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Beginner with shin and ankle pain - looking for advice
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Hi everyone, looking for a bit of help and advice please! I've made a couple of attempts at starting to run but have always had to give up due to leg pains. I get quite sharp pains in my shins and knees and in recent running attempts have also felt it in my ankles. Aside from the pain I've enjoyed running, and would really like to do more, but it really does hurt. I've tried varying between running on flat and on incline, on the treadmill and on road/grass, and I dont know what to do now! Has anyone else had the same problem and can maybe give me some tips? Thanks 
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Comments
How far do you run and how fast? if you are quite fit then you might just be doing too much too soon.
it might be worth a visit to a physio to get some help and advice. They can make a better assessment of what is going wrong and give you some exercises / stretches to do to help in the long term.
Often the point of pain is not where the problem lies. You may have achilles problems or hip flexor.
There are simple things that you can do to help, massage and foam roller after runs. Dynamic stretching before running and static stretching afterward. Core strength stability exercises and flexibilty exercises will all help.
Your symptoms are not normal so getting advice would be my first priority.
Just to back up widow's advice. I agree entirely. I might perhaps argue about the 'not normal' comment. It sounds a bit unusual (and may indeed not be normal), but it's possible that most of the problem is shin splints - which isn't unusual - but descriptions of symptoms on an internet forum aren't a patch on being checked over by someone who's qualified.
Shin splints are quite common. Often in people who feel fit enough to do more than they should. Investing 9 weeks in a "couch to 5K" programme might feel desperately conservative if you've got some general aerobic fitness... but it can be the solution... as it gives the leg tissues time to adapt over that period... rather than let an aerobically fit heart&lungs make those legs do more than they should.
It can even be as simple as the wrong trainers... and a trip to a specialist running shop could be advisable.
It's amost certain that there's a solution out there for you. Good luck.