Thanks for your reply - in non technical terms - is this shin splints, but because I have carried on exercising it has tightened my tendons? When I went for my weekly sports massage last Friday the therapist was doing my inner thigh muscle and the inner bit of my knee - it was that painful it felt like she was massaging bruises!! Aswell as the tightness on exercising I get chronic aching in my legs ALL the time - it feels like there is loads of tension built up and I need to stretch them out. I'm not sure whether I'm just wasting my money on the massages as I've been for about 15 and go every week - i think that they are that tight I'm beyond stretching and massages