posted
I am trying to find out if this is shin splints, nothing, or something to be worried about.
About a month ago my three year old was climbing on me and when he stood on my shin (my legs were crossed sitting on the couch), it hurt REALLY bad. It felt like my bone was bruised.
I decided it was probably shin splints. But they don't hurt unless you touch them. Both bottom leg bones hurt when you apply pressure, but it gets progressively more painful as you go towards my feet.
The most tender spot is the side of my shin (not the top) on my left leg. Both hurt tho with pressure.
Walking is not a problem. It only hurts when you probe with fingers, feet, or object.
Is this normal? Splints? Or something I need to go get an X-Ray for?
Posts: 2445 | Registered: Oct 2004
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posted
I just did some more reading. I think it is shin splints. I am wearing new shoes the past 3 months that are like wrestling shoes. Very flat bottoms. I have gained a fair amount of weight recently and have been walking at least an hour a day.
I think my weight on my bad shoes and the sudden pressure on my legs from my weight and new walking routine is causing the problem.
I will buy new shoes and try to loose this damn weight!
Posts: 2445 | Registered: Oct 2004
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posted
If you can, find a running store near you. We have one near us that specializing in running/walking shoes and other accessories. The people there will even fit you with a brand and style that fits your needs (like if you have a dropped arch, etc.) Our place even has a treadmill so they can watch how your feet land when you walk/run.
I had shin splints alot in high school from dance. I think I remember being told that ice helps. And so does rolling something round on your leg. It does something like help the muscle reattach to the bone.
And before mindful of how you walk. If you step too hard or too much on your heel, you'll get not only shin splints but knee problems which are alot worse.
But good luck on the weight loss and take care!
Posts: 1733 | Registered: Apr 2005
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From my track experience--getting shin splints pretty badly in 8th, 9th, and 10th grade, and lightly this past fall(12th grade) I've read up a fair bit on shin splints.
When I get them it is all along the interior sides of my shins, almost tucked up along the backside of the bone that hurts the worst, so that when you squeeze it it feels tender. I know it's possible to get shin splints along the outside of the shins also, but it's much more rare. You REALLY know you have them if you jump and land hard or any time you're stopping impact on your legs you get a throbbing pain in your shins for a few seconds afterwards(bad memories..).
I assume you've read something along these lines, but to be thorough: They usually are a result of over or underpronating, that is, your foot touches the ground then rolls too far either inward or outward. It is normal for your foot to roll slightly inwards, but too much in either direction can put strain on the muscles on the sides of your shin. Over time these muscles get tired and cannot prevent the shock to your bone, causing pain. If this goes on to an extreme, you can get a stress fracture as your bone begins to crack from all the unabsorbed shock.
The best way to treat it is to rest, assuming you're doing some exceptional exercise, like increasing mileage in running or something like that, maybe you've recently increased your walking? To prevent and help recovery, for me, getting a Good pair of running shoes, that fits my style of pronation(running shoe store is the place to get that assessed, or a podiatrist..) really helped. My shin splints notably decreased within a week or so of continuing to run, though not excessively, and on the grass as much as possible (running/walking on soft surfaces as much as possible helps reduce strain on the shins and such) It was incredible. Also, after walking or doing exercise like that (basketball, running, walking, what have you) it can help to rub a frozen cup of water on your leg, or soak it in cold water(surprisingly helpful, but not a replacement for reducing/changing what you're doing that is damaging them).
Unless there's an acute pain somewhere along your leg it's not worth getting an X-ray. That would suggest a stress fracture, and I've heard that even X-rays often miss them and it's more reliable(and expensive I think) to get a bone scan.
So, try walking on the grass as much as possible, building up how much you walk on harder surfaces slowly, get good shoes, if only to specifically do walking in, losing weight will help, but that's not a snap-fix, it's possible to change your stride/step if you think about it (and if you read about it you WILL try to change it, possibly to no avail) and I've read that possibly a good way to see how you 'should' walk is to walk barefoot, because you will quickly, by pain, find that slamming your heel and slapping your toes is not a good way to run/walk, but I generally believe that if you do it enough you'll find an efficient/healthy stride/step for you(maybe that's wishful thinking.)
Ok, hope this was helpful and not just redundant.
Oh, and riding your bike is a good cross-training exercise for leg muscles that won't particularly strain your shins.
Conversely, rollerblading or ice skating uses precisely the muscle that is sore in shin splints for power! It hurts incredibly if that muscle is sore. Though I assume it's excellent for building up strength in that muscle, thereby reducing future shin splints.
On running on the grass: another benefit of the grass is that it's not always smooth so it builds more of your side-to-side muscle control, but it also gives greater risk of twisting your ankle and such, consider yourself advised and warned.
Anyway, glad to find something I have useful information on, hope you find some nice shoes! -StarSnuffer
Posts: 655 | Registered: May 2005
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