Apparently my shins don't like this. Advice?

[highlyeccentric]

Sooo, I'm getting shin pain - upper 50% of the shin, and the pain is mostly at the front and... surface? It doesn't feel like deep calf muscle pain, at any rate. It's noticeable when running, and a bit the next day.

A bit of poking around with google suggests this might be shin splints - I already wear orthodics for gait correction (one suggested solution to shin splints), but they're rigid 3/4 sole ones so I suspect they're contributing to the shock transferrence from the road surface.

I'm wearing sneakers, but fairly cheap ones.

Neither my budget nor my health insurance will cover seeing a podiatrist or physio at the moment. I'd rather not replace the (new) sneakers right away, but I grant that buying cheap-ish ones might have been a mistake.

Anyone know at what point shin pain means 'stop this at once' as opposed to 'duh it hurts, you're incredibly unfit'?

Comments

[rmc28]

I don't know from experience, but the NHS page on shin splints (
http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/shin-splints/Pages/Introduction.aspx) seems to distinguish between MTSS where

"The pain is usually, although not always, felt in both shins and it can take several days or even weeks to subside once activity is ceased."

and "compartment syndrome" (http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/compartment-syndrome/Pages/Introduction.aspx) where

"The pain of compartment syndrome is usually felt in both legs and only comes on with exercise. It can be felt in the front, side or back of the leg and, sometimes, in all three. Unlike the pain of MTSS, the pain caused by compartment syndrome quickly subsides when exercise ceases."


It also says "You should stop the activity that caused shin splints for at least two weeks. After this time, the pain in your shins should begin to subside and you should be able to gradually resume the activity (see below)."

Now, I sometimes get mild aches in my shins when running but so far they've always gone away either once I'm warmed up or certainly once I stop.

(If I now get diagnosed with terrible shin injury, this is presumably my fault)

[highlyeccentric]

OK, so... on-and-off aches for a day or so probably not cause for terrible alarm. DEFINITELY not compartment syndrome, I ruled that out. I need to look into ankle strapping anyway (my joints hyperextend, which in ankles means roll too easily), I'll look for strapping techniques suitable for overpronanting...