Pain when running from ankle up side of shin ??

[nirish]

Hi everyone,

I'm an amateur triathlete currently only running about 15-20miles per week.

Despite this I have been getting a pain in my left leg from just above the inside ankle which feels like it shots up the side of my shin.

To touch it is only tender above the ankle but the pain feels like it goes higher. It is at its worst during running and is mainly on impact. Outside of exercise it is more of a dull throb. I did rest up for a couple of weeks but it came back when I started to run again.

I've been religiously stretching upper and lower calf and hamstring muscles and icing but it doesn't seem to have much effect.

I'd appreciate any suggestions or further questions.

Thanks

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[wjs010]

I am not a physiotherapist but am about to be a student in Physio, and I also run and workout. The laymen term for what I think you have is " shin splints". All it really is is inflammation on under your tibia. when you press on the inside of your lower leg, it hurts right? So when you stretch, try sitting on your butt and feet together, legs straight out, but actually point your toes out. Thats how you stretch the top part of your lower leg. Do this and use an anti inflammatory sparingly, along with icing after running, and I really think it will go away. The best way to ice for this is to do what alot of internation football players do. Do an icebath It's painful but the pain relief is amazing, and there is empirical evidence for it. Most ATC will say that. So try an ice bath( for the lower leg) and you will be a lot better.

[nirish]

Thanks for the reply, I suspect myself it is shin splints but wasn't entirely sure how they felt....

the inside of my leg is definitely tender to touch although I struggle to pinpoint where the pain is exactly...

I will definitely try your suggestions, it hurts most during running and afterwards so unfortunately I've decided to back off that for now but I fear it will simply return when I up the mileage again !!

[physiofi]

Hi Nirish,

Sorry to hear you're suffering the dreaded shin splints! I'm a physio and have recently started running (after years of despising the activity!) to find myself in a similar position. Are you running outdoors or on a treadmill? I've managed to reduce my symptoms by running on a slight incline and I also wear insoles for flat feet (which I'd stopped wearing - oops, terrible physio!) which I've started wearing again and which are uncomfortable for me at present when running but reduce the problems I get with shin splints. If you do have flat feet, it means you turn in slightly more on your foot, which puts more stress on the tibia as it rotates when you run and obviously running is high impact - running faster / longer = more impact which makes it worse. Take some anti-inflammatories (ibuprofen - if you don't have any stomach probs / allergies) and use a topical cream like ibuprofen gel or ice before/after exercise (bag of frozen peas wrapped in wet flannel/towel where it hurts for about 15-20 mins). Also make sure you're in good running shoes / trainers (which I hope you are)!

Failing this, if it doesn't improve, see a local physio to get things assessed. If you think you have flat feet, a podiatrist can sort you out with some insoles.

Hope this helps!