Calf injury advice

[Deleted User]

Hi,

I've just signed up as I was hoping to get some advice.

A few months ago I decided it was time to get off my behind and start getting myself into a shape other than round.  I started with kickboxing in April, then about a month later I joined a gym and have been doing strength training and also started running, which is where my little problem seems to have come from.

I bought a pair of Everlast running shoes a pair of foam/gel insoles and have only been running on treadmills so far.  I started out at 10kmh over 500m thinking such a short distance would make a sensible starting point.  I was then adding 500m on each week.  This was going OK until I got to the 3km mark.

I started to get pain in my right leg, about half way down my shin.  It's not the bone itself that was hurting, it was the muscles immediately to the side (inner of my leg rather than outer) and focused in a very particular spot.  I initially attributed it to skipping (something I'd been doing with the kickboxing) as that seemed to aggrevate it, but then once it has started hurting, running aggrevated it further.  Once I stopped, the pain would go within 15 minutes to half an hour.

I went to my doctor who said to give it some rest.  So I put the running and skipping on hold for a week.  After the week, I started trying to run again, but decided to leave the skipping for a while until I'd made sure it was all fine.  I started back at the 3km mark.  All was fine on the tuesday and thursday, but on the following tuesday, about half way through, my leg started hurting again so I stopped immediately.  That was last week, I've not tried it again since.

From what I've been able to find on google, it seems to suggest shin splints.  I don't get pain at any other time or with any other activity, which rules out a stress fracture from what I've read.  As such I'm looking to give it another couple of weeks before trying to get started again on the 17th.  Would I be ok trying to start back at 3km, or will I need to back this off?  What will be the best way to increase my distance from that point?

Thanks,

Matt

LouiseG

this helped me a lot - it helps generically with calf / lower leg tension...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDwY0QFsPqs

...but I would also back off a little, drop the distance for a couple of weeks and let your body catch up with the new challenges you are throwing at it.