Shin Pain, your experiences and/or advice

Stretch. Try aistretch.com for instructions. Or better yet, put down the Apparel Arts and go for a run. Seriously, pain in your tibialis anterior is a message from your body that you've been inactive for _way_ too long.

The cause could simply be your gait and shoes, and this may be drastic, but you may want to read about compartment syndrome. It took me a long time to figure out that my problem was compartment syndrome. I've had both shin splints and compartment syndrome. Shin splints is more of a splintering pain in the shin on contact with the ground. Compartment syndrome is a burning that slowly builds up as I run or walk quickly. The burning starts in the bottom of my foot, and moves into my lower leg (the muscle along the front of my shin) until it becomes unbearable after about ten minutes. When I rest, the burning slowly subsides, but when I restart, it returns. It sounds like that's what you're describing. Here are the basics of compartment syndrome as I understand it. In the lower leg, there are four muscle compartments. Each muscle compartment is the muscle, and a sheath surrounding it. When one has compartment syndrome, it means that either the muscle is too large or the sheath is too small. So, when one runs, the muscle expands against the sheath, causing the burning. I was tested a couple days ago for compartment syndrome. It consisted of the doctors using a topical anisthetic to numb my leg, then injecting another anisthetic which supposedly burns a lot (I didn't feel it at all for some reason) and then sticking needles into the four muscle compartments in each of my lower legs to measure the pressure. It does kind of hurt. Each needle feels like someone pinching your skin followed by them punching the inside of your muscle. After they took the measurements, I ran on a treadmill until the burning was unbearable. Then, they ran me back to the table to stick needs into my muscles all over again, measuring the pressure to see how much it increased. The surgery is very simple as far as surgery goes. Basically, the sheath is split from top to bottom, and you simply wait to let it regrow larger. Rehab is easy and quick: walking after a week, full recovery after six weeks. I'll most likely get the surgery in mid-September. If you have any questions, let me know.

M_C, I'd look for the answer somewhere between the two listed so far. I had the same pain hit after three months of running every day. At least, it sounds like the same pain, and the same one that Chadley is describing. But I never had surgery--while I was forced to be on the 4 to 12 mile daily regimen I would pop a prescription Ibu before and after running, and was generally OK. Once I was able to get on a more rational three day a week schedule, the pain mostly stopped. Stretching before and regularly through the day also helps. So to sum up, play through it for a while, get proper rest, and don't be afraid of advil. Oh yeah, and drink water. Tom edit: you might want to rethink the orthotic thing. There's a reason they're used. Adding a Spenco insole to my running shoes also helped a lot, with good arch support.

Yea, the question should be asked -- what kind of shape is the OP in? When I first started exercising to get in shape, I had the same exact experience... it will go away after a month or two as blood flow improves.

To be fair I think it really depends on the type of exercising you have been doing. I do think that being sore in the front of your shin is a symptom of being out of shape with regards to running. But you are not per se "out of shape" if this happens. I was actively lifting and doing the stationary bike and was in pretty good shape when I started jogging, and I had the issue for a little while.

Like people said, it should go away in a little bit. Unless it is really terrible, run through it and don't worry too much.

You're exactly right, I was too vague. That is also why I think it has to do with increasing circulation in that neglected muscle group.

Sounds like shin splints. Common as dirt among miliary recruits. A Google should get you all the information you need.

I was going to suggest turning on the lights before walking around a dark house.

I agree with tiger02: I would look at what other people are suggesting before thinking about compartment syndrome. I don't know if lots of exercise contributes to it, but for what it's worth, I have it after years and year of lots of soccer and running. Nothing helps it. Also, it does occur with fast walking.

Why don't you go see a sports medicine doc? That would be a quick way to get a diagnosis and some suggestions for the cure.

Go see a foot doctor

1. you might have shin problems
2. muscle problems around the shin
3. foot tendon/muscle/shape problems that cause pain in the shins because of the way you're walking
4. etc

I used to get shin splints when jogging all the time. It's hard to warm up that particular muscle, but a dancer friend of mine showed me a stretch for it.

Stand upright with one leg crossed in front of the other at about half-shin height, with the toe of the front leg on the ground. Gently push the rear knee forward against the front calf so that you feel a stretch in the front of your shin. Hold for 30 secs, then swap over and do the other leg. Three sets should be enough.

Hope that's clear enough.