pain in shin

cugglybear

I have been gradually increasing the amount I am walking. This week I have done 4 walks of about 1 hour, walking about 3.5 miles each time.

This morning my right shin was very painful intitially, meaning I had to walk slower. The pain went after 30 mins and the leg felt ok.

Does anyone have any idea what happened, if I can go on walking and what to do to prevent it again?

Thanks

coliema

It could be shin splints, but I'm not exactly sure. I used to get them from running in Cheerleading. A sharp pain would go up my shin when I stepped on my foot.

Just take it easy until your shin feels better!

hippie162

I get this too from over training, I usually find that some stretching and a hot bath helps..

I initially thought it was my shin but now I'm sure its the muscle/tendon as massaging helps too.

You should keep from training for a few days or it will get worse.

JLasick

It sounds like shin splints. There a re a few things you can do to fix/prevent them.

The first is to ALWAYS stretch before and after you walk or any execricise for that matter. Before I run, I do 10 easy lunges, squats and toe raises to warm up my leg muscles. Then I strecth them real good before I take off. After a run I walk at regular pace for 2-3 minutes to cool down and then do a good stratch again.

Another thing that causes shin splints are old/used shoes or the wrong type of shoe. Shin pain is my guage to when its time to buy new running shoes. Most running shoes are good for around 300-500 miles. When I had shin splints, I'd stop running for 3-4 days, buy a new pair of shoes and I was good to go, with no pain.The shoes may not look dirty and worn, but the soles and cushioning wear out over time. I only wear my running shoes to run in, they are not worn for any other activity. Also, the physical condition of the shoe will shotern its life and quality.

Additionally, if the pain persists you need to rest for a few days to give yourself time to heal before walking again.

To sum it all up:

Always stretch before and after you walk
have a dedicated pair of shoes for walking
If the pain lasts longer then a day, take a few days off and start again.

Hope this helps

cugglybear

Thanks everyone, tht's really helpful.

I have old shoes so I will buy some more tomorrow, and I must get in the habit of stretching well.