[quote]chrismcl wrote:
So my question is, are stress fractures essentially what you get in really severe cases of shin splints? And how can you tell when severe shin splints become stress fractures? I’m guessing that since the ibuprofen helps the problem (temporarily) they haven’t become stress fractures.
And yes, I did do a search for shin splints but everybody’s cases I found in the archives were fixed with new running shoes, a DARD, or massage. [/quote]
i dealt w/ shin splints from running hills and i was told they are soft tissue inflammation caused by overuse. could be tendonitis, could be muscle swelling which can. lead to fascia seperation. i was told that the lower leg is less able to deal with swelling because everything is much tighter and the fascia surrounding the muscle is inelastic. so any swelling will cause you pain…if the source is muscle swelling. if you don’t allow it to heal those swollen sections will compartmentalize, basically seperate your muscle and always cause problem.
anyway, whatever the reasons, because it’s inflammation heat will make it worse. massage will make it worse. exercise will make it worse. rest ice compression elevation is the way to go.
i dicked aroung with them for 3 weeks: they’d feel better so i’d run again and then they came back worse. finally i bit the bullet, wrapped my shin everyday for a month and didn’t run for 6 weeks and i was rid of it.
shin splints being soft tissue don’t become stress fractures which are cracks in your bone. you could take a coffee mug and tap it gently on the table 100 times and it’ll form visible cracks in the surface. that’s a stress fracture.
the pain you feel from a shin splint will be more general, while a stress fracture you can pinpoint with pressure. just press on your shin and if you hit a point that makes you jump out of your chair, it’s time to think x-ray.
i read an study from the army once that said recruits are most prone to stress fractures @ 5-6 weeks of basic training and again after 13 weeks. from what i remember bone response to stress is to break down its structure so it can rebuild stronger.
this means your bone is first getting thinner before it gets denser. combine this with the fact that novice runners are feeling much stronger after 6 weeks and increasing their work load because of it and you have an injury-prone situation. although their muscles and aerobics are much stronger, and able to handle the increase, their bones are likely weaker than when they started and need some back-off time.