I have had a shin splint problem on/off for 6 weeks now. I have been to a sport medicine doctor & ruled out a stress fracture. I did a month of ultrasound & stretching excercises which has improved it considerably & purposely changed from green to yellow group in the beginning to slow down.

I do notice however after the long run on Sat, then the Mon/Tues run it will feel sore afterwards (by Tues).

It does not hurt anymore during the start of a run like it used to & I notice it is much better on trails than concrete/asphalt.

My question is if I can manage the discomfort & it is not a stress fracture can I just keep going & continue to try to strengthen my legs & hope it subsides completely?

Even though it is minimal discomfort, it is present. I try to ice often & occasionally take advil if I feel it bothering me. I am very consisent about the running schedule if that helps.

Thanks

Height 5'6
Weight 135
Age 32
Female
Yellow runner

MLC,
Which leg is it, right, left, or both? Is it anterior shin splints or posterior? What type of equipment are you using (pronation control shoes, biosoft inserts, etc.)? Did the sports med Dr. check you for a leg length difference?

From the sound of it, you are doing a great job managing your injuries. Keep up the good work. Ice stretching and ultrasound are great tools for managing this problem. Other things that will help speed up the strengthening process would be to do some cross-training that keeps your heart rate up without the impact of running. Something like elliptical, swimming, cycling, etc. Your body may just need more recovery time than you are allowing while you ramp up your distance.

Another way to strengthen specifically your lower leg would be to do an exercise called the "around the worlds": Stand with feet shoulder width apart with hands on hips. Keeping both legs straight balance on the right foot while moving the left foot forward in front of the body until you reach 45 degrees. Hold for 15 seconds. Next move that same foot behind your body 45 degrees and again hold 15 seconds. Then move the same foot (left) out to the side (abducted) of the body 45 degrees and hold 15s. Followed by crossing the left foot in front and to the side (adducted) of the right stance leg and hold 15s. Switch legs and repeat again trying to maintain balance and not wobble. When you get good at this with no wobble, try closing your eyes and doing this........a lot more difficult.

To summarize my long winded answers.....Yes. You should get stronger and have less discomfort, but do not forget that you are increasing distance and milage. You need recovery days to heal up stronger than before.

Cheers,
Dr. Jake

Thank you Dr Jake. Your post was very helpful. I wear Adidas shoes specifically for over pronators and have bio soft inserts. It is the inside of my front left leg.

When I was doing ultrasound treatment I was substituting one day of running with biking and I seemed to feel less discomfort then. I think I may go back to doing that as the mileage increases. The one thing I have not had checked is the leg length difference. Are you able to do that?

Michelle

Michelle,
From what you said, I gather that you are controlling your pronation so that is unlikely the cause. Also if the symptoms are only one sided, then the likelihood of a short leg is increased. Yes, visually checking for a leg length difference is something we do frequently. This is the first step. If there is a visual difference, we recommend a more reliable measurement that is taken from a standing AP pelvis X-ray film. This gives us the difference in millimeters between the legs and we prescribe a $6 rubber heel lift for the shorter leg. If you can stop by this Sun. at Vancouver then we can visually check the leg length and see if it warrants further action. I hope to see you there.
Cheers
Dr. Jake

Thanks Dr. Jake. I will try to stop by this weekend!

Michelle