Anyone out that just can't run?

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Chari_Jan
Chari_Jan Posts: 161 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I started running last year in May and still can't get passed shin splints!! I feel like I have tried everything!!! I went to a running store and was fitted for shoes, I have shortened my stride, I have paid close attention to my landing to make sure I am landing on my midfoot and not my heel, I have stretched before and after and massaged before and after. Nothing makes it better!!! I took a month off running to fully let them heal and after 2 days of easy going....they are back with vengeance! I have ran slow, fast and done intervals to no avail! I love running and want so badly to be able to run. I'm so sad and angry that I CAN'T run!

Has anyone else had this experience? Did you get passed it? If so, please tell me how.

Thanks in advance,

Deperate to run
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Replies

  • ThickMcRunFast
    ThickMcRunFast Posts: 22,511 Member
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    what surface are you running on? Hard deck treadmills or concrete can make shin splints worse. Trails are easier.
  • Chari_Jan
    Chari_Jan Posts: 161 Member
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    It doesn't matter what surface I run on. I have ran on all of those.
  • DrMAvDPhD
    DrMAvDPhD Posts: 2,097 Member
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    Me. My legs are different lengths and a lot of running gives me severe hip, knee, and back pain. Not everyone is meant to run and there are other ways to exercise (and arguably, ones that are easier on your body). Try an elliptical or a bike.

    I will say, for the first time in my life, I am able to complete sprints for HIIT. I accomplished this by switching to Vibrams that basically elimante heal striking, which seems to have taken care of a lot of my problems. Not brave or desperate enough to try distance though, I'll stick to biking and dancing for my cardio.
  • Chari_Jan
    Chari_Jan Posts: 161 Member
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    Maybe I will try Vibrams as well. That's awesome that you can do HIIT.

    I get my cardio right now from the stairmaster and bike but I so love to run. It so depressing that I can't do it without extreme pain.
  • baldzach
    baldzach Posts: 1,841 Member
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    How long does it take (time/distance) before they start to hurt? I imagine you could run from your car to the store in a rainstorm, probably, without your shins hurting too bad. Does it take a mile? a half mile? 5 minutes? 10 minutes?
  • Chari_Jan
    Chari_Jan Posts: 161 Member
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    Within the first 2 minutes they are hurting. A sprint causes sharp stabbing pains in my shins...so I could do it but not pain free. It feels like my bones are going to snap...not a good feeling.
  • stormforce99
    stormforce99 Posts: 4 Member
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    I havent had that problem much, I do sometimes get some joint or muscle pain but most times I run throught it and after a few minutes it sorts itself out.

    Perhaps looking at something like glucosamine for bones and joint lubrication, and try run on a treadmill or grass.

    Sorry I cant be more helpful ! I kmow your disappointed not being able to run. What about a cross trainer ? Similar to running but no impact ?
  • Chari_Jan
    Chari_Jan Posts: 161 Member
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    The cross trainer just bores me to death! Maybe if I close my eyes and pretend I'm running thru some beautiful trails with little bridges that cross over babbling brooks it wouldn't be so bad. LOL

    I love running trails or just around the park. It doesn't feel like work that way.
  • RambyPandy
    RambyPandy Posts: 118 Member
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    When I run it makes my teeth/gums hurt! I know it's so weird. Other exercise doesn't do that... just running.
  • Chari_Jan
    Chari_Jan Posts: 161 Member
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    That is odd. Very odd in deed. Things that make you go hmmmm.
  • LadyKop
    LadyKop Posts: 19 Member
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    I have a bad knee so running is out of the question. :(
  • DrMAvDPhD
    DrMAvDPhD Posts: 2,097 Member
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    When I run it makes my teeth/gums hurt! I know it's so weird. Other exercise doesn't do that... just running.

