Excruciating shin pain when running

[PragmaticWench]

Whenever I try to run I get truly awful shin pain, like shin splints, with a feeling of tightness that stops me after a couple of minutes. It may not be linked but I also have something that pings under the heel of my right foot as I walk. I've had my gait analysed and have decent running shoes but they don't help.

Am I doomed never to be able to run?! It has pretty much made it impossible so far but friends who run look at me like I'm crazy when I say how much it hurts.

I used to get this could it be you're trainers? I was going to get a different pair but never got around to it?

The answer is likely lie in the gait analysis. I imagine that you had this done in a running shoe shop, and probably they put you in "motion control" or "support" shoes? Is that the case?
The theory behind this is that if you over pronate (i.e. roll your foot inwards on landing and push off the inside edge of your foot), shoes that are built up on the inside can help stabilise your foot and stop you from doing this. The idea is that this change in your gait will help prevent injuries that can be caused by over pronation.

The reality is that, by significantly changing the bio-mechanics of your gait, what the shoes actually do is radically change the way your foot works, causing immediate problems in the lower leg - most commonly shin splints or inflammation of the small ligaments in the lower leg or foot. BAD NEWS! Actually, if you are a pronator, the chances of this causing pain is far smaller than the problems caused by attempting to "fix" it.

The good news is that there is a very good chance that if you ditch the (sadly expensive) shoes, and get yourself into a pair of basic, minimal -style shoe (I like the Adidas range - Adizero or Boston; Nike Free; Brooks Pure, but all the companies do them). Start slowly, run short distances in them at first and concentrate on your form. Think of running light on your forefoot, lift your knees, relax your topline and take short, high steps.
You will be amazed how quickly you will be running pain free.

RANT ALERT: Bloody shoe shops and bloody gait analysis. There are a few people whose over or under pronation genuinely does cause problems, but they usually PRESENT with problems first. If you run pain free and pronate, forcing you to run in a different way is bound to cause pain! So why do the shoe shops do it? Because it is a good money spinner. They can sell more expensive shoes. It is "pseudo-scientific". But sadly it really does cause problems.

Good luck!

Oh dear so is this why I have pains on the outside of my shins when I run in my Nike Zoom Structure shoes for overpronators? I am so confused by trainer options. What are ones for high arch runners?

Lily, if you are suffering from pain while in your structure shoes, I'd go back to basics (e.g. Nike Free), and pop a pair of arch support insoles in them. But unless your high arches are really a problem (i.e. you need arch support orthotics when walking), I'd be tempted to just try the shoes as they are. Start from scratch, and add the orthotics if you feel you need them.
[holds self back from starting another rant about shoe shops and support shoes!!!]

Shin splints can also (I think) be caused by pushing off with your toes when you run.

Not sure what you mean by pushing off with your toes. But forefoot running (landing and pushing off the forefoot, or midfoot), is less likely to cause shin splints as the foot is not able to roll during the transition from landing to push off. But the one thing that is sure to exacerbate shin spints (inflammation of the connective tissue around the tibia) is an unnatural change to the biomechanics of the lower leg. If an uncorrected over-pronator runs without shin pain, chances are if you try to mechanically correct their gait, they will end up with pain. If they have pain already, it is a different issue.

I'm intrigued by this, Seabream, as DD has orthotics to try to help with knee pain and positioning (when walking - she can't run for toffee). Since starting with them, she's grumbled about random leg pain anywhere from hip to ankles. Likely to be caused by the same problem, do you think?

I agree with you completely Seabream

What I meant by pushing off with the toes is hard to explain. When you run you land on your forefoot and then your foot kind of peels off the ground with your big toe leaving last. There should be very little bounce. A very exaggerated version of what I was trying to say would be keeping your body upright and then take really big strides/one footed jumps, jumping from your toes. I guess it is kind if caused by over striding and trying to create forward momentum from your feet.

Since starting with them, she's grumbled about random leg pain anywhere from hip to ankles. Likely to be caused by the same problem, do you think?

I (and I'm guessing Seabream) would say yes. Your feet are incredibly complex and decided to flex in all sorts of ways to absorb shock etc. Interfering with that can affect your whole body, and orthotics can actually weaken your feet.

I am not a medic, but would suggest that your DD should also work on stretching her leg muscles, especially calves and hamstrings as well as foot strengthening exercises including short periods of barefoot and build up.

What you say makes so much sense Seabream. Yet another example of marketing stuff we don't need under the banner of "science".

