foam rolling, stretching, strengthening making me MORE injured?

anyone? i know it’s long to read but i would REALLY appreciate anything you have to say, i don’t know what to do with myself

The brooks ghosts 14s have a 12 mm heel to toe drop. This is pretty substantial in my opinion. Something i'm figuring out on my own right now with injuries actually. The higher the drop, the more pressure is taken off your lower ankle area, and is moved towards the upper legs, such as your knees, IT bands, and hips. I would try a different type of shoe if you keep getting injured in your brooks. Just my 2 cents.

thank you! ive never worn any shoes other than brooks ghosts. i don’t know much about other shoes, so what are some other neutral shoes with a lower heel drop? have you found any that work?

Hokas will typically be more neutral, most of them have 4 mm to 5 mm drop which is a big difference. It may be something you're looking for. They also have a lot more cushion than most brands so they will help initially with impact on the ground.

Running is a skill, and it seems to be that you have a very unhealthy running form. On reason could be that you do overstride, another possibility is a Lack of mobility/flexibility e.g. hip flexor, another reason could be that you are muscular unbalanced and one side is stronger than the other. A 12mm drop is too high, i recommend 10 mm max better 8mm, and Not less than 4mm. Video yourself and Look at your form you will be shocked maybe, but even better to let an expert have a Look at your form and body. All the Best.

Static stretching gets me injured.

Calf stretches in particular are a big no go.

Foam rolling is absolutely brilliant though. I only started doing it recently and do 5-10 rolls on the quads, calfs, hamstring and adductors.

Massage gun did nothing.

After reading your post again you need to rest otherwise the shin pain will become a stress reaction. If your shin is sore after a run then that isn't great, but if it's painful during the run that's a red flag.

Since you started autumn 2021 it's possible you've done too much too soon. Rest the shin and when you get back to it stick with mostly easy runs.

many fast girls only run 3-4 days per week and still do well. That's the first thing. Even in college. THey run every other day in order to avoid the injury cycles you are getting. it's way better to be 15 miles per week undertrained than 1 mile per week overtrained. So when you get back out there, hold back. I know that is not the classic sports 'go 110%' but the battle here is to get you to the start line.

Cross training. See what works for you. Rowing, cycling, swimming, etc. Get stronger. Most American kids havent' spent much time running and moving so they are weaker than they could be. So get stronger. Doesn't take weights...just do activities that make your muscles, ligaments and tendons stronger. You are asking a lot of them - you need to make up for years of sitting.

Anecdotally, I've seen success with this: At home several times per day for 6 months take off your shoes and stand on one foot, barefoot. Balance - dont' lean on the wall. It's harder than it seems. You will eventually feel the burn. That's all those unused muscles screaming at you. And that is good - you want that. Make them scream so they adapt and get stronger. They will be less likely to break down later when you ask much of them while running.

hey, thanks for the response! however, i’ve always been active and definitely using my muscles because i was a gymnast for 7 years, quit, took a little break from strenuous activity, then started running. also, i do that foot thing already.

and, i agree and think cross training would be a good idea. i cross trained through my last injury, and the elliptical is what i have in my house. i’ve only ever cross trained when injured, so maybe i should just do it more to substitute running when i’m not injured.

thank you! but the fact that i should take time off now is exactly what i don’t want to hear, after all the injuries i’ve had.

as for the only starting last year, i had a lot of friends start with me. they’re always fine. how come? why would i be an exception?

my form looks good on video, and people say it’s good, but that definitely doesn’t mean that i’m not running terribly. i should get it checked out.

also, i have a leg that’s longer than the other (my injuries have taken place on both side of my body though, pretty much half and half which side they are), so not sure if this is an issue or not because both sides are injured. i’ve also been told by my dry needling guy that my pelvis is misaligned, but didn’t ask him to fix it.

that can be a big deal and maybe the cause of some problems. You ask why you are having a different experience than some teammates....this could be a factor.

even if it’s one leg, could this still cause injuries on both sides? because i get them on my left and right sides.

yes

I'm not sure. Everybody's different and reacts differently (assuming you are doing the exact same training).

The problem with a shin injury is bone takes much longer to heal than soft tissue. Better to rest now than risk injury.

The OP doesn’t say how many miles per week she runs or whether she takes true rest days, etc., so it is difficult, to say how much of her problems are related to overtraining or to structural problems in her form or to related muscular imbalances and weaknesses. But look at Parker Valby for a high-level example of what can be achieved with intelligent cross training. The OP should also talk to her coach about the issues and see what he/she says

i did 20 mpw last year (built up slowly from 0), then after all my injuries got up to 30 in the summer and all of xc 2022. short answer, i did 30mpw from late august to mid november (with a few lower weeks).

i’ve been running again after peroneal tendonitis for 2.5 weeks, first week 7 miles next week 16 miles, then this week i have been slammed with horrific pain in my right shin. i dread the elliptical, but i understand that i might have to resort to it yet again. i’ve actually been going on it anyway in my return to running, to do some faster workouts that i can’t run.

This sounds so frustrating. You seem to have a lot going on. I’d find a runner friendly physical therapist. Also, I accidentally purchased a walking shoe instead of a running show for my son and he had shin splints that season. Shoes could be the issue. Good luck.

back to your post again, i’ve only ever run in brooks ghost 14s with a 12mm drop, but i have a random pair of brooks hyperion tempos (8mm) lying around that i’ve never worn. is it too much to ask to try these on an easy 4 miles tomorrow? or is that too big of a change too soon from all the 12mm stuff? i agree and think it’s worth trying different shoes than my brooks ghosts.