Shin Splint/stress fracture help URGENT MILITARY

Ok so i did a hop test and it honestly does hurt in the bone and I am self diagnosing it as a stress reaction. I ran a 4 mile temp run today and felt no pain during run except in very begining (which was like a 1-2 out of 10) but I still think its a stress reaction. Idk my heart is telling me it is and after i press on the spot on the bone it throbs and hurts. I dont think its a fracture yet because like i said running has been fine and the low pain lvls but i am afraid its a reaction. Is 1 week off of swimming and biking daily likely enough to nip this in the bud. I can take at the most 2 weeks off of running but no more than that and even 2 weeks is greatly jeopordizing my ability to make the Special Forces team I am going to be trying out for, but I understand I have no chance injured so I want to find a balance. PLEASE HELP ME im freaking out here because after just doing the hop test and driving my foot into the ground abunch of times (like in a standing postion just pressing down with my toes on my left foot) I feel the throbbing pain in my bone. What can/should I do during my week off. Im so scared guys what should i do. I have been training for this super long and dont want my life dream to fail

Some one please help this poor guy, I don't know enough about this but someone must.

If you're really worried that it's an impending stress fracture, go see a physician. Otherwise, take a week and get into the pool. You can swim, and you can aqua-run. You can maintain fitness for some weeks. Read this thread.

Take off now and heal up for basic training. You will still be in better shape than 90% of the other recruits. Even though it may be easy running wise, there is still a lot of moving around and marching in boots that can be hell on your shins.

Do you think 2 weeks off of running (still will be doing a ton of biking everyday) is enough for a mild stress reaction?

The terminology doesn't really matter: stress fracture or stress reaction. You most likely have a bone stress injury either from over use, strength imbalances or both. Stop running NOW and only do activities that are totally pain free. If cycling does not cause any discomfort before, during or after, then you can probably do that every day to maintain fitness. It's not running specific, but it will help maintain your basic aerobic fitness. If pushing down on the pedals hurts, then don't bike. Hit the pool for some pool running or just plain swimming. You basically need to give your body time to build up the bone faster than you've been tearing it down.

Try 2 weeks off from all impact activities - try to limit your walking/rucking as well. Don't "test" it by hopping; just rest. After two weeks, if you've been pain free while walking and biking, then try a short walk/jog session. Walk a few minutes to warm up, run 1:00 easy, walk 2:00, repeat 4-5 times. If at any point you feel pain, STOP. Do not attempt to run again for a few days until you are once again pain free. This will allow you to begin to work in more running faster than the standard 4-6 weeks off for a stress fracture. The key is to listen to your body and take days off if you feel the pain returning.

Ice can help to some degree, but it really won't accelerate bone remodeling. Make sure you have supportive shoes, be mindful of how much time you spend on your feet during the day in addition to running or working out, and make sure you are getting adequate calories and Vit D and calcium. Adding some strength training can help, too, especially core stability and hip and glute strength. That may help reduce stress in the lower leg.

What branch? If Army, is it 18x or rasp?

Either way, you don't have to be in peak shape going into basic training. Bct is 9 weeks, and at most you'll run 3 times a week for pt. Then ait/osut, which can range from 6-16+ weeks. Then airborne school, which is 3 weeks. THEN you go to whatever sf school, which you'll wait for the next class for anywhere from 4-16 weeks. This doesn't include holding time between training schools, which can range from a few days to a few months.

So all of this goes to say that 1 week, 2 weeks, hell, even all 5 weeks off is fine, because you honestly have a minimum of 6 months until you hit your sf tryout. Fix it now. Thank me later.

I'm curious as to why you think you'll have to be in 18-19min 5k shape to make SF?

Whatever run shape you're in now is the best run shape you'll be in until you actually get to your first duty station something like 6mo from now. You might run 2-3 days a week in initial entry training (Basic/AIT or OSUT)

Alan

Listen up bud and listen well. If you have a special forces contract and you can't train when you get to basic training, you will lose your contract. The most common cause of people washing out of any special forces school is injury. If you don't even make it to the school without injury, you will without a doubt lose your contract.

More importantly you need to understand the consequences of getting washed out. You will be given whatever job they want to give you. For air Force special forces they often get sent to security forces. If you're a combat controller you'll just be atc. Other branches I'm not familiar with.

My advice: do not go to bmt unless you feel fully healthy. You don't need to be fit at all to get through it, but you will lose your contract if you can't train. Best of luck. Best decision I ever made.

No its Navy I have a Seal contract and Idk my recruiter told me to be in sub 9 minute 500m and 18-19 min 5k. Anyway I appreaciate all the comments and I have decided to take 2 weeks off and bike my ass off on top of my swimming that I have already been doing. I will also not Ruck at all during these 2 weeks. How can I know if Im ready after these 2 weeks to return. If I still feel pain with hopping should I wait even longer? Either way im definitly taking off the 2 weeks and I will post back to this thread in that period of time. Thank you for the responses and although Im not sure what this is in my shin my heart is screaming that im doing the right thing even though everything else in me is scared. Thanks guys

Thank you for your reply sir but respectfully I have to tell you this isnt an option for me. I have been in the DEP almost 365 days and If I were to get pushed back from going to boot camp I lose my contract which I garuntee I wont get again (Ive seen it happen to other guys in DEP). This is sink or swim time for me so I just need to find a way to make it work. Im going to rest the 2 weeks and If I dont feel better hell I wont run until boot camp If I have to wait that long. But I have to go to bootcamp in 5 weeks or my dream is gone, and honestly Id rather risk it than give up on my lifelong dream. I am very optimistic about my chances of healing fine in time though because as I previously said I dont have pain when I run and I can press on my shin and It is barely even tender so those are good signs I think. Probubly a minor stress reaction and I think 2 weeks should hopefully be overkill. Thats what I hope at least. Will report back in 2 weeks

The Running Man 13 wrote:

This is sink or swim time for me so I just need to find a way to make it work. Im going to rest the 2 weeks and If I dont feel better hell I wont run until boot camp If I have to wait that long. But I have to go to bootcamp in 5 weeks or my dream is gone, and honestly Id rather risk it than give up on my lifelong dream.

I totally understand. My track was unexpectedly shut down during the MEPS physical after I had spent tons of time working with a MC recruiter :( I waited til I was 28, after college, to try to enter as an officer. Now I'm too old and I have no options. I sincerely hope this works out for you!

Your best bet is to arrive healthy, if somewhat out of shape. Don't do ANYTHING that cause pain BEFORE, DURING, or AFTER activity for a few weeks. Even if it doesn't hurt while you're running (or biking), but hurts a bit after, you are doing more damage. It is not uncommon for stress fractures to feel a bit better mid-run, which leads people to think it might be a soft tissue injury that just needs time to warm up.

Thanks for the reply man and thats a bummer about the Marine Corps man. Anyway thankfully I dont think its a sfx and I decided to take 2 weeks no running and than a quick 3 week return to running program I found online that will have me back at 100% for when I leave. This is all assuming that this goes away after my 2 weeks off. The good news is that I am currently unemployed so I have been able to really rest my shins all day. Havnt felt any pain all day but ive also been careful and just walking around for a few minutes at a time. I plan on resuming my swimming this weekend (took today and tommorow off to really just give my shins total rest) and I also plan on biking 20-30 miles a day so Im actually hoping to even lower my 5k time before I leave. I talked to my cousin this morning who is a PT (lives across country so she cant actually evaluate me) and she told me for a mild stress reaction most people can come back to running a lot quicker than the age old 6-8 weeks and that as soon as I can walk with no pain before or after for 5k than I can start a return to running program a week after that. Even though I was freaking out about this whole situation last night (like I was going crazy man so many stress push ups in my room lol) Im actually suprisingly calm and optimistic about it today. Using this as n oppurtunity to really evalute myself and started a bunch of injury preventative exercises today (all no impact on shins) for stuff like my hips, deep abdominals, shoulders etc. Ill get back to you guys when I have something to report but If I have any advice to anyone reading this thread in the future Its to just take a step back and calm down. Definitly feeling a lot more confident today than I was yesterday. Thanks Yall

Are you doing any training besides running? As someone above mentioned, you will be doing hikes/humps, marching in boots which can be as bad running for stress related injuries in the legs.

Have you been force marching with a weighted pack or anything like that to get ready?

Good luck and I hope it heals.

Yeah man I was rucking about twice a week and running and swimming every day. I think what overloaded my shin was doing all this on top of my job which had me running up and down flights of stairs on concrete all day walking around 10-20 miles depending on the day. That on top of my training with running rucking and swimming might have been too much too soon for my shin. I will not be rucking at all during my 2 weeks off and likely may not even ruck again before I leave. The thing about rucking is its very hard on your shins (much harder than running I think) but Ive alway been extremly good at rucking likely because of my upbringing and naturally large muscular legs, so Im not that worried about missing out on rucking. If all goes well with my 2 weeks off and my return to running I might ruck ounce or twice the last week before I leave but Ill wait and see how all this goes with my shin first. Thanks for the reply and regards dont worry Ill keep you updated