Shin Splints?

A couple things. 1. Running on a treadmill is different then running on a track or outside. On a treadmill the ground is moving under you and you have to match the set speed. Running outdoors requires more energy as you have to propel yourself as the earth is not moving beneath your feet. In addition, a treadmill is evenly surfaced while running on the street, trails is not. I know this is not your case as you are running on an even surfaced track but I want to provide some more insight. When running on uneven surfaces there is more required from the body, the smaller intrinsic foot muscles are working harder to maintain balance on the uneven surfaces.

With that said, shin splints are an irritation of the anterior tibialis musculature located to the lateral ( outside ) of the shin bone ( tibia ). This condition can be caused by many factors, improper footwear, old shoes with too much mileage, overuse, inadequate arch support, after layoffs in exercise and starting back too quickly while doing too much. I read in your post that you have been "stagnant". Does that mean you took a break from running or that you have been stuck at a certain weight for a period of time even though you are continuing to exercise?

Have you tried running on the treadmill since this pain initiated and if so did you experience the same symptoms? How old are your shoes? What is the wear pattern, more on the outside or inside of the heel?

A little more info is needed to attempt to put you on the right track. No pun intended.

 

When I speak of shoes age I do not mean in months/years. I should have been more clear. What you are looking with "age" is the amount of mileage.

Wear patterns on the inside of the heel of a shoe typically indicates the individual is a supinator vs. a pronator. The majority of individuals are pronators which means your arch flattens during weight bearing. Pronators see excessive wear on the outside of the heel. The reason the outside of the heel is worn more with pronators is your body's compensatory mechanism. Your body knows that the arch is going to drop during weight bearing so it compensates by striking the foot on the outside of the heel in attempts to decrease the amount of foot drop hence the increase wear on the outside of the heel. You appear to be a supinator which means the above is exactly the opposite.

Proper shoes:
Pronators should have shoes with high levels of support which means they are stiff, rigid, little motion when twisting the shoe.
Supinators should have the opposite with a low level of support that is much less stiff.

I am curious to see your feedback from running on the treadmill today.

 

Here are my two possible scenarios for why it is bothering outdoors but not on the treadmill.

1. The surface is much harder then a springy like set up a treadmill has.

2. You may be running faster outdoors which is requiring more muscle action from the anterior tib musculature leading to "overuse" irritation.

Double check a pair of walking shoes you have had for awhile for me and tell me which side the heel is wearing on. I am willing to bet it is on the outside even thought in an ealrier post you mentioned the inside. If the wear is on the outside I would recommend some good stiff orthotics. The best over the counter orthotics are called Superfeet. they can be found at REI for sure and possible some running stores. You want the stiffest orthotic they make. Ideal situation, but more costly, is to have custom orthotics made.

Double check that heel wear and report back. I am determined to put you on the right path.

It may be a good idea to go see the primary care physician to rule out stress fractures as well.