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Stress Fracture lower leg (Read 108 times)

Christirei


    Kilkee, that author is facinating, thank you for the link. i started clicking links to his other articles and really thought he had some good things to say, but i am confused about why this happened in the first place and not sure i found any good answers

     

    alot of what i have been reading says being out of shape and starting an intense training program leads to stress fractures, but i have consistently been running about 40-50 miles per week since June

     

    alot of the words written say you need to up your cadence and slow down, and since August i switched to some low HR training which forced me to slow way down, my cadence isn't great, about 170 instead of 180 but i wouldn't consider that really bad either

     

    i just don't really get it. there is alot written about female runners having consistent periods, getting enough calories and the like.... i am fairly regular and a healthy weight and eat well. although i think i will start a vitamin D supplement

     

    its just frustrating to not understand why this happened

    darkwave


    Mother of Cats

      Kilkee, that author is facinating, thank you for the link. i started clicking links to his other articles and really thought he had some good things to say, but i am confused about why this happened in the first place and not sure i found any good answers

       

      alot of what i have been reading says being out of shape and starting an intense training program leads to stress fractures, but i have consistently been running about 40-50 miles per week since June

       

      alot of the words written say you need to up your cadence and slow down, and since August i switched to some low HR training which forced me to slow way down, my cadence isn't great, about 170 instead of 180 but i wouldn't consider that really bad either

       

      i just don't really get it. there is alot written about female runners having consistent periods, getting enough calories and the like.... i am fairly regular and a healthy weight and eat well. although i think i will start a vitamin D supplement

       

      its just frustrating to not understand why this happened

       

      One thing to consider:  we, as people, are not static.

       

      Staying injury-free means that our body's ability to heal and recover keeps pace with the strain we place on it.  And as we age, our ability to recover slows, meaning that if we maintain the same stresses, we will get injured where we didn't before.

       

      I'll also note that all STRESS, not just running stress, can contribute to injury.  It might be that the increased stress that every single one of us has been feeling played a part.

       

      Have you been having trouble sleeping because of stress?  Sleeping is when our bodies repair, so disrupted sleep could contribute.

       

      Just a few thoughts.

      Everyone's gotta running blog; I'm the only one with a POOL-RUNNING blog.

       

      And...if you want a running Instagram where all the pictures are of cats, I've got you covered.


      an amazing likeness

         

        ...

        its just frustrating to not understand why this happened

         

        It happens. Doesn't mean you did anything "wrong" to cause it. Doesn't mean you'll have more problems in the future.

         

        Just keep moving forward...

        Acceptable at a dance, invaluable in a shipwreck.

        Christirei


          actually, i sleep great! i always tell my husband its because i do so much during the day all i can do is crash and sleep all night

           

          as i have gotten older (and i turn 40 in two months) i have actually increased my activity, every time something happens i have added something in...my kids are older so i have more and more time it seems to take better care of myself. when i first started running ten years ago, all i did was run, then i had some hamstring things....so then i joined a gym and started doing a strength and conditioning class, then i started getting achy and sore so i started foam rolling, then i had a knee thing so i worked with a PT and changed things up, its hard when i feel like i am doing all of the right things to stay healthy and run well, but things keep cropping up. i stretch, foam roll, massage gun, strength train four hours a week.... and still, something happens. i don't know what else to do to stay healthy!

          kilkee


          runktrun

            +1 to sometimes this shit just happens.

             

            But also, the slower cadence could have had an impact.  I'm a huge proponent of running without so much technological feedback and really listening to your body.  Maybe the lower HR training works aerobically, but you even acknowledge that it seems to have changed your stride.  In my own n=1 experience, when I slow down (like 7:30 pace regular runs to 9:00ish pace or slower), my shins freaking HURT.  I assume it's because I'm either striking the ground differently, or spending more time in contact with the ground and my weight is distributing different through my lower extemities.

             

            Either way, it seems like you have identified a few potential changes and those might have been enough to push you over the edge.  Try to not be too worried when you start running again; maybe ditch the slow/low HR paces and try running by feel.  Or build in an extra rest day (maybe the consistent 50mi weeks were too much?).  I totally empathize with "but I'm doing everything right!!?"  I'm the same way - I don't restrict my eating, menstruate naturally, do some strength and PT regularly, run moderate mileage...and something weird always pops up.

            Not running for my health, but in spite of it.

            Christirei


              so, i'm four weeks into no running, three weeks with the air cast and i'm supposed to go in Monday to have things checked out and see how everything is going. and today....after a week of no pain at all...my leg aches. like, i've been noticing it all day long ache. i can't think of anything i did to put extra stress on my leg, i've been cycling twenty to thirty minutes a day on a stationary bike. but i started that right at the beginning so that's not different. i just don't know if this would be considered normal in the process of healing, or a sign that something isn't right. any one with experience??

              darkwave


              Mother of Cats

                so, i'm four weeks into no running, three weeks with the air cast and i'm supposed to go in Monday to have things checked out and see how everything is going. and today....after a week of no pain at all...my leg aches. like, i've been noticing it all day long ache. i can't think of anything i did to put extra stress on my leg, i've been cycling twenty to thirty minutes a day on a stationary bike. but i started that right at the beginning so that's not different. i just don't know if this would be considered normal in the process of healing, or a sign that something isn't right. any one with experience??

