Ok, well i’m gonna be going through a slap repair probally in 2-3 months time, but another concern is my shin area. Although it is agreed playing cricket for 6years without ever warming up and doing all the outside work (helping my dad round the house in building castle walls-no really, it fully looks like 1, and other such things) probally did most of the work towards damaging my labrum, it truly tore noticeably (in that it started hurting and becoming not fully functionable) one day at the gym when I went heavy (too heavy, too soon, and on a brand new exercise for me), all to try and cause more CNS firing because I’d hurt my shin/calf 6 days earlier and thought I could be out of running for a few weeks.
Physio could never diagnose the shin at all and my doc and a sports medicine specialist suggested checking it for CCS (compartment syndrome) -[or stress fracture]- but the shoulder took preference and the leg was forgotten. Now i’ll explain the symptons i’v felt with the leg.
-Its on the inside of the shin from the bottom of the knee to 1/2 way down the lower leg.
-There are 2 bumps (one 4inches below the knee and the other 2 inches) which me and the physio took for scar tissue adhesions but with all the massage they got, with no improvement, i’m sure even bone would grind away to nothing, quicker.
-It’s often been painful to touch - a burning sensation.
-With the bumps the right hand muscle (soleous?) muscle is notciably bulkier then the left hand leg (the stronger leg if that makes a difference).
-It 1st began hurting after a 6am morning training during the winter, after a warm up jog and a few stretches i did a few semi-sprints on a carpark (ashfalt?), i did seem like i was running far too much on the tippy toes. The next few days it hurt a little, a caused a lil limp sort of, but what really worried me was the lumps (psychological).
-Having been on and off training since it usually hurts a little more when i’m in training, as in training programme v no exercise programme, though i still get the weird pains when not exercising for a few weeks.
-Its never been sizeable pain, just a little stinging or prickly or dull ache/pain at different times-sometimes when resting or also when training.
-It sometimes feels a little tight when i’m just sitting around.
-I’v been wise enough in returning to training to avoid any real shin splints, maybe a little sharp pain in a shin area every now and again, but it all goes away quickly. This problem however has been going on for 9 months meaningful?
-The pain signals, whatever type they are, always occur in that region between and around the 2 lumps.
Other causes could be stress fracture or odd shin splints.
Thanks very much for reading this and if you have any ideas at all please tell, i’m sorry also bout the length :o
Hello Mate
Sorry to hear about your problems. However, it doesnt particularly sound like compartment syndrome to me. I’ve had it for years!!
The muscles in the calves are split into 3 bundles or compartments these are surrounded by fascia.
Due to exercise the muscles in the calves grow (hypertrophy) for most people this isn’t a problem…however when running, the muscles become swollen with blood etc (which is normal). In some people due to tight fascias the muscles become restricted (like pumping a balloon up inside a tin can…bad example i know!) this increases intra-muscular pressure and eventually restricts free movement of its own blood supply. Twin effects of reduced blood supply and restricted muscles is pain and inability to dorsiflex/pronate according to which compartment is affected. The pain only subsides once running is ceases. Usually heavy lactic training and endurance training ( and a lot of walking) bring on the effects…whereas sprint training with longer recoveries does not.
After training and the next day the pain will have completly disappeared.
The pain can also be accompanied with pins and needles/numbness in the foot of the affected leg during exercise. Also the affected area feels very hard.
Apparently the only permanent cure is a Fasciotomy where a slit is made in the fascia to allow room for the muscle to expand.
This condition usually comes on gradually; acute CS brought about by a blow to the leg needs urgent medical attention.
If you were to run, does your pain get worse and worse during the run until it becomes unbearable? If so, it could really be compartment syndrome. I think if it was a stress fracture the pain would be pretty concentrated in one spot.
The compartment syndrome test is painful too, from what I’ve read. They stick a long needle into your calf, test the pressure, then they make you run, then they stick the needle back in and test your pressure again.
I’d look into an MRI and bonescan first to see if theres a stress fracture or inflammation first.
Can you get lumps (large ones to touch, and also very hard) on the inside edge of the tibia bone from purely shin splints (medial tibial stress syndrome)?
A few sites I found said you could get bumps along your leg from shin splints, yes.
I’m fighting my shin splints now too. I had a few doctors visits, MRI, bone scan, and podiatrist visits. Just to let you know how helpful all of that may have been, it basically told me the only thing they found was just mild inflammation(no stress fracture), my calf muscles were overly tight, and I overpronated. That’s pretty narrowed down to me I’d say! Although, it could be more complicated, such as “why are my calves tight?” , “do I have muscles that aren’t working right/too weak?” etc.
What I’m trying to do now to recover them are:
Reduce overpronation through reduced hip tightness (stretch hip flexors, quads, low back, calves primarily)
Reduce overpronation through use of orthotics
Do Ab/Glute Activation exercises
Strengthen the anterior tibialias(I’m using a low cable pulley(put foot through looped handle) so I can get a lot of resistance)
Eat a lot more food.
Sleep a lot more.
I’ve been fighting them for about 14 months, and I just started all of that about a week ago and not to jinx anything, but I’ve seen great improvement, and I hope if you try it you improve as well.
I’d definitely get a bone scan at least to rule out a stress fracture. MRIs can sometimes miss stress fractures, but they will show inflammation and fluid buildup and stuff like that.