Shin Splints? (1 Viewer)

[Bananaberry]

Sometimes when I walk I get this excruciating pain in the sides of my legs and down my skins, and sometimes in my calves.
This does not happen all the time, usually when I walk really fast (like of an afternoon when I have to practically run to catch my train home from work in time.
I am a keen walker, have done a lot of advanced treks - Great North Walk, Kokoda Trail, Milford Track etc, and it's never happened at all when doing those. I'm putting it down to better footwear and walking at a reasonable pace.
Anyway, has anyone else experienced this sort of pain?
TIA

 

[Yasser Arafat]

yes

shin splints will feel like the front of your shins are tight and very sore i guess

caused by overusing a particular muscle, training too hard etc

once you have them they are pretty hard to heal. usually requiring rest for a few weeks

 

[Lydia_88]

i havent had shin splints. Also agree with the poster above me.

Its also due to the fact that you have tight calf muscles. What that means is your muscles become shorter over time, through repetitive exercise.

Do you stretch? Stretching can help allieviate some of the problems. Just hold a stretch for 20-30 secs and repeat on the other leg.

Also, the tightness is caused by trigger points. Trigger points are like 'muscle knots or hyper irritable spots' which causes the shortening of the muscle. Releasing these knots increases oxygen flow to the the muscles. You can release the knots yourself or if you have the money, go to a massage place that focuses of deep tissue / myofacial release.

Some strengthening exercises can benefit as well.

 

[dydx]

And i always thought it was because i'm growing and my bones are stretching...

 

[rozymisty]

Sounds like a foot problem too. Do your arches roll in (ie do you wear thongs out quickly, does the inner side wear in more than middle or outer). If so, you pull your natural alignment out and that puts pressure from your feet right up to your neck.

Get some insoles from the chemist and see how they go, you may need more arch support. If they dont help, go to Athletes Foot and get a footprint to see if you need orthotics from a podiatrist.

Podiatrists would be great to go and see if you get any leg pain.

 

[Bananaberry]

No I dont wear thongs out quickly(although I do wear them a lot).
Ive been getting back into running in the last couple of months and have found the pain is not as bad. I must be strengthening my muscles, so hopefully it will eventually go away.

 

[^CoSMic DoRiS^^]

if it bothers you see a doctor

it could be anything from tight muscles to poor alignment to a vascular problem to...anything

 

[rozymisty]

hm u wearing thongs may be the cause of all your problems
all the podiatrists i see really hate it when i turn up in thongs and tell them that most of the time thats what i wear.

Thongs are notorius for stuffing up foot alignment and that puts pressure on the rest of your body and so that might be why you get shin splints.

i wouldnt see a doc, see a podiatrist....this is more anatomical stuff than medical.

 

[pman]

Its not shin splints, if its the side o0f your legs like you say, its more likely a swollen muscle pushing on the fascia which can be quite painful as well and is often confused for shin splints....at least, thats what we were told in anatomy yesterday