                 

                I remember that when my broken foot was healing, and even after it healed, it would ache.  I was told not to worry about it and sure enough, it was never an issue.

                 

                I also reason that injuries heal via blood flow, and blood flow to an area can cause achiness (pressure on nerve endings).

                 

                I know it's easy for me to say and harder for you to do, but I would consider the ache a side effect of the healing process.

                Everyone's gotta running blog; I'm the only one with a POOL-RUNNING blog.

                 

                And...if you want a running Instagram where all the pictures are of cats, I've got you covered.


                SMART Approach

                  Odd for it to just pop up. Maybe look at what you did previous day. Also, if you bounce right back in next day or two without pain, I wouldn't be concerned. Also, if not pin point in stress fracture spot that is good sign. Rember, a lot of soft tissue in area is weakening because of air cast. Maybe this is that response by your body to say hey don't rush back.

                  Run Coach. Recovery Coach. Founder of SMART Approach Training, Coaching & Recovery

                  Structured Marathon Adaptive Recovery Training

                  Safe Muscle Activation Recovery Technique

                  www.smartapproachtraining.com

                  kilkee


                  runktrun

                    Agree with Darkwave and Tchuck.  Odd, but not unheard of.  Phantom pain and referred pain is a real thing.  And if you can't pinpoint a hotspot on the bone, that's good.  Take it easy for another 48hrs and see if it goes away.

                     

                    I know it's frustrating and confusing, but your body will heal!  Hang in there!

                    Not running for my health, but in spite of it.

                    Christirei


                      thanks all, i think it was just a passing thing, it didn't bother me yesterday at all, so fingers crossed still on the right path!! thanks for the reassurance

                      Alpha10


                        Hey all, i was diagnosed yesterday with a stress fracture in my lower leg, just above my ankle on the medial side....

                         

                        doctor orders, air cast for a month and no running or jumping, then a follow up to see how things are. I have never had a stress fracture, i've only dealt with soft tissue injuries so far, but just wondering about other people's experience with something like this and recovery time? doctor hinted that returning to running is going to be a very slow process and obviously i certainly don't ever want to go through this again, but i don't have any frame of reference....just hoping to hear from some of you about your experiences

                        I am sorry to hear about what happened to you, I hope you recover soon. Extend your leg properly and cold complress might help!

                        Christirei


                          follow up with my doctor today, and i couldn't pass the jump test, jumping on both legs was fine, but when i had to isolate to just the injured leg and hop, i couldn't do it without discomfort. not pain, but it didn't feel right. three more weeks in the air cast and then i should be good to go. doctor thinks i'm almost there, but being cautious so hopefully it is 100% healed and i can start running without reinjuring anything!! kind of bummed, but okay with things. he did make a joke, he said if i was twenty i would be fine today but since i'm almost 40...things just take a little longer to heal


                          SMART Approach

                            follow up with my doctor today, and i couldn't pass the jump test, jumping on both legs was fine, but when i had to isolate to just the injured leg and hop, i couldn't do it without discomfort. not pain, but it didn't feel right. three more weeks in the air cast and then i should be good to go. doctor thinks i'm almost there, but being cautious so hopefully it is 100% healed and i can start running without reinjuring anything!! kind of bummed, but okay with things. he did make a joke, he said if i was twenty i would be fine today but since i'm almost 40...things just take a little longer to heal

                             

                            Any pain with walking or only discomfort with one leg jumping? If no pain with walking then I think loading is a good thing at this point but not overloading. Walking vs one leg jumping is not near the same. Just my two cents.

                            Run Coach. Recovery Coach. Founder of SMART Approach Training, Coaching & Recovery

                            Structured Marathon Adaptive Recovery Training

                            Safe Muscle Activation Recovery Technique

                            www.smartapproachtraining.com

                            Christirei


                              hey thanks for the input, no pain walking at all, just the one legged jumping produced discomfort and then when he was feeling around in the area and applying pressure there was still mild discomfort, just like pressing really hard on a bruise. otherwise, it's fine! i have felt mild aches the last week, but nothing sustained or lasting.

                               

                              he told me to continue with the cycling and add in swimming if i was so inclined (which i'm not) and he did tell me to back off my strength work, i had been doing my normal strength and conditioning work like squats/lunges...that sort of thing although i was not doing any pylometrics or single leg movements (not entirely true....i did do some single leg split squats and power squats the other day) but nothing ever caused pain or discomfort so i thought i was okay there...but he told me to back off for the next three weeks just to be overly cautious. sooooo, i guess its going to be mostly upper body for the next three weeks!

                              JMac11


                              RIP Milkman

                                Sounds like you're being smart. I learned about the one leg hop with my stress fracture, but have found it to be a great tool as part of my "should I run through this" regimen. If I can't hop on a painful leg, then I'm not going to run through it.

                                5K: 16:37 (11/20)  |  10K: 34:49 (10/19)  |  HM: 1:14:57 (5/22)  |  FM: 2:36:31 (12/19) 

                                 

                                 

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