Calf pain/shin splints?

[PrincessFiona]

I've meant to ask this for the last couple of weeks, but I seem to get online and then get sidetracked with the kiddos and never get back to it.

When I walk, I get terrible calf pain and pain on the sides of my shins. I don't know if it is shin splints? :huh: If I slow down considerably, sometimes I can get the calf pain to subside...but the pain on the sides of the front of my shins (it's more in the muscles than the actual shin) lingers for AGES and it is substantial enough that when I am walking by myself I sometimes have to sit down for awhile. I did a couple of miles this morning and even though I've been home for nearly an hour now, the muscles there are still throbbing. :huh:

I am wearing good walking shoes with adequate/good support. I have tried stretching first and afterwards...that does not seem to help at all.

Does anyone have any suggestions on working through this? Thanks in advance!

Kris

Re: Calf pain/shin splints?

That sounds like part or all of it is shin splints to me. Those hurt like a mother, IMO. I've tried icing the fronts of my calves, stretching, etc. You can try all that. I don't know what helped most or if it was just gaining some strength or what.

What kind of shoes are you wearing? Since you are walking a lot, I think it would be a good investment to go to a running store and get fitted for some walking shoes with good support. (After you find a brand you like, you can get a better price on the shoes through online shopping or something like that). Any money I have "saved" by fitting the shoes myself or buying something on sale I have more than made up for in pain.

[PrincessFiona]

Re: Calf pain/shin splints?

You might be right about the shoes. I am wearing newish shoes, but they were on sale and were a generic brand. I bought some extra inserts to put in them to add more cushion and arch support...but I would probably be better served to go and try some more expensive/better ones.

You're right about the pain, btw. It has actually brought tears to my eyes. I know that sounds seriously, seriously wimpy!!!

Kris

Re: Calf pain/shin splints?

I think they can really hurt. I don't think you are a wimp.

Get thee to a running store -- you don't have to be a runner. I ended up needing a size 9.5 running shoe. I would have NEVER gone that big since I usually wear a 8.5 or 9 but it makes all the difference. I also ended up going back to the Nike Pegasus which I hadn't worn for years. (I think they changed the footbed way back, it didn't fit right, and then they changed it again or my foot changed). They had me walk on a treadmill with a couple different shoes to see which worked best for me. I still get shin splits sometimes but not as much and have fewer other problems as well.

[Michele]

Re: Calf pain/shin splints?

Shin splints suck! Both Russ and I suffered from them when we were running....I agree to look at your shoes.

I have really flat feet and Russ has really high arches....neither of us were in the right shoes. Though New Balance (which claims to be great for high arches) made his knee worse...he did well in Asics...I ended up with custom orthodics (and I do better in Nikes)...and eventually surgery on my foot. But the orthodics, rest, and antiinflammatories helped the most for my shin splints.

[DCJenn]

Re: Calf pain/shin splints?

90% of the time, any leg or knee pain that I've had while walking or running was caused by either letting my shoes go past their prime or wearing some 'cute' pair of running shoes that weren't right for my feet.

Find a local running store, do NOT be intimidated by going in and ask them to measure your feet and watch you walk. Some places have computers to graph how you walk and where you put your weight on your feet (for example, my two broken toes on my left foot have caused me over time to put most of my weight on that part of my foot when I push off the ball of my foot)

The other thing people tend to do is wear the same size athletic shoe as they wear street shoe- most companies recommend sizing up at least a half size. I typically size up 1 full size in Saucony and in Brooks.

Jenn