Pain Lower Leg and Running Pain

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 16:06:00 +0100

Sometimes running is a real pain. This is not the kind of pain that comes from dreading something, but real pain. This pain radiates from the knee down and is in the front to the outer side of the bone.

It comes from a stressed and stretched muscle and is a shin splint. This lower leg pain plagues many runners. It often starts as a mild ache that makes running uncomfortable and may even go away for a while, only to return far more prominent and painfully.

Shin splints come from lack of muscle preparation. Activity stresses the muscle that runs down the side of the tibia, the shin for a variety of reasons. Sometimes the reason is too much, too soon. Runners love to run and enjoy the stimulation that comes with an increased challenge.

The determined runner may ask the muscles to go beyond their capacity and cause damaging injury to the muscles in the process. The damage from the shin splint actually does exactly the opposite of what the runner hopes to do. It stops training in its tracks. When the training resumes, it’s at a lower, easier pace until the muscle is ready again.

Shin splints also can come from lack of warm up stretches. Starting any exercise without a warm up is like throwing someone out of the bed and forcing them to perform difficult tasks immediately. The person doesn’t perform efficiently, just as the muscle doesn’t work up to the optimal efficiency. Sometimes the calf muscles are too tight and they need stretching and preparation. Warm up stretches increase the blood flow and lengthens and relaxes the muscle without the stress of performance.

Shoes contribute to shin splints. If the runner doesn’t have the proper type or quality of shoe, it only increases the potential. Each foot is different and each person requires the appropriate shoe to support the body as they run. Shoes in bad repair and ill fitting can’t do the job. Sometimes the runner needs additional ankle or arch support and the proper shoe does this.

The way you run is also important. If you put too much weight on the ball of the foot, have your feet pointed outward or cause overpronation by leaning too far back, you create the potential for shin splints.

Any runner prone to shin splints needs to ice the area after running. This process is important whether there is pain or not. The icing prevents any swelling that might occur and reduces the stress. In addition, an Ace bandage wrapped around the area adds additional support to help in the prevention of shin splints.

If you find that you’re prone to this injury, do exercises that improve the muscle strength and flexibility. Strengthening exercises may be as simple as picking up marbles with the toes or drawing the alphabet in the air with the big toe to keeping the heels on the floor and raising the front of the feet. Do this exercise in both standing and sitting position.

Alternate the type of exercise between straight running, pool running and a stationary bike. This allows the muscles to recuperate between exercises.

Stay away from a dramatic jump from flat terrain to running up hills. Avoid hard surfaces if possible. If you do get a shin splint, use anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen and ice the area as soon as possible. Stop running for a while until the pain ceases and then start back slowly.

To learn more about Shin Splints and how to eliminate the pain please follow the link.

All the best,

Carol J Pearson
(Sports Therapist, Personal Trainer & Pilates Instructor

Pain Lower Leg - How To Eliminate It

Pain Lower Leg and Running Pain