A question for runners, please!

I started getting this too and what fixed it for me was stretching out my legs and back like crazy. One particular stretch I learned in a yoga class seemed to help. spread your legs really really wide with your feet pointing forward and then do a forward bend as far down as you can go without pushing yourself too hard. Fidget with positioning until you feel it stretching the muscles you are talking about.

Hope that helps!

I had that same pain. I actually do alot of stretching beforehand, but I ended up needing better supporting shoes. I recommend if there is a place near you that lets you get on a treadmill and they see where you put most of your weight when you run, its well worth it! If you dont want to pay an arm and a leg for their shoes, they will give you great ideas. I now run 3-5 miles every night and am pain free! I found shoes with good support and they were on sale for $35!


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I've had this same problem and haven't known what to do about it. Thanks for posting the topic and for those who have offered advice.

If you can find them, i recommend Rykas. Kelly Ripa recommends them. They are mostly mesh so they are light, and are made specifically for women!

massage!!! easy way to massage those areas yourself is to take a rolling pin and roll it up and down the sides. hope you feel better!

I've had that exact same problem, it got really bad this week and the pain was relentless. I gave in and went to see a physiotherapist this morning who immediately spotted the cause of the problem. I have flat feet! I've never noticed this before because I've never run before EVER :blushing: He referred me to a podiatrist who said I need shoe inserts to provide extra support for my ankles and calf muscles which should fix the problem and get me running again soon. He said i need to be fitted for the inserts asap but did say that store bought ones should help in the meantime. I'm also having a deep tissue massage tomorrow on the advice of a running coach who's also a qualified sports therapist in the hope of fixing the muscle faster than resting will.
p.s. I'm also new to running and am already completely addicted. I must be because normally an injury would see me quitting for good :happy:

massage!!! easy way to massage those areas yourself is to take a rolling pin and roll it up and down the sides. hope you feel better!

thanks for the tip i've been struggling to massage my poor hurting calves this is a genius solution :flowerforyou:

I had a similar issue which I neglected until I had a stress fracture of the Fibula. It may be that you are pushing to far to fast. May want to switch to the bike for a couple of weeks and see if it calms down. Mine started as a very sharp pain when I pushed on the bone after running trying to figure out what hurt. Best of luck to you.

Same here. I was typically running every other day, but switching from outside running all summer to treadmill running last fall/winter seemed to make things worse. I ignored it until one fast two mile run left me limping the rest of the way home. Rested a week with no improvement, then went to the urgent care and was on the bench for 6-8 weeks.

I also get sore when I'm due for new shoes.

Make sure when you are running that your steps are short and quick. When you lengthen your stride, it tells your quads to "STOP!" This has been a big AH-HA for me and makes it easier on your body.

Go to a running store and have them show you the shoes you need for your gait. Stretch before and after your runs. You may also want to start slow for th efirst 5 minutes to get warmed up before a run.

I do a preliminary stretch, walk to warm up and then another set of stretches to get really loosened up. Then when I'm done, I make sure to cool down and stretch again. I also have noticed that lifting helps with the aches. The more regularly I incorporate weight training, the more improvement I see in terms of distance, speed and endurance, with lesser chance of muscle injury and fatigue.

I am just getting over my shin problems. I am a new runner, too. I do not follow the c25k program, but I am running a 5k anyways on Thanksgiving day. This will set a baseline, and also help raise about $1 Million for the hungry in my city. I feel good about it. I feel great about being able to run! I AM A NONSMOKER, AND IT FEELS GREAT!!!! WOOHOO

You're brilliant!!!:flowerforyou:

my favourite suggestions are always:

1. Stretching (though I don't do enough of this myself)
2. Physio/massage therapy (my therapist keeps me running...which keeps me from having to see another kind of therapist! :laugh: )
3. Hot baths with epsom salts to loosen up the muscles
and
4. When the pain is REALLY bad or you're stiff and sore to the point of having trouble moving? Icy hot back patches applied to the quads and the IT bands. I know it sounds weird, but I slap those puppies on both legs after a marathon and sleep with them on and by the next day am back to walking with minimal pain (well...as minimal as it gets when your muscles are very very angry with you)

I had the same problem when i first started running. I went and got my feet measured and got a great pair of running sneakers and now I am pain free. Good luck!

#1 suggestion (as mentioned before) is going to a running store (none of the big box stores), get analyzed and get a shoe that works for you. Also take your most recent shoes in with you as they will also help with the analysis. You will pay more for the shoes but you're also paying for the service and you can always buy more of the same shoes online cheaper from then on.

I would also suggest reading Running for Mortals if you haven't already. There is a lot of great information and a lot of it is geared towards injury prevention.

While I don't want to devalue the post intervention suggestions already mentioned, because they are good, but when it comes to ongoing running injuries it's best to figure out what's causing the problem and trying to fix the issue or you will continue to have injuries and deal with them, which is frustrating. It's like having recurring bad headaches. You can continue to have the headaches and medicate them or attempt to correct the problem causing them in the first place.