About 4 weeks ago I noticed a tender spot when I touched my shin. Over the next few weeks it turned into a dull ache, but never bothered me during a run. My immediate thought was shin splints, but then I started freaking out because I've had shin splints a few other times (7th grade track, high school track, and training for my first half) and the pain was always all over and in both legs. This time the pain was more localized and only on one side. It was on the inside of my shin, about 3 inches from my ankle.
After doing lots of research (aka googling) and talking to a friend who is a PT, I determined it was "just" shin splints and nothing more (like a stress fracture). This would make sense since I tripled my
weekly mileage as soon as I finished P90X2. Plus I was overdue for a new pair of running shoes. My chiropractor and PT friend also both immediately suggested orthotics to help shin splints.
So I immediately cut back on running, even though at this point it still never hurt while I was running. I also started icing, doing ultrasound, bought compression sleeves, and got fitted for new running shoes and orthotics.
So far, so good. After resting my shin for 7 days and trying out all my new gear, the pain in my shin has gone down considerably. It's not lumpy or tender to the touch anymore, but you can bet your boots I'm going to keep babying it to make sure it doesn't get worse. I really don't have time to deal with a running injury right now. I'm having too much fun just running.
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