Leg trouble, advice please!

[C25KKate]

Hi folks, I went back to running this week after a 9day break. I’ve done 2x5k runs and a 7k. Prior to my break I was doing 17-20k a week over 3 runs. Since my last run on Thursday my left shin has been quite painful 😖. Unfortunately I had to do a lot of standing yesterday at work but once I got home I put my leg up on the sofa (ok til the cat sat on my leg) and took some paracetamol which helped a bit. Decided to give parkrun a miss this morning as it’s still a bit sore. Can anyone advise? Is this shin splints? Something else? What do you suggest treatment wise? Can I/when can I run again? It’s all a bit inconvenient as I’ve just signed up to Ju-ju’s September challenge and running is SO important for my mental well being and stress levels. Any advice/comments would be really gratefully received 🙏. Thanks 👍

[Sadie-runs Graduate10]

Well, firstly, sorry to hear about your leg pain. 😬 Secondly, none of us folks are really qualified to give advice on injury / treatment - we could make things worse by giving the wrong advice! Best thing would be to not run for a good few days and rest it up. If it is still painful after 3-4 days rest then go seek professional help - either your GP or better, a sports physio. If it starts to feel better after a few days, do a short, slow test run. Do you stretch your calves / shins after your runs?

Try not to be too down about it. (Easier said than done, I know!) Every runner gets injured now and then; I had LOADS of niggles / injuries just after I graduated. The longer you run, the stronger you get, and if you build in strength training too, you will be less prone to niggles. Being sidelined by injury is a real bummer when (like me, too) you rely on it for mental well being, but you will recover and run again. In the meantime, there is always swimming, walking, core strength exercises - things to distract you and get you ready for when you can run again.

Chin up. xxx

[C25KKate Graduate10 in reply to Sadie-runs]

Thanks Sadie. Will take a few days and see how it goes 💐👍