The Pain Of Keeping/ Getting Fit.

[CraftyCath]

Most of you will know that I'm an avid walker and an experienced hiker. The weather here in the UK has been so bad that my exercise has been limited to walking around the village on our country roads and pavements.

So guess what? I went for a walk on Monday and Tuesday - no more than 2 or 3 miles each morning. By Tuesday my leg was hurting. This is not unusual with walking and usually I just walk it off. I have Osteopaenia (thinning bones), low blood calcium, lower back pain, hip pain and torn cartridge in my knees. This has never stopped me enjoying a good walk. H and I often walk between 6 and 10 miles so you would think I'd be OK.

On Wednesday my leg was hurting worse but I decided it would ease off with a good walk. 5.2 miles later and I could barley stand! How I got home I just don't know.

The pain is in the front of my shin and it is swollen and bruised. I looked it up on the internet and it is called a 'shin splint' and is a common injury in runners! It is either damage to the muscle or a stress fracture. I suppose I should go to the hospital but I can't be done with hours of waiting.

I had to laugh! I was only walking and I seem to have overdone it! The advice is to use ice, anti-inflams and to rest it for 2 weeks. 2 weeks! I'll be driven to distraction by then! But I can't even walk on it the pain is so bad. It is OK when I'm resting but I can't weight bare. It kept me awake all night. I then need to slow my walking pace and do some stretching exercises.

So much for fitness LOL! 'You need weight baring exercise for Osteopaenia.' Really!

Maybe I'm fitter than I thought. :rolleyes:

Anybody else had problems with injury from exercise? Any other advice?

 

[Queen Boudica]

Just a thought, but I have back problems and I have had knee problems and some of it stems from my feet because they have very high arches and I need to wear orthotics.

Have you seen a podiatrist to look at your feet? If your feet are not bearing the weight correctly or rolling out or in it can cause problems with knees, hips and backs.

 

[CraftyCath]

A very good idea Lizio. I must admit I was born with club feet (talipes) which were never surgically corrected. I had to wear boys shoes that had a built up heel and I'm also flat footed.

I will go see my doctor for a referral.

Thanks for the advice. x

 

[Eleanor]

As shin splints are an impact injury, you might also want to change your shoes to something that has a more shock absorbing sole - or just never EVER walk on pavement for more than a few steps.

I don't know anything to do that will make them get better faster tho:(.

I guess in the meantime - since its rainy and yucky anyway - you could set up a stationary bike in front of travel videos and bike around the world! (but sometimes that hurts the shins too....) You could swim... That's what I did when I got injured last. Incredibly boring. Then I decided to turn it into swimming meditation and now I think it is very Zen to do laps...:roflmao::ninja: Which is still boring, but with a point!

Sucks to be injured.

 

[Heather]

I've been hitting the gym ALOT lately and I don't do anything unless it's low or no impact i.e. eliptical machines. I still sweat buckets though:).

I stay away from anything that's gonna put stress on my joints (even the treadmill) don't touch it.

I wish you a quick recovery.

 

[freakofnurture]

I've heard that weight training is the best way to slow down osteopaenia. Maybe that's something you could do instead of brisk walks since it's easier to gage the stress you're putting on your bones when working with weights. Then get into the water for the rest of your exercise in order to go easy on your bones for the remainder of the time.

My training injuries are mostly tendon-stuff. I tackle them by keeping the tendon warm all the time, by massages and - most of all - by continuing to exercise slowly and carefully. I'm not going easy on the injured tendon, I'm just making sure it is really really warm and stretched extra slowly.

 

[AngelaMarie]

I wanted to wish you well and a quick recovery. Please take care of yourself.

I've just started taking walks again. As you said the weather has been so bad that it's hard to be outside sometimes. My alternative is going to be my cross-trainer.

 

[AngelKeeperJ]

I want to be able to walk without bringing on crazy pain, wake-up without feeling there is cement in my lower back, and spend my days NOT pushing back pain!

 

[missing_the _sunshine]

If it is shin splints then you will experience pain when you run your fingers down your shin bone and feel lumps. The lumps are from the muscles, tendons. If this is the case then you need to try and strip the bone from the inflammation, which can be done by rubbing a golf ball down your shin- this will hurt. A physiotherapist can help with this, you will also find that the calf muscle is tight. You can fill up foam cups with water and freeze them, then use a cup to do a ice massage in a circular massage down your leg. This needs to be done often. This is for shin splints. Stress fracture is different. If you have a stress fracture them you will be more than likely unable to hop on that leg. If you have stress fractures then you will need to be non-weight bearing for a period of time.

It may be because if the surface you are walking on (often concrete surfaces will cause this) as well as footwear and perhaps orthotics for your feet. Shoes should be changed every 6 months.

2.5 years ago I had shin splints, didn't rest and they turned into chronic healing stress fractures. I was on crutches for 10 months before having surgery to have some of my shin bone cut out. 2.5 years later I am still unable to jog - so please, get treatment now rather than when it is too late. Sorry to hijack your thread. Physios can really help. You will have to get a bone scan to confirm a stress fracture, where they inject with radioactive dye. Good luck.

 

[CraftyCath]

Thank you everyone for your advice, I truly mean that.

((((missing_the_sunshine))))

You are welcome to hijack this thread anytime :) , I really hadn't heard of shin splints and I'm an x-nurse! I'm so grateful that you and others bothered to drop in and offer advice and get well wishes. You sound like you went through the wars, I hope I don't have the same problem. :eek:

The pain IS down the front of my shin and I really should of known better. I do a lot of hill walking with my H which is high impact and has to be done in hiking boots. Usually, this in on softer ground. On the pavement I usually wear MBT's (fitness shoes) but they were giving me blisters so, with the weather being bad, I put on my hiking boots. Big mistake! They are Berghaus and one of the best boots you can get but not good for flat walking.I truly love being up in those hills and don't want to give it up. I don't have a gym membership or exercise equipment at home so walking is all I have. (I'm too embarrassed to go swimming and don't own a swimsuit).

My shin is lumpy on the front and painful to touch. I have been taking anti-inflams and using an ice pack. I don't fancy running a golf ball over it I'd probably scream and hit someone!!

I tried to get an appointment at my doctors today but there wasn't any so I will have to try again tomorrow. Can I hop on it? yes. but not without pain shooting up my leg! Oh, and my shin 'creaks' when I pull my foot up. :eek::sick:

If I can't get to see my doctor I will get H to drive me to A & E.

Thanks again for all the advice.

xxxx

 

[missing_the _sunshine]

Glad that you are getting it seen to. Keep the icing up and stretching the calf muscle so it doesn't get too tight. Shin splints are quite common, stress fractures not so much. Get in to see a Physiotherapist (not sure what part of the world you are from so not sure if they are called Physiotherapists or not) if you can as they can start to treat them. A word of warning though - the treatment will not be fun! Ouch!!!

I have got my fingers crossed for you that it is shin splints and not stress fractures!

 

[CraftyCath]

Thanks again missing_the_sunshine. I'm in the North West of the UK. I have to see my doctor before I can see a physio and that's the difficult thing, just getting an appointment. It's crazy but they only have a few bookable appointments, the rest are emergency ones. I have to ring at 8:30 am just as everyone else is ringing and it can take 20 mins to get through. Often, they still tell you they are full so if that happens I'll go to A & E.

I'll do lots of icing and gently stretching until I get to see that mysterious doctor! I've had physio on my back and my knees before. I tore the cartilage in my knees climbing Mount Snowdon so I had lots of physio on that so I could avoid surgery. It hurt like hell but no pain no gain as they say.