some minor pain up the insides of both shins, just inside of the bone, feels like muscle.
comes up a bit after runs, can only find exact areas if i push. goes from ankle up to about a 3rd of the way down from my knee. nothing wildly bad, feels like shin splints/tendonitis choose your name.
now, i am unsure of the cause, did not ramp up volume fast, was running all fall slowly building up mileage. went from 10mpw to 20mpw over 6 weeks, and had been holding there for about till a few weeks ago.
now the part i am not sure about is what cause this,
in the span of two weeks i did:
a 5k and 5 miler race
bought new trainers
started running at my parents (much harder surface)
did a weeks worth of running on a treadmill
i am thinking the shoes are not the issue (asics 2130, i have flat feet, over pronate)
which leaves running on the roads here, treadmill, and the races. would any of those cause shin splints? my guess is racing in the cold after no hard running may, and i have had issues with treadmills for other things in the past (not impact wise but hip pain from changing my stride)
Still could be shoes. I’ve been running in a particular Saucony for several years. I didn’t like the new model and decided to try something new back in December. My run mileage has been about 20mpw for quite a while and my run surfaces did not change. After about a week and half in my new Asics, my shins were killing me in the exact spot you describe. I could barely complete a 3 mile run. Switched back to my old Sauconys and pain was gone after about 3 runs.
Sounds similar to what I get. rroof said it was the Soleus (sp) muscle. I’m not really sure what to do about it other than I take extended days off and strech my calves alot. Min is so bad on the right side that my running has been really sparadic. If I’m short and consistant it has gone away but it takes a long time.
right now i am thinking i am going to keep the runs to softer trail surfaces for a week or two, see what happens. if it gets worse/stays the same i’ll back off and go see about shoes and see if that helps.
I used to suffer from shin splints, symptoms very similar to your explanation. My issue was alleviated by using PowerStep inserts which provide additional support for my arch/feet. I haven’t had shin splits since I started using these inserts.
You raced/ran faster than used to - you ran in new shoes - you ran on new surfaces - you’ve doubled your mileage…
I agree with your plan - you can try the various things people suggested - all worth a try.
I like the back-off on miles/speed plan. Ice. Stretch calf muscles. I also “warm-up” my tibiailis anterior muscles by liftinig my foot of the ground and doing 50-100 fast toe taps on the ground before running…I also like superfeet inserts.
I had a similar thing - bugged me a little here and there - eventually went away - now its long gone. Next it will be your feet or knees or hips…as you continue to bump miles…catch it and fix it early.
This happens to me occasionally. My solution is to stretch the area a lot. It’s a bit hard to explain but if I rotate my foot around in a circle the area where I get shin pain hurts. I end up holding my foot in that painful area for a few seconds at a time and then doing a calf/achilles stretch to really get at it. Within a few days the pain subsides until I stop doing the exercise.
See if it helps as it only takes a few minutes to do and can be done in front of the TV or under your desk at work. For me it doesn’t relate to shoes, intensity or any of the other factors. I pronate and have slightly flat feet also.
here is what i have been doing the past week or so. only run once outside, on very soft trial, half mulch, have fresh snow, short run, nothing fast (over 8:30 pace). soreness back again as soon as i did that, had been water running the few runs leading up to it.
next in line is stopping by the running store tomorrow (for those in ohio i work about 3 blocks from front runner) and see if they have any shoe advice.
I have FLAT feet, (see if i were to do the wet foot on paper test you could trace the outline of my feet and not need to fill it in), and overpronate a LOT. there is a photo somewhere from rockman the first year where you can see me right as i hit the ground and my ankle looks like its 2 or 3 inches to the side of where it should be. next thought is motion control shoes instead of just stability?
You might want to get a biomechanical evaluation from a Physical Therapist or Athletic Trainer to see if some custom or semi-custom inserts would be of benefit. I have treated several runners from high school to avid triathletes and some of the m have had enough structural abnormalities that the support from a semi-rigid orthotic helped quite a bit. The system I use is called Fast Tech if you can find a PT clinic that makes them. Also, the toe/heel raises are great but do them throughout the day ,not just before you run. Running on soft surfaces acan be just as detrimental as hard ones, because your foot/ankle has to move through a greater range of motion to reach the ground. Icing, the TP kit that Gary mentioned and stretching the front of the shin (hook your toes under the edge of a low table or couch and lean back to the point you are close to sitting on the ground). Get better soon, but remember to listen to your body. If you try and do too much, you will pay for it throughout the entire season.