Running Africa Volunteer with lower leg problems

[Jaylar]

Hello Everyone, First of all thank you so much for taking the time to respond to my post.

I am a US Peace Corps Volunteer (Over 1 year done and 1 year to go in my service!) serving in a remote region of Ghana. Because of that I have little access to physical therapy. I started training for the Accra marathon but ran into some leg pain problems and have taken a month off with no alleviation of symptoms. Pain is felt even with walking.

The Problem is on the left leg:

The foot and ankle:
1: Arch becomes very tired/sore with most activities.
2: Pain is often felt around the interior knob on the ankle, both anterior and posterior to the "knob"

The knee/calf/shin:
(these pains seem to "float" that is, they trade off with each other)
1: Pain can be felt on the interior gastrocnemius, though possibly the pain could be a muscle below it, I'm not sure how to tell.
2. Pain about 2-3 inches below knee cap on interior side of the bone, looking at a calf diagram, approximately where the popliteus muscle wraps around. Combined with the ankle pain it feels like the whole interior side of the bone is aching
3:Behind knee up hamstring and down calf becomes sore, but it feels like a compensation response to the other issues

My tentative self-diagnosis was anterior tibialis tendonitis, but I am unsure if that is correct, and I'm unsure how to fix it... like what exercises to do. I'm also having some hip/low back issues and I'm not sure if that could be contributing as well.

Anyways, I've stopped running. I've had new shoes sent to me. I put superfeet insoles into all my shoes. I really want to solve this since my main mode of transportation is walking and I can't seem to do it pain free now. Even sitting here now there is an aching pain that doesn't seem to want to quit.

Anyways, any ideas about the cause/solution to my problem would be amazing. Thank you so much.

Jason

Similar Threads:

• Is it peroneal pain? Lower left leg pain, I am running out of options..
• Urgent:Lower leg pain while running
• Confusing leg problems
• Lower Abdominal problems, from weight lifting
• broken leg problems

[PTJH12]

Hi
a few questions for you
is the ankle pain around/behind the inside 'knob'?
for the shin pain is it at the front? on the inside of the tibia?
does your foot pronate - look 'flat' when standing? - if it does you might want to try tapeing (do you have tape?) out of pronation - there is some low-dye tapeing vids on youtube and see if you have less pain with walking
you quite probably have some hip muscle (gluteal) issues (poor recruitment or strength) - weight bearing exercises like squats but with knees a bit turned out
you may also need to do some tibialis posterior strengthening. a bit difficult to diagnose this one it seems to be a few issues
j

[physiobob]

Good questions above. For any tenosynovitis type issue this would have come on gradually and if this is the type of issue (or shin spints) then there are a number of factors: diet, footware, training regiment etc.

Also this could be weakness in the leg secondary to low back issues (and therefore overuse of the weak leg as a result). Suggest someone prods around the back for you to see if anything feels a little out of sorts