temporary?). - my diet is sound, though i've been lazy about taking my multi+calcium lately. i will get it looked at if i have to, but in the meantime, i have a half-m scheduled for next weekend... do i take the rest of the week off to let it heal and just see how i do next sunday? do i take advil and just run through to at least keep some miles in there this coming week, and then take more advil on sunday? what do i make of the new shoes?? i want to like them, but i look at them and feel a little sad. please advise.

ok, some other runner friends are telling me, "if you think it's a SF, stop running! you need to rest it for min. 6 weeks!" but i have this bad habit of ignoring pain well, and i know the last time i had one (high school field hockey) i played through it for a couple of bigger games before resting it... so i feel like i could conceivably run this coming weekend even if it hurts and THEN rest it for 6 weeks... sort of. the problem is i also have 3 more NYRR races to finish before the end of the year to qualify for next year's NYC marathon, something i really really really want to do... so even if i just limp through them, can i? this means not really actually resting my stupid shin until christmas, though... please tell me candidly if i am being really stupid, or if you would do the same. (or both)

Looks like you put in some good mileage in October, so They have that rubberized surface that gives great traction and seems to be much kinder on feet, joints and shins. If you don't have one available and you want to stay loose with some easy runs, is there a trail or better yet a cross country course nearby?

ps sadly, jersey city has few rubberized tracks-- one is way down on the far end of town, across from some projects and i'm told i shouldn't run there alone, and one is part of a private school's property and i can only get onto it sometimes (before they realize i'm there, basically). the rest is just... asphalt and concrete. hence the problem, i guess. for a while, i was driving to my old town to use the track before or after my coached swimming, but my work schedule changed and i haven't had time to use the track there before it gets dark anymore. and it's a 40 minute drive, too. boo.

If you can find a sports med or ortho doc who's a runner and will not do the knee-jerk thing and tell you to stop running, it's worth getting it looked at.

THAT is exactly why i've been putting off making an appointment. anyone know anybody good in the nyc/hoboken/jc area? i think what i might do-- please tell me if this sounds stupid-- is keep RICEing, skip next week's half, and just sort of try to hang in there for the upcoming nyrr races, b/c they count toward something greater. the philly half... i really really WANT to do it, but if i skip it in favor of resting for a bit it's no big deal. if i end up running it and making this thing worse, i might have to take a break before i get through those last 3 nyrr races, and then i don't get to qualify for next year's marathon which would be very disappointing! is that, uh, the smartest dumb way to do this?

wow, they casted you?? hm.

Michele, I was about where you were two years ago, I didn't want to know what the injury was because I really, really wanted to run the Honolulu Marathon the next month and didn't want a doctor telling me I couldn't. So I basically stopped running, limped through the HM (slow and painful because I hadn't trained for a month), and paid for it by not running another race for 6 months. After the HM I got a bone scan and, sure enough, a tibial stress fracture, which I had just made much worse by running a marathon on concrete and asphalt. That hot spot is the SF. It was a calculated risk, and I decided that I would rather do the race and take a few months in the penalty box than pull out and regret it. I got my finisher's medal and have had a good year, so I have no regrets. So I guess it boils down to how badly you want that NYC Marathon automatic entry. I know how you feel, I got rejected by the lottery this year. Just realize that you might really hurt yourself if you continue to run on a SF. I've even heard reports of a tibia actually snapping in two during a race. That had to hurt!

To continue that hijack it's called Stu's 30K. Great race and a must do for anyone training for Boston.

That's it! I really had a good time in the 80's my memory has a few holes in it. Don't know about Boston but, I'll keep an eye out for Stu's in '08. Thanks Mike.

Awesome. I just found a map of the course under Find Routes. Got a reason to get out the door this Winter.