Just figured I would update anybody reading this on why I haven't been posting as often as I used to be! After a decent week of getting back in to the running game with my knee seemingly okay. Unfortunately I became too preoccupied to make sure my knee was okay that I failed to pay enough attention to a shin pain that was becoming increasingly problematic. So, this past Sunday I ended up stopping a run early - not because of my knee, but because of my shin...sigh. I took 3 days off iced, took advil and did exercises that supposedly help shin splint treatment. I assumed Once I hadn't felt anything for two days I was good to go. After two minutes in to my run I realized I was wrong and had to stop and walk back. So I'm taking MORE time off. At least my knee and groin problem should be completely gone once this shin thing is figured out.
If anyone would like to voice their opinions on what it may be here are the symptoms:
- It's a throbbing pain
- It's located right in between my knee and ankle, I feel it on the medial side of my leg. It seems to be generally anterior, but is posterior to my shin.
- I can more or less pinpoint where the pain is when I feel it.
- The pain slowly goes away after about 10-12 hrs after I run (although I only figured this out a few times before I stopped running - it kept me awake, so I figured that wasn't a good thing).
- Impact seems to be the main cause.
A few more notes:
I don't even know if it is muscular, skeletal or a tendon problem. I have tried to narrow it down, but haven't really been able to. I can't tell if icing helps. I also tried some exercises with my toes to see if it was related to the... extensor digitorum family. I didn't notice anything there....
Sounds like a stress Fx of the Fibula. Check Calcium and Vitamin D intake, take two weeks off before trying to run.
ReplyDeleteSee an orthopedist but do something before you go to aggravate it so you can pinpoint where it is, what it feels like and whether you can recreate the pain on your own with certain motions or activities.
Seth...what type of exercises have you done to help this. I have shin problems too and want to keep an eye on this.
ReplyDeleteThese are the exercises I do:
ReplyDelete- Heel walking
- Toe walking
- Controlled heel-toe walking (or heel step-downs) as can be explained in this paragraph:
o Heel Step-Downs These are simple but devastatingly effective exercises for preventing MTSS. Begin with a natural, erect body position, with your feet about shoulder-width apart, and then step forward with one foot. The length of the step should be moderate - as though you were walking in your normal manner. When your heel makes contact with the ground, stop the foot from fully plantar flexing, ie, use your shin muscles to keep the sole of the foot from making contact with the ground. After heel contact, the ball of your foot should descend no more than an inch toward the floor or ground; your foot is held in check by the eccentric contractions of your dorsiflexors (shin muscles). Return your foot to the starting position (back by the other foot), and repeat this basic stepping action a total of 15 times. Then, shift over to the other foot and complete 15 steps. As with the wall shin raises, progress to three sets of 15 reps over time.
- Resisted toe flexing: I put my toes under a couch so that when I flex them the couch resists.
- I put a towel on the floor and bunch it up with my toes
- I use my big toe to trace the alphabet in the air
If you google it you can find a bunch more, hopefully that helps though!
Thanks for the comment, I agree that I need to check my nutrient intake. I was actually thinking about that today - how much calcium I have been getting and if it's enough. I'm not a big dairy person so I'll have to see if I have been getting enough elsewhere. Otherwise I do need to focus on altering my diet. That does make sense with making sure I can pinpoint where it is when I go to a specialist. Lets hope it's not a stress fracture, although it does seem to be a possibility.
ReplyDelete