Its I know what you mean by pushing off your toes, it is caused by overstriding and under-cadence. Definitely the answer to that is to work on keeping the stride turnover high and the hips/knees up.

Lily spot on - marketing and sales driven. A certain running shoe chain is the very worst for it. It makes me cross because so many people are put off the pleasure of running because of unnecessary pain caused by shoes they are told they need!

Thanks, ItsAllGoingToBeFine -- she does have a lengthy set of stretching exercises to do as well, so I hope those will help.

Slight hijack, sorry, but this gait thing is annoying. I walked out of a shoe shop t'other day as I'd gone in for advice (smidge overweight, gotten lazy) and want to diet & exercise. I asked for a basic trainer to get me started on the coach to 5k thing and they bamboozled me with pseudo science and produced some bling trainers for £130. I said I wanted to spend £40 - £60 in case running and I didn't get along so the next pair they bought out was £95!

I came home and ate a cake.

This is why I am too scared to go to back to a running shop Quizteam.

Lilybobtail I think I'm going to go order online! I'm going to do the wet test Wet Test and just buy an entry level pair, see how I get on. Good luck everyone!

I started running in Brooks PureConnect (which is a lightly cushioned, minimalist style shoe) and suffered from shin splints, knee pain, and back pain. I was running very short distances.
I went to a local running shop and had gait analyses. I now run in "supportive" shoes and have no pain at all. Before getting the new shoes I couldn't run as often as I wanted or for as long as I wanted due to pain. Now I find it's just lack of breath that stops me.... so I don't agree that minimalist shoes are good for everyone. Better to run barefoot on a treadmill (or a v clean beach!) and see how you get on.

A lot of running shops and online suppliers will allow you to return shoes if they don't suit you, assuming they've not be worn outdoors - so if you've access to a treadmill, then (within reason!) you'd be OK. Think doing the wet test first then ordering accordingly and testing out on a treadmill is probably the only sensible option if you're local running shop is too hard-sell/expensive.

What's the wet test?

oneowlgirl - you run barefoot with damp feet somewhere you can see the shape of the footprints - I used a bit of leftover wallpaper roll. It's not staggeringly accurate, but should be enough to help choose a not-totally-inappropriate running shoe for a beginner on a tight budget.

How do you know, based on the shape of the footprint, what trainer to go for though?

It is really tricky and doesn't help that trainers are expensive and you only really know if they are ok when it is too late. I tried my ones out again last night and had to stop running as my shin pain was so bad. I feel them tilting my feed outwards, so I am pretty sure they are wrong. I am going to buy some neutral ones online too. I guess it may just be a case of trying shoes out. Good luck Quizteam what are you going to buy?

Feed = feet

Saz12 - you are one of those people who actually already had a real problem, and needed corrective shoes to help sort it out. So many other people present themselves to running shoe shops with no problems with pain, and they get put into corrective shoes on the back of gait analysis, which should never be used as a stand alone diagnostic tool. Same with the wet test really - all it tells you is what your foot does when it comes in contact with the ground. But without context this isn't massively useful.

Take Paula Radcliffe for example. She's the best distance runner of all time (her marathon world record is considered better than the men's world record when adjusted for gender). Her running style is far, far, far from perfect. But if you tried to correct it, you'd be taking away something that is there for a reason.

I'm no where even on the same playing field as Paula, but I'm a decent enough marathon runner and have some good half marathon times for my age. I over-pronate (worse with my right foot), and have a silly left hand that does strange things when I get tired. I've worked on my running form for years and it is better than it was. I've recently got through a really touch advanced marathon 16 week Pfitzinger training schedule of between 80-120km per week, and I've not got injured. Put me in corrective shoes, and I can't run 10k without being crippled. My body is used to my less-than-perfect running form; my silly hand is compensating for a shoulder injury from childhood. These are coping mechanisms, and if you remove them, I'm much more likely to break down.

Lily - regarding trying running shoes, it is a massive pain. But a lot of online shops will let you return shoes that haven't been marked. So you can try them on a treadmill a few times, or on a very clean bit of road or running track to see how they feel and if you don't like them, you can send them back.

seabream - that makes sense. I'm pretty hacked off that I had to shell out for two sets of running shoes, esp as the "good" pair were expensive and very ugly.
However, I've decided to go with the thinking that Paula Radcliffe has a weird running style, and I have a weird running style, therefore I run like Paula Radcliffe, and therefore I too am a running goddess....