I suspect I have a stress fracture in my left tibia (medial side, about half way up). I have to wait 2 weeks for a GP appointment so I've had to base this on my own research so far. There's a quite specific sore spot and it gets sore when I walk on it, fine at rest.
I am so frustrated about this. The C25K programme was going so well and was really helping my mental health. I made it to the end of week 7 when I had to stop for 3 weeks, primarily due to severe pain in my right heel which has since subsided. I did also have pain in my left tibia at that point but assumed it was just shin splints.
I gave the heel time to recover then went back to the running, easing gradually into the programme but after a 20 minutes run my left shin was really sore. It was burning when I was lying in bed and I struggled to sleep.
It is a little better now abd I can walk without limping but not planning to run again any time soon as it'sonly been a week since the injury. Having said that I'm keen to get back as soon as I can but also worried I'm going to keep injuring myself. After my first injury I had my gait analysed (fine) and bought more cushioned shoes but clearly that did not help.
I'm a 46 year old woman and worried about what this may mean about the state of my bones. So frustrating. Does anyone have a similar experience? Does it sound like a stress fracture? Please give me hope that I can get back to complete the C25K! Thank you.
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CrazyGoatLady2
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Oh gosh.. so disappointing for you. But, try not to get too down, until you know what is what,
We cannot, even if we have had similar issues, give you any medical advice and it will take the medical expert knowledge to give you the diagnosis and starting point. It is a pity you have to wait so long for an appointment.
A Sports Physio could be your next point of call in the meantime. They may be able to help.
I had a long period off after an x-ray for a knee injury flagged up two fracture lines. one below the knee and one above. an MRI showed them to be very old. Probably from childhood. (No one was more surprised than I ). They were not impacting my running obviously, but I was on the couch waiting for the all clear results , (12 weeks)...but the runs waited and I got back into it straight away.
I am wondering if the heel pain may have kicked off the pain in your leg. We can compensate in other areas if we have pain in one area.... but that is just me thinking aloud.
Have you had issues before you started running. Are your new running shoes and socks feeling right, for your running. Are you warming up well and maintaining the core strength and related exercises as the runs get longer? They are so important for every part of our running body.
You are right not to run through pain, and if this was me, I would at this point be going to see a sports physio... to at least get an idea of what is going on. Maybe even get some treatment.
Thanks, this is really helpful. I have been warming up with active stretches and brisk 10 minute walk. I am also doing static stretches after the runs. I never had any similar problems before running. I have always walked a lot.
I was doing yoga alongside the running (different days) and aftermy first injury I did work more on core strength etc. But I probably need to do more of that.
I think both my old and new shoes feel fine. The old ones were a bit small possibly but the new ones are a better fit and more padded (but neutral as I had no gait issues).
I agree that I am not going to figure this out myself and it does sound like a sports physio is the way to go. I just don't know anyone who can recommend one so will likely have to do online research to find one and hope for the best. The cost worries me!
I'm sure I will get through this but I really don't want to end up injured for a 3rd time in a few weeks. It will be so tempting to run again as soon as this feels better.
Sorry to hear this , it's so frustrating waiting for an appointment as well .We are of course unable to give any form of diagnosis here as we are not medically trained and it would be wrong for us to do so .
It might be worth trying to get an appointment with a sports physio !
A good one is worth their weight in gold.
I was lucky in finding a local one who is also an extreme marathon runner!
Thanks. My expectations of the NHS are low so you are probably right. I should try a sports physio and presumably they will also help with my recovery. I don't have running friends or contacts though so I'm unsure how to go about this as I don't know where I'd get a recommendation from. I'm also worried about the cost and really don't know what to expect. I'm assuming there's not much hope of getting a sports physio on the NHS!?
I'm based in Edinburgh, Scotland, if anyone has any ideas! Thanks.
I found my sports physio by checking with the local running shop. It is owned and operated by an ultra runner ….they need plenty of physio! Just a thought if there is a shop nearby.
Yes, I considered that but didn't feel it was bad enough. I can walk with only minor pain. I didn't want to take up space and time in A&E knowing how they are struggling. I might try phoning 111 or minor injuries clinic though. Although i sort of expect they'll just X-ray it and not do much else. I don't know what to expect from NHS these days!
But you need a diagnosis and getting an X-ray will be key to that. That should lead to the appropriate treatment plan for you and the severity of the injury.
You are right. I was so busy at work I didn't get around to it. Will phone 111 once I get home (I am away at the moment for the weekend unfortunately) and see if they can refer me for x-ray at least.
Stress fractures can be hard to prove. I had a stress fracture of the second metatarsal. I had a a call to my GP and was sent for an xray which showed nothing. I went to the NHS physio who said it was plantar faciitis and had me doing heel raises (very painful with a foot stress fracture). I went back to my GP a couple of weeks later and she referred me to a different physio who was sure it was a stress fracture. He then had me in an orthopaedic boot and wanted as little weight bearing as possible and referred me for an MRI. Only after that was the stress fracture confirmed. I lost many weeks of healing time and was out of running for around 5 months. The good news though, is that I have been running ever since; I've had other injuries but absolutely no recurrence of the foot problem. I hope your fix is much faster, but do not be fobbed off. Good luck.
Thank you! I'm so sorry to hear you had a bit of a battle to get a correct diagnosis. This is what worries me too, loss of time (or doing the wrong thing) whilst I'm messed around. But, to be fair, I have to give them a chance first. I will stand firm though and take your advice not to be fobbed off. I am so glad to hear you've not had a recurrence - that gives me hope!
If you haven’t already, I would definitely go to a hospital to get an x-Ray. I had a stress fracture of my fibula and wasn’t keen on being put in plaster until the doctor in the hospital pointed out that my leg could snap if they didn’t do that! He was definitely taking it seriously even if I wasn’t! I did have one x-Ray which was inconclusive but the fracture was spotted on another x-Ray a few weeks later.
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Got to W8R2...setback...it's official: ankle stress fracture-UGH!
Stress fracture or just pebbly hills? 
So frustrated!
I'm so darn frustrated after visit to Physio!
W1R1 - so it is possible!
