Shin pain?

About three weeks ago, one of my coworkers and I started walking at lunchtime. We average 15-20 minutes a day, and while we don't amble, we aren't power walking. Usually we go 4 laps around the courtyard (half a mile, as far as we can tell). These past few days, I've been getting REALLY awful pains in my shins. They start somewhere on the second lap and they STOP as soon as I quit walking. Pain is located on the front of the shin, from mid-shin to just about an inch below the knee. Never felt anything like it.

Are these shin splints? What do I do about this? I want to keep walking, but YEOW!

If new shoes are the answer (I've been walking in my work shoes), please make recommendations that come in size 6.5EE (yes, I have duck feet).

Replies

  • muziclver
    muziclver Posts: 145 Member
    I'd like to know as well as I have this issue. I typically walk/run flat-footed and I heard this could be a trigger lol
  • csfillmore
    csfillmore Posts: 16 Member
    I would take a pair of sneakers to work and changes shoes. It helped me walking on my lunch break
  • anderson_ryanbecky
    anderson_ryanbecky Posts: 2 Member
    Shin splints are a likely diagnosis. Walking in work shoes probably does not help. I suggest you go to a running store where they can look at your foot type and suggest the proper shoe. Until then stretch and Ice if needed.
  • TurangaLeela
    TurangaLeela Posts: 70 Member
    I'm not a doctor, but I would recommend good shoe support (find a good insert if you don't want to replace your shoes) and icing the area. It worked for me, anyway.
  • xDMartinHx
    xDMartinHx Posts: 1,002 Member
    suffer the same issue regularly, would love a solution other than walking through it
  • FUELERDUDE
    FUELERDUDE Posts: 150 Member
    The guy below me put it a lot better than what I did.
  • bumblebums
    bumblebums Posts: 2,181 Member
    Sneakers would be a good idea. Or try some "comfy professional shoes", if you can get away with those at your workplace. I have some Dansko clogs that I can walk miles and miles in.

    Actually, what you describe sounds like muscle soreness to me. There is a muscle that runs in the front of your shin called m. tibialis anterior:

    http://www.wpclipart.com/medical/anatomy/muscle/anatomy_lower_leg_muscles.svg

    (yes, I just looked it up) for me, it can get sore from lots of walking. That's not shin splints, just soreness.

    Try myofascial release massage--you can take a small but dense rubber ball and roll it around the muscle using your body weight for leverage. It hurts but tends to help with soreness after exertion.

    [eta: it's misspelled on the pic, should be "tibialis". of course.]
  • chriscm70
    chriscm70 Posts: 76 Member
    I feel your pain, literally. Those are probably shin splints from what you said. I would go to a real running store (where they watch you walk and try different shoes), even for just walking, and get some decent shoes just as a place to start. You could try ice at night too, and rest of course. I'm sure others will have suggestions too. I hope that helps. Good luck :-)
  • bumblebums
    bumblebums Posts: 2,181 Member
    Btw, for what it's worth, the term "shin splints" is not precise enough for this. You want to differentiate between stress fractures and muscle soreness and tendon/ligament sprains. I *suspect* it is muscle soreness. Look up that pic of tibialis anterior--if it looks like that's what hurts, then it's just soreness from lifting your feet each time you take a step.