Question:
I hope that someone can help me with a problem. I read Dr Pribut's web page
on Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome, but his advice didn't seem to help. Here's
a rundown:
1. Ran in some crosstrainers, about a year ago, for one month, on a trail.
2.Developed pain in my knees.
3. Bought some New Balance 904's (the trail running shoe)
4. Ran for 6 weeks (street, trail, and grass), started to get some really
bad shin splints
5. Bought insoles
6. Still had shin splint problem, constant pain for the entire run, most
pronounced in first 10 minutes.
7. Read Dr. Pribut's web pages, stopped running for 4 months.
8. Went to the local running store, got some $90 Mizuno control shoes
9. Started to run, 10 minutes, 15, 17.
10. Two weeks later, same debilitating problem, really painful MTSS
So, it looks like my running career is over, I'm really frustrated, and I
need to know what to do next. Will I ever be able to cure this condition?
Answer:
1. As always, check with your physician. IANADoctor, and even if I
were, I'd have to be an idiot to try to diagnose someone over the
USENET. If your doctor finds something, listen to him or her, not me.
If you can get your doctor to ship you off to a Sports Medicine clinic
covered by your insurance, even better.
2. In college, I was 5'9" and weighed 115-120 lbs. I'd start training
in late August for cross country, by running 5 miles a day and
building up to 10-12 miles a day in one or two weeks, and stretched as
little as I could get away with. 3/4 of the way through the season, I
could run but was virtually incapable of walking. By the end of the
season, I was only able to run because I was apparently incredibly
stupid.
3. When I became a diabetic, I started out walking. I had to start out
walking, because I now weigh 200 lbs. I walked 2 miles 5 days a week
until I got to the point where I could run a few steps. Then I
gradually increased the amount I could run out of those 2 miles each
day until I could run about 1.8 of the 2 mile workout.
Then I started increasing my mileage slowly. I also gave up worrying
about speed and I stayed away from hills. I stretched although still
not as much as I probably should. I walked a little bit of hills in
addition to my running, and added hills to the running only after I
had built up to them.
No shin splints. No knee pains. I actually enjoyed running far more
than when I was in college despite being almost twice the weight.
Draw your own conclusions. Me, I can't believe how stupid I used to
be....
4. Assuming your doctor didn't find anything like a stress fracture or
something, you're going to have to let your shins heal. Shoes alone
aren't going to fix you up. Walk until your shins start to hurt. If
that means that for a while, you only do the normal walking in your
life, so be it.
5. Do not use anti-inflammatory drugs to help you run. Ask your doctor
if you should use an anti-inflamatory drug, and if so, which one. I
personally wouldn't start running again until I didn't need them.
6. Remember RICE: Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation. Do not induce
frostbite - Ice should be on for a maximum of 20 min. at a time, and
then the area given a chance to warm up (at least an hour).
Go see a Sports Medicine doctor. I would try a pair of cushioning shoes
too. I would think that the control shoes would push your foot out
further, putting more stress on the tibia. You might want to find a
shoe with a curved shape.
