Shin Pain

[The Hate Ape]

For the past 6-8 months I have experienced frequent shin pain to include splints and stress fractures during my SOC pipeline. I have changed my shoes/boots to the recommendations of our physical therapy professionals, purchased insoles, used compression sleeves/wraps, and am taking fish oil vitamin e potassium and a quarter dose of tylenal(for morning pt) daily. My hydration is about 1.5 gallons daily, I drink plenty of milk and usually only pig out on Friday and Saturday.

I stretch prior to our warmup drills, I use foam rollers after PT sessions - I can't think of anything else.

In May I chop to my first MSOT and I'm worried this garbage with my shins is going to carry over. In the last 2 months the pain and complications have decreased dramatically but the rest of the year will be absolutely critical for our work ups to deployment and validation as a capable MSOT. The last thing I want to be is low speed high drag for the team.

The pain is now atleast workable but the fear of fractures again leaves me a little gun shy when I want to go balls to the wall on rucks, runs, etc..

I'd be interested to know if anyone here has had similar experiences/symptoms over long stretches of time and what they did to overcome the obsticle.

-H/A

 

[Ooh-Rah]

For the past 6-8 months I have experienced frequent shin pain to include splints and stress fractures during my SOC pipeline. I have changed my shoes/boots to the recommendations of our physical therapy professionals, purchased insoles, used compression sleeves/wraps, and am taking fish oil vitamin e potassium and a quarter dose of tylenal(for morning pt) daily. My hydration is about 1.5 gallons daily, I drink plenty of milk and usually only pig out on Friday and Saturday.

I stretch prior to our warmup drills, I use foam rollers after PT sessions - I can't think of anything else.

In May I chop to my first MSOT and I'm worried this garbage with my shins is going to carry over. In the last 2 months the pain and complications have decreased dramatically but the rest of the year will be absolutely critical for our work ups to deployment and validation as a capable MSOT. The last thing I want to be is low speed high drag for the team.

The pain is now atleast workable but the fear of fractures again leaves me a little gun shy when I want to go balls to the wall on rucks, runs, etc..

I'd be interested to know if anyone here has had similar experiences/symptoms over long stretches of time and what they did to overcome the obsticle.

-H/A

H/A,

have you consulted a running trainer? I used to have similar issues and found that when I ran I was a "toe runner", which put a lot of pressure on my calves and caused really painful shinsplints. My wife hooked me up with her trainer and she taught me to become more of a center of foot runner (not the heels thought, that causes issues all of their own)...it took me a few months on a treadmill to get used to the new style, but now it is pretty normal for me and I have increased my running pace while pretty much eliminating the shin issues that I was having.

 

[The Hate Ape]

No I haven't considered this. We have PERES trainers at our gym, I guess I could ask one of them.

 

[RackMaster]

I agree with the running impact idea. Do they do running "clinics" at the gym? I used to go to one every year, things change often and it's good to get an outside opinion on how to fine tune your body mechanics.

 

[The Hate Ape]

This would be my first experience with it so I'm not sure. It makes sense though, in my old fleet unit we wouldn't run more than 2 miles if we ran at all - now with the mileage being higher the mechanics are stressed much more to prevent injury.

 

[Silence Dogood]

One thing that has helped me when I get soreness in my shins is using a lacrosse ball to work the muscle / tissue. I start with the ball near my ankle and pull into the muscle using both hands while making small, circular motions as I work up to the knee. Your case sounds more severe than mine, but maybe this will help?

Regardless, I hope you find a solution that works!

 

[SkrewzLoose]

Make sure you're stretching/strengthening the opposing muscles as well. In this case: your calves.

 

[pardus]

There are threads on here that address this but...

I'll speak on this from two points of view, A, a Medic, B, someone who suffered for years off and on, (sometimes severely) from shin splints, and had surgery on both legs as a result, and after all that was given sound advice from a Navy Dr who gave me a treatment plan that got me sorted out satisfactory.

First of all, have you seen a Dr and have been given a diagnosis of Shin Splints?

Confirm that and we'll take it further.

 

[Centermass]

I always thought Shin Pain was a terrorist org out of Ireland....

 

[The Hate Ape]

Medical advice / consultation has followed me through this ordeal until two months ago. Hence the stress fracture diagnosis.

I have been given X-rays, bone scans, and multiple follow-up visits.

I'm no medic but after multiple stress fractures that's not what the current pain feels like. I've been leaning towards shin splints but I'm amazed they've prevailed through my ice/elevation, nutrition, stretching, foam rolling, and massaging.