    Hmm. Do you grind your teeth while you run? I find myself doing that on my motorcycle.
  • Chari_Jan
    Chari_Jan Posts: 161 Member
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    I have a bad knee so running is out of the question. :(

    Sorry to hear that. I can totally understand not being able to run due to bad knees, hips or ankles but shin splints!! Come on now! LOL
  • MinnieInMaine
    MinnieInMaine Posts: 6,400 Member
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    The only other treatment I can think of is to use compression sleeves for your lower legs. Not sure if you're already doing this but I also make sure that my feet land under me if that makes sense. That and landing more on the ball of my foot helps keep my stride short.

    Have you talked to a physical therapist or a doctor that specializes in sports medicine about it?
  • ItsCasey
    ItsCasey Posts: 4,022 Member
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    I have gone through some brief running phases in my life that mostly resulted in plantar fasciitis, ankle, knee, and hip injuries. I spent thousands of dollars on shoes, orthotics, orthopedic specialists, etc. Nothing helped, and I was very close to requiring foot surgery. So I don't run, other than occasional hill sprint sessions when I'm feeling particularly ballsy. I don't think it's necessary. There are other ways to get a cardiovascular workout, if that's your thing (and it's not mine, at all).

    A lot of people run because they love it. More power to them. But I think most people run because they think it's the magic bullet for fat loss, and it just isn't. So if running is painful for you and not enjoyable, don't feel pressured to do it.
  • RambyPandy
    RambyPandy Posts: 118 Member
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    When I run it makes my teeth/gums hurt! I know it's so weird. Other exercise doesn't do that... just running.

    Hmm. Do you grind your teeth while you run? I find myself doing that on my motorcycle.

    Nope... even when I was a kid this happened. It feels like it's going my gums are going to burst. Maybe it's a blood pressure issue... I don't know, I guess I am a weirdo! LOL
  • VitVit18
    VitVit18 Posts: 103 Member
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    I can run... now... I just hate it though. I did have a knee injury a few years ago that made it incredibly painful to run, but since I started weight training it's gotten a whole lot better. But I've since discovered that running isn't my thing. I despise the run and cut it down to as short as possible to just warm up.
  • robooth101
    robooth101 Posts: 17 Member
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    I second compression sleeves. When I trained for my first marathon, my shins were always so tender, the slightest brush against them would cause me excruciating pain. The second time around, I used compression sleeves and had no problems. Mine are by Zensah, I think. Picked them up at my local running store.
  • Chari_Jan
    Chari_Jan Posts: 161 Member
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    I have gone through some brief running phases in my life that mostly resulted in plantar fasciitis, ankle, knee, and hip injuries. I spent thousands of dollars on shoes, orthotics, orthopedic specialists, etc. Nothing helped, and I was very close to requiring foot surgery. So I don't run, other than occasional hill sprint sessions when I'm feeling particularly ballsy. I don't think it's necessary. There are other ways to get a cardiovascular workout, if that's your thing (and it's not mine, at all).

    A lot of people run because they love it. More power to them. But I think most people run because they think it's the magic bullet for fat loss, and it just isn't. So if running is painful for you and not enjoyable, don't feel pressured to do it.

    I enjoy running. It's the whole mind game of beating yourself and pushing yourself farther than you ever thought you could. The feeling of triumph at the finish line or that 5th mile when you've only ran 3 miles before. It's a high you get that you just can't get from anything else. I get my cardio from other sources right now but it's just not satisfying like running.
  • ejwme
    ejwme Posts: 318
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    Within the first 2 minutes they are hurting. A sprint causes sharp stabbing pains in my shins...so I could do it but not pain free. It feels like my bones are going to snap...not a good feeling.

    The compression socks were the only thing I thought of not on your list... but the above quote threw up a red flag - If you've done yourself enough damage trying to run through the pain, you might actually have stress fractures in your shins. I'd get to a sports med doctor pronto. Nothing should ever hurt that much, that consistently, for that long.

    If you've really played with your form and you know without a doubt that heel striking is not your issue, vibrams (while awesome) might not do much for you. But if you've got a Good Form Running clinic near you, and you haven't tried them, an analysis by them might be worth the effort.

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