Shin pain while running!

[Siawa]

Just did W9R1 a day ago. Today I was 16 minutes into run 2 when I had an aching, dull, constant pain on the lateral sides of my shins. Progressed to the point where I had to slow down and walk the rest of the way. This seems atypical to any of the other more common types of shin pain I've read about? Does anyone have any pointers? Could it be anything to do with how I land? (I land on the outside half of my sole) .

[misswobble Graduate]

It could be. Shin splints is as I understand it an overuse injury. Are your shoes up to the job?

You need to go steady. If the pain persists you will need to rest from running. I switched to a lower drop shoe when I got shin splint

Maybe it's not shin splints at all. We can hope not

[Irishprincess Graduate]

If you land on the outside side of your soles then it makes sense you would put pressure on that side of your shins.

Ice, stretch and use a roller gently. Make sure you're wearing proper running shoes that'll support you on that side.

[Doodles123 Graduate]

I get pain in shins if laces are tied too tight

[sprynn Graduate]

How old are your shoes? When the gel goes, they offer less support. I had shin pain, changed my shoes and it disappeared as fast as it came. But if your shoes are newish then it could be the way you land. Good luck getting it fixed.

[Siawa Graduate in reply to sprynn]

Shoes are about 3 weeks old; I did change them when i started having calf pain lol.

Yeah I thought I'd have to change my stride. Thanks for the input!

[neuropsycsci Graduate]

It's very likely shin splints, even though your pain sounds atypical compared to "normal" splints it's actually very common for runners to have this. I had to take a month off due to shin splints with the same kind of pain you describe, as I was increasing my mileage too quickly (I'm working up to 10k).

Shin splints are an overuse injury, it's much more likely that your body is taking time to acclimatise to your running regime than that you're landing strangely when you run - although make sure you're wearing really good, well-cushioned shoes and have had a gait analysis to ensure your feet have the support they need.

Best thing to do, as advised by my doctor, is rest, ice, and reduce your time running / mileage for a while until the pain subsides. (I.e. You should be able to run without pain, and if you get pain take a walking break or slow down / stop until it subsides). After every run, ice the area of pain for 10 mins, up to three times a day. Gradually work up your time and mileage (e.g. add only 0.4k per week).

I ignored my pain for a while, which was a mistake and lead to me having to take such a long time off. Shin splints are the beginning warning signs that you are overworking your body. If ignored, you can actually put so much stress on your bones (from the muscles / tendons pulling around as you run) that you can fracture them! I had no idea about this before.

All the best with your healing!

[Siawa Graduate in reply to neuropsycsci]

Yep I got new shoes a few weeks back when I started having calf pain; realized my 6 years-old overused trainers weren't doing me much good on long runs. This pain is a little different. It gradually built up over my run, reached a peak, and after I slowed down to a walk it subsided as gradually as it came. The pattern seems to be that of ischemic pain, although people my age very rarely have peripheral arterial disease.

I will definitely take your advice and ease back into it; seems prudent. Thank you!

[melly4012 Graduate]

I land on the outside of my foot as well - apparently on the very edge at a 45 degree angle! I had some shin pain when I first started the programme. Stretching my tight calves helped and also avoiding hills. Perhaps slow down if you feel you can. Have you had a gait analysis and running shoes that suit your running style? It made all the difference for niggles I had. I agree with the other advice, rest up until it feels better and if it comes back even when you're running slowly then perhaps it could be worth consulting a sports physio to help you find out why it's happening. Sending healing thoughts your way.