For about the past year, I’ve had this pain in my shins when I start running. It feels like my muscles swell up, restricting blood flow in my shins/calves and causing pain and severe tightness. I’ve been to a physical therapist and all he did was try massaging them to loosen them up, and it worked to a certain extent but the problem wasn’t solved. Any ideas??
i encounter the same problems. for me it seems to be in need of news shoes or different shoes.
i would be interested in hearing is anyone else has / had the same type of issue.
I have the same problem occasionally. Doesn’t seem to have anything to do with shoes, the one thing that helps is ‘the stick’ before/after runs, and making sure my calves are loose.
I agree on the shoes, I’ve switched a couple times and nothing has changed. In relation to the “stick”, i do massage my calves and shins heavily before running, it does seem to help but it’s kind of hit and miss to me
google “chronic or exertional compartment syndrome”
good luck
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Hunting for a little more info on this. It seems like this is a relatively common thing. Do others with this problem find that it tends to subside after a long warmup? I’m battling it again at the moment, and I find that if I can get through 3-5 miles, it goes away.
I’ve found that calf stretching (yeah it’s counterintuitive) helps, as well as wearing compression calf sleeves post workout.
Good Luck!
You are describing the much more common “shin splints” or medial tibial stress syndrome and NOT chronic exertional compartment syndrome. There is a plethora of information re: this via the interweb for your browsing pleasure 
Bash me all you want but wearing my compression socks (SLS3) on any long run on concrete has helped with this. Also, The Stick used often gets you the massage relief on a more regular basis than having to pay for massages.
These two things work pretty well for me and I seem to have the same symptoms you do.
On your landing foot, look at where your toes are when your foot strikes. If they’re flexed upward, then try landing more flat-footed. This will keep you from flexing your tibialis anterior (large-ish muscle to the outside of your shin bone).
A flatter footstrike generally means something other than an extreme heel strike. You’ll probably replace the shin pain with initial calf pain, but this should be temporary and not require the same amount of massage.
probably not the best solution, but I take 2 aleve before I run, seems to have helped my shin pain more than anything. I still stretch pre/post run, but on days when I forget the alleve I have much more discomfort.
You are describing the much more common “shin splints” or medial tibial stress syndrome and NOT chronic exertional compartment syndrome. There is a plethora of information re: this via the interweb for your browsing pleasure
I’ve had MTSS before and it was much more of a bone pain, and I actually eventually had a bonescan which confirmed periostitis (although no stress fracture, happily).
This is a lot different - as described in the OP, the whole tibialis anterior muscle cramps up on me, and it’s definitely a muscle issue - no pain on or around the bone. I understand that the term ‘shin splints’ is a bit nebulous - does it apply to both of these conditions?
Overstriding can cause this. So can a tight posterior muscle group (the tibialis anterior is the antagonist). The OP mentioned calf and anterior pain though. The tibialis anterior is the main dorsiflexor of the foot (and some inversion) and is being “overworked” in you for some reason. This can lead to MTSS as it pulls off the anterior medial tibial crest causing periostitis.
Thanks - I do have chronically tight calves and have dealt with other problems (such as arch pain) in the past, because of this.
I used to have the exact problem. A coach told me to relax my foot when running (i.e. don’t hold your toes up, point them down). Problem solved.
i agree with sandiegopj, get some compression socks and do your long runs’ it will relieve some of that tightness. which comes from the extra blood flow
steven
This really seems like the simplest and least expensive solution. I’d try it for a couple of weeks. My guess is it will solve the problem.
Hmm, that’s strange that compression is working. The area is already under compression from the swelling so I wouldn’t think added compression would solve anything. But seeing as how it’s worked, can’t hurt to try it! Thanks for all the feedback.
This has nothing to do with the OP’s possible comparment syndrome, but more origins of MTSS. Normally a tib ant induced periostitis would occur lateral to the tibia, where medial to the tibia would be considered Medial tibial stress syndrome (MTSS). This has generally been though to be a traction type injury caused by soleus, Flexor digitorum longus, and tib post. You may also find this article pretty interesting, that attributes MTSS to facsia, not so much muscle:
Crural Fascia and Muscle Origins Related to Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome Symptom Location
STICKLEY, CHRISTOPHER D.; HETZLER, RONALD K.; KIMURA, IRIS F.; LOZANOFF, SCOTT
Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise . 41(11):1991-1996, November 2009.
doi: 10.1249/MSS.0b013e3181a6519c
Abstract
Purpose: Traction-induced injury, related to muscles of the superficial and deep posterior compartments, has been implicated as the cause of medial tibial stress syndrome (MTSS) with symptoms commonly occurring in the distal third of the posteromedial tibia. Standard anatomic texts do not identify this region as an attachment site for these structures. Research into the anatomical arrangement of these structures has been inconclusive. The deep crural fascia (DCF) has been implicated as a cause of traction-induced injury in MTSS but not fully researched. The purpose of this study was to define the tibial origins of the DCF and the muscles of the superficial and deep posterior compartments relative to MTSS-related pain commonly reported along the distal one half to one third of the diaphysis of the medial tibial border and to identify the prevalence of a soleal aponeurosis.
Methods: The tibial attachments of the DCF, the soleus, the flexor digitorum longus, and the tibialis posterior were quantified relative to the medial malleolus in sixteen cadaver specimens.
Results: Mean distal attachments to the medial tibial border were superior to the distal third of the tibia for the muscles of the posterior compartments, suggesting that the role of the soleus, the tibialis posterior, and the flexor digitorum longus in producing pain typically associated with MTSS may be limited. The DCF of all but three specimens attached along the entire length of the medial tibia investing the medial malleolus.
Conclusion: Traction-induced injury theories involving the muscles of the superficial and deep posterior compartments are not supported by anatomical evidence in the present study. The tibial attachments of the DCF in this study support theories implicating DCF involvement in creating traction-induced injury.