-H/A

 

[Th3 Maelstr0m]

When I got out of the Corps, I had some serious issues with what I thought were shin splints. My anterior tib would swell up something fierce. I went to the VA, & after 6 months they finally set up an eval. They sticked some needles in my shins & said I had anterior compartment syndrome. Perhaps you are dealing with something similar.

 

[Marauder06]

I always thought Shin Pain was a terrorist org out of Ireland....

Shin Pain? I'm pretty sure that guy was one of my KATUSAs.

 

[LibraryLady]

Medical advice / consultation has followed me through this ordeal until two months ago. Hence the stress fracture diagnosis.

I have been given X-rays, bone scans, and multiple follow-up visits.

I'm no medic but after multiple stress fractures that's not what the current pain feels like. I've been leaning towards shin splints but I'm amazed they've prevailed through my ice/elevation, nutrition, stretching, foam rolling, and massaging.

-H/A

If something is new, then Go To The Doctor instead of playing Internet Medic...

LL

 

[pardus]

Medical advice / consultation has followed me through this ordeal until two months ago. Hence the stress fracture diagnosis.

I have been given X-rays, bone scans, and multiple follow-up visits.

I'm no medic but after multiple stress fractures that's not what the current pain feels like. I've been leaning towards shin splints but I'm amazed they've prevailed through my ice/elevation, nutrition, stretching, foam rolling, and massaging.

-H/A

OK good.

Ditch the Tylenol, use Ibuprofen instead. PM me for the dose. This is not going to be a quick process, you can expect a 6(ish) week recovery depending on the severity of the shin splints.

Stretch your calves before you run/walk, icing is good, and elevate your feet as much as you can. Avoid running on a hard surface, run on something like a treadmill or running track, something with some give.

 

[The Hate Ape]

Thanks for that advice Pardus. I'll switch meds but the 6 week recovery process won't fly until mid march. After the rucking I'm doing (course mandatory) for two straight days then a hardball PFT after I have about a 4 week turnover then I start SERE till late March. This pipeline has had me doing back to back to back courses with little intermission.

The good news is that if my Tibias arent shattered by the end of march I pull a little extra pay and won't meet up with my team till late may. This should grant me some solid recovery time.

 

[pardus]

You make it sem like you have a choice here. You don't if what you have said earlier in this thread is true.

You need to start doing this now or you will likely not finish the course. I understand you can't stop running/walking on hard surfaces now but everything else I told you can and should be started immediately.

 

[The Hate Ape]

I really don't have a choice.

Tomorrow is a range day that rolls right into final ex at what was hinted to begin at 0300. We'll be ruck running to all of the ranges and doing multiple team events. The day after (Wednesday) is a mandatory pft - all students are graded from Monday until the final exam Thursday.

SOCOM requires SERE prior to any operational deployment outside of CONUS. I'm slated to be the communicator for an MSOT heading to AFG later this year and begin work ups in May. SERE is in March for me provided scheduling works as planned.

I truly understand and accept the decision to move forward knowing the risks. I've spent almost a year now preparing at MARSOC to do a job that I may or may not be in less than 2 years from now when my enlistment comes to the end of its term. Unless there are major set backs, I'll continue to push and will do so appreciative of how far I've gone.

The opportunity is there for me. Most guys don't finish their pipeline this quickly and are caught in a deployment dry spell with the bad timing boogeyman. I can finish this in march, go to my team, and be out the door operationally before the years end - I won't reenlist a third time hoping to be able to be satisfied with what I've done in the Marine Corps so really this IS the sink or swim ordeal.

Respectfully,

H/A

 

[pardus]

There is a comms breakdown here...

I'm not telling you to not continue with your training pipeline, I'm telling you to start the treatment plan Ive laid out for you.
Your shins hurt because they are weak, if you don't take my advice, you'll either push through it and be fine or you'll become a med drop out.

The most important things I would say is stretch, ibuprofen, elevate where possible.

 

[The Hate Ape]

I'm tracking now, I'll start my treatment right now actually.

H/A

 

[JustAnotherJ]

Here's a video that has all the pointers that we teach our students here.

An addition that I'd like to make is decrease the amount you "reach" with your leg. Meaning that if you extended your leg too far out in front of your body, you're inceasing the sustained impact to your skeletal system and slowing yourself down. To put it another way: What do you do when you start slowing down from a run? You increase your "reach" and reduce your forward lean.