OUCH! Aching shins

dreambig_gohome
dreambig_gohome Posts: 194 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I am sure that several of you have probably posted about this before, but... I just wanted a general idea. So I've generally been an active person for most of my life. I lost about 30 pounds the first time I signed up about three years ago - then, because of lifestyle changes and just poor eating habits and mega-amounts of stress, I gained a bunch of it back and plus ... I also dance and have for 10 years plus, and snowboard in the cold season. That all being said - I just started my weight loss journey all over again less than a month ago - I've been watching what I eat, keeping in my goal as much as possible and working out 5-6 days at the gym [though I started running about a mile and a quarter on my road before that.]

I completed a 5K just last weekend, and have been tired and achey, on top of pushing up most of my weights on the cable machine as well. I've struggled this week because of muscle soreness, and that is one thing. But I noticed that since the 5K especially, but before that, well ... my shins REALLY hurt. I don't know if I'm overdoing it, haven't given my body enough time to rest, or what's up. In all the years I've been active, and even through a broken hip and sprained ankle and broken toes - I've never felt THIS before. It's mostly on my left shin, but my right is a little tender too. My left shin is tender to the touch but it isn't a sharp pain. But after I put pressure on it, the residual throbbing lasts 20 minutes plus ... let alone going up stairs or running on the treadmill, and then it burns. Sometimes i just starts to ache out of nowhere, and my knee decided to join in on the fun today, maybe out of compensation. I'm not freaking out about it yet, but I am mildly concerned because I don't know what it could be from.

Any thoughts would be appreciated ... I know we're not all doctors. If it continues through next week after icing and such, I'll go see my doctor like I should. I just was wondering if anyone had similar experiences.

Thanks, Jess.

Replies

  • dragonfly123321
    dragonfly123321 Posts: 51 Member
    sound like your just using that muscle and its tight . Do you have a rolling pin ? if you do try taking it while your shin muscle is relaxed & roll over it it will hurt but it should help
  • bimpski
    bimpski Posts: 176 Member
    sounds like shin splints from your run
  • timodawson
    timodawson Posts: 41 Member
    sounds like shin splints from your run

    This is what I was thinking.
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
    . It's mostly on my left shin, but my right is a little tender too. My left shin is tender to the touch but it isn't a sharp pain. But after I put pressure on it, the residual throbbing lasts 20 minutes plus ... let alone going up stairs or running on the treadmill, and then it burns.

    Certainly sounds like emergent shin-splints, rather than just muscle soreness. And if you've been increasing your resistance training burden then that would exacerbate it.

    Shin-splints is microfracturing of the shin bone, caused by a one or more of a number of different things. The immediate treatment is to rest until it goes away, so reducing your leg training and no running. After that it's more a question of addressing the underlying cause, which could be:

    Too much too soon - sounds like you've racked up your mileage quite rapidly, which would explain this.
    Shoes are inappropriate for your gait, worn out or badly fitting. Shoes last about 300-500 miles, lower end generally for heavier or inexperienced runners. When did you last get running shoes and what type of gait are they for?
    Muscle imbalance between the calf and the shin - there are exercises to improve the shin muscle, lifting sandbags with the toes, pedalling with feet clipped into the pedals on a bike etc.

    Bottom line - rest until it's gone, otherwise you just compound it. Then have a think about what you've done to cause it and address that.
  • ContraryMaryMary
    ContraryMaryMary Posts: 1,786 Member
    Definitely sounds like shin splints. Most often shin splints are caused by your footwear. What are your running shoes like? Were they fitted by a professional? Are they worn out? Could be time to do some shopping.
  • dreambig_gohome
    dreambig_gohome Posts: 194 Member
    Thanks for everyone's opinions. I kept to 60 minutes on the recumbent bike last night and iced and definitely feel a little better. I'm not very good at cutting back because I just feel guilty. I'm sure it's a problem of too much too soon more than anything else - My shoes are less than a month old [and this isn't my first training rodeo, so to speak] so I know what to look for, and I have also danced for 10 years and teach ballroom class and have pretty strong toes, feet, etc. So it's most likely a combination of just too much too soon. I've been in the gym less than a month and already ran a 5K ... while that's not necessarily impossible, it is a lot to expect, and I think the uphills and concrete road did me in. I will take all your advice into consideration and stick to non-impact and upper body weight training for the next week and see how it goes. I do enjoy running so I don't want to cut it out completely.

    Jess

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