.... OW! Shin splint? Help please!

Hey folks,

I have some sort of pain going on in my leg that I don't understand at all! It's happened before. It's not muscle soreness; it feels like it's the bone (not that I'd know what that feels like, that's just the best I can explain). The worst pain is if I try to stand on my tip toes; I can't do that 'cause it hurts sharply. It also hurts if I lean forward, so more pressure is on the balls of my feet. If I do something that makes it hurt bad (like trying to reach a lightbulb by standing on my toes... ouch) then it keeps hurting for awhile afterwards.

The best explanation I've found is shin splints, but that makes no sense for my situation. I've been sick for a couple weeks so I haven't even been walking the dog, and I've never been a runner. I just started working out again yesterday and all I did was a little exercise routine from the Women's Fitness magazine. I actually told my husband it was way too easy since I barely broke a sweat, and the only lower body exercises was a grand total of 30 squats. A few months ago I did 200 squats in a row just to see if I could, and that gave me crazy soreness but none of this sharp pain monkey business.


Any ideas at all? I get so frustrated when my body is weaker than my willpower and I'm limited by pain or injuries. I *just* got Jillian Michael's Ripped in 30 which I was going to start tonight but now I'm nervous that I'm going to make this worse; I know in a couple weeks I'm supposed to do duck walks and who knows what else. Do you think I should go ahead and start it? Just work on upper body, maybe hit the pool, and totally avoid anything that makes it hurt until it's all better? I just wish I knew what this was and how to fix it. It doesn't feel like muscle pain, and I've never had any 'real' shin splints I know of but I don't think it's in the front enough to be that. I don't know. Sigh. Please help. (-: