Please help. I'm concerned I've been running on a stress fracture for 2 months.

Having pain upon landing rather than push-off during the hop test may be sign of a stress fracture. When you push on you shin, does it hurt directly on the bone or in the surrounding inner calf area?

Can you get an MRI from your team physician?

jazzytherunner wrote:

Having pain upon landing rather than push-off during the hop test may be sign of a stress fracture. When you push on you shin, does it hurt directly on the bone or in the surrounding inner calf area?

Can you get an MRI from your team physician?

Yeah, like whenever we do drills where we jump up onto a mat, it hurts. And definitely hopping around on it. I guess I've just gotten used to it; that's why it doesn't seem to hurt that badly... I can press deep on a specific spot on shin and feel pain, but sometimes it feels like area of pain is lower if that makes sense. I don't know if I can get an MRI, but at some point I will see coach and talk to trainer. Hoping it's not a stress fracture or anything serious.

The reason so many people get Stress Fractures is because they don't spot ymptoms and modify training.

You may have one, may have one developing, or may not have one.

Either way, a prudent approach is to lower volume, train of softer surfaces, cross-train, take Calcium with Vitamin D.

If it were Posterior Tibial Stress Syndrome, a common exercise is to draw the alphabet in the air with one foot raised (sitting is best), as if your big toe were a pen.

If it gets worse, back off even more and seek diagnosis from a medical practitioner knowledgeable in sports/running injury. Even, diagnosis is hit or miss. Usually, the only way to know for sure is an MRI.

Ernest wrote:

The reason so many people get Stress Fractures is because they don't spot ymptoms and modify training.

You may have one, may have one developing, or may not have one.

Either way, a prudent approach is to lower volume, train of softer surfaces, cross-train, take Calcium with Vitamin D.

If it were Posterior Tibial Stress Syndrome, a common exercise is to draw the alphabet in the air with one foot raised (sitting is best), as if your big toe were a pen.

If it gets worse, back off even more and seek diagnosis from a medical practitioner knowledgeable in sports/running injury. Even, diagnosis is hit or miss. Usually, the only way to know for sure is an MRI.

I will try to do this. It's weird that it hasn't gone away in two months, but hasn't gotten worse until yesterday. The pain I have rolling it out or even rubbing the inner shin against my bed is so much worse than it actually feels running. It's frustrating because I want to run in this upcoming race and even finish out the season, but I don't know if it's worth it or not.

You have to go see your school's athletic trainer who will probably have you get your shin scanned. If you really do have fracture, you cannot run through it. You have to take time off let it heal.

Moo G wrote:

You have to go see your school's athletic trainer who will probably have you get your shin scanned. If you really do have fracture, you cannot run through it. You have to take time off let it heal.

Ok, I think that is the right thing to do. Should I wait until after the meet (since at this point I've already run on it for 2 months) or take care of it now?

Any input anyone? I'm very worried but at the same time wondering how I ran through it for so long (and how I could probably continue running it for some time...

Scott Douglas once posted he was constantly worried about Stress Fractures.

He found that by poking his shins he would often find sore spots.

So he stopped poking.

Semi-Joking aside, rubbing it obsessively will make it worse and make you paranoid.

SF's usually feel worse after a run, and will feel less worse shortly into a run... active blood flow and endorphins seem to null the pain, even while you're causing damage.

Avoid ibuprofen while managing a SF. Pain is useful feedback.

The hop test, which someone else suggested, is a decent but imperfect self-diagnosis tool.

Others won't agree, but having worked through at least 5 stress fractures, icing the sore spots seemed to help.

I had this and it was a stress fracture

I was running on it for 2-3 months before I finally saw a doc and got the mri

Get an mri and definitely tell your coach

ihadthisanditwasastressfracture wrote:

I had this and it was a stress fracture

I was running on it for 2-3 months before I finally saw a doc and got the mri

Get an mri and definitely tell your coach

today mine wasn't bad during the warm up but we ran on some uneven surfaces and it flared up a bit. it's weird in that I could probably manage it but it's not worth it...

If it is a stress fracture and you keep running on it, you will soon reach the ‘acute pain with every footstrike’ phase and be forced to call it, and probably prolong recovery. Best to get scans to rule it out asap.

Stressed wrote:

If it is a stress fracture and you keep running on it, you will soon reach the ‘acute pain with every footstrike’ phase and be forced to call it, and probably prolong recovery. Best to get scans to rule it out asap.

yeah, that's probably my best bet and I'm worried I've started to reach that territory....

bummer that injuries always happen when I'm in my best shape.

still hoping there's a chance it's something else?

Good luck and please post updates.

..... wrote:

Good luck and please post updates.

I will. It's just been so mild that I've kinda gotten used to it I guess and sometimes I haven't felt it.

My mom was like: you should never roll your shin bone, but my left one doesn't hurt to roll the inner shine bone, whereas there's a lot of pain when I roll my right inner shin bone... which I think is indicative of something.

I can kinda point on the bone where it hurts (a few inches higher up from ankle), but then sometimes I think the pain is lower (based on how it feels when I run) but I guess a fracture could do that, I'm just hoping it's a tendon thing....

I really want to run in this certain race so I'm thinking of just running in it and then taking care of it, which I know is stupid, but I'm in my best shape I've ever been in and track is still a while away...

1. See a doctor.

2. Quit asking the same medical questions from random yahoos.

There's no way I can see a doctor fast. And I've only asked this question once but had additional details to add, so asked again.

I just came off a tibia stress fracture and have gotten back to racing. Mine was upper tibia. I had shin splints for a few months and then pain to where I would limp if I tried to run. It fluctuated a lot but I stopped running after the limping and got an MRI as soon as possible. It’s a frustrating process but I would highly suggest getting one. You may have tendinitis, a developing fracture, or a full fracture. I think the best practice is to run on soft surfaces, roll, ice and cross train until you can get into the doctors. If it gets worse take a few days off. I’m sorry you’re going through this, it’s tough but you can get through any injury by being smart.