lower leg pain..

naughtoj

naughtoj

Cathlete
Ok, yeah, it is me again, with another overuse injury question..


I have this really annoying problem with my lower legs. Down towards my ankle on the inner portion of my leg (yes, near the shin bone) I have this pain that apparantly gets worse regardless of whether I am running OR stepping.

I can palpate my legs in this area (runs about 2 inches in length) and it feels really bruised...almost like someone whacked me there with a nightstick..

The problem I have is..this keeps occuring!!! My body should be used to running, stepping, IMAX, cardiokicks, but my stupid body keeps complaining in that area!!!!

The pain is kindof around my ankle and I have noticed lately that after sitting for a long time and then getting up my ankles kinda give out, like I can't bear weight on them for a few seconds.

I just hate talking about overuse injuries cuz I know there is no cure, and I know....RICE..blah...blah..but I am NOT A BEGGINNER anymore so I would really like to know when this ends!!! I mean, if I don't know what it is, how can I work to strengthen it?? Seems like it is maybe tendon inflammation, because I know it is not a muscle.

ANYBODY hear me on this one??? This overuse injury is not just from running, it is from Cathe stepping too, so anyone care to comment?? Guesses at what it could be??

If I "take it easy" for a few days, yeah, it gets better, but as soon as I do Circuit Max ONCE, it is back. Please HELP!!
I want to pay attention to my body, but I clearly cannot understand why this keeps happening when I work out 5-6 times per week and should be used to it by now. AND it is NOT my shoes. I have all new shoes..when I went to the doc many months ago for this, they took X-rays that showed nothing and she gave me anti-inflammmatories. Is that all the hope there is???

Desperate for an answer,

Janice
 
No, Lisa, but thanks so much for trying to help. My pain is actually a little higher up on the leg. Just seems like true shin splints occur throughout the length of the shin bone and this is not the case with me so I am looking for another answer, I guess, if there is one!!!

Thanks again..

Janice
 
Hi Janice,

I'm sorry that I don't have any real words of wisdom or knowledge here, but it sounds like your pain is very much like what I experience sometimes. I find the pain occurring sometimes during or after high impact workouts - sometimes even during step. When it hurts me the most is when I step down in the toe-ball-heel pattern (like off the step or during jumping jacks). I don't know what the cause is and it is very frustrating but I have sort of come to accept it as my body telling me that it can only take so much of a certain type of exercise (i.e. HIGH IMPACT) no matter how advanced an exerciser I am. It is for this reason that I almost never do the hi/lo portion of MIC, way too hard on my feet and shins. I am not a beginner either and have been incorporating CM, IMax and CK in my rotations each once a week. If it is too awful of a pain, sometimes I have to take a day off and then it's fine for another week or so. One thing I think might be a cause is my flat feet. I have no arches - like a duck, so my feet bow inward.

When does this pain bother you the most - are there any particular type of workouts that aggravate it?
 
Sounds the same. High impact aggravates it. Funny, IMAX not too much, but Circuit Max and Cardio Kicks??? Those two back to back and it is all over!!!!

Yeah, I guess I am just really frustrated. Like I said, I know there is no "cure", but I am only 26 and it sure seems like my body is being a weenie!!But, I could really identify with your comment about MIC. I have always wanted to conquer this video, but every time I do it I get that stupid problem.

For this reason, I am also afraid to try the CTX series...every time I preview it I think " Uh-oh, that's gonna hurt!!" And it seems like Cathe is so hard to modify to lower impact. Running doesn't particularly bother when I do it, but I am sure it contributed to the pain I felt yesterday after Rythmic Step (I ran this last weekend). Running, however, brings on an entirley different beast of overuse injuries for me (think knees;)And the boxer shuffle in CK really gets it goin'...

Ok, I guess I was just ranting, but thanks all for listening. I think I am going to take my last bottle of antiinflammatories for a while and see how that goes.

Thanks..

Janice
 
Hey, Janice,
Shin splints is kind of a catch all term for any anterior shin pain that may be related to activity. The pain can be diffuse along the entire length of the shin or very point specific, depending on what the actual cause is.

In your case, it might be a tendonitis of the tibialis posterior, based on your description of where the pain is. And, running wouldn't be the only thing that would aggrevate it--any higher impact activity would also cause pain, as will stepping where you don't make a conscious effort to avoid spending much of the time on your toes. Stepping at faster speeds and/or bouncing can lead to excessive plantar flexion also.

Think about your stepping mechanics--do you tend to stay more on your toes?

There are several ways to treat the symptoms, but you will want to figure out what is causing the problem--it can be faulty foot mechanics, tight or weak musculature, overuse, the wrong shoes, poor technique, or a combination of any of these.

E-mail me if you would like and we can see if we may be able to more closely determine the cause of the pain.

Take care!
Maribeth
 
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