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I've been running 5km once a week for about 3 months now. Every time, after about 1 mile i get this shooting pain on the left side of my left leg, and it hurts from about the knee to the ankle on that side of the leg. It almost becomes impossible to walk, much less run. It has been doing this since i started running, but i tried to mentally block it out but i suspect something is wrong. Any ideas what it could be?
Is it mostly centered in the knee and the radiates downward? When you get up from a seated position, does your knee pop or make a noise? Does your left leg ever give way when you're just casually walking around the house? If you answer these, it will help.
I know exactly what you mean; this started happening to my calves (sometimes moving up into the side of my thighs) when I first started running after never running before in my life. The tightness and pain while walking could last a month, particularly if I kept trying to run through it. It's a muscle that stays tense like a charlie horse but it's not quite as debilitating.
First bit of advice: do not run until the muscle has lost its tenseness. You will only make it worse (harder and more painful) and you can run the risk of ripping it. Once your leg muscle has returned to normal, stretch both of your legs for at least 10 minutes then start running. The moment you feel the pain come back (and it will) stop running. The next day, do the same and add more time; again, stop running when the pain comes back. Eventually your muscles will adapt and the pain won't happen anymore. You really need to give this time; it's frustrating, but if you don't ease your way into reshaping your muscles you could really hurt yourself.
bjornb17, I'd substitute short interval sprints for distance running at the moment. Due to the significantly shorter ground contact time in sprints, you'll have far less pain than you would jogging.
I'm a runner too: I think what you have is a strained soleus muscle; it's attached to the outside of your shinbone, or tibia. It's a form of a very common runners' malady known as shin splints. (To make sure I am correctly diagnosing your injury, Google Image that muscle anhd make sure that's indeed where it hurts.
If this is correct, then:
you need to take a break from running till it heals. Take some anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen or Naproxen and treat the muscle with compression and ice.
Until it heals, get your cardio work done by biking or swimming. NO running!
Last edited by DrummerBoy; 01-24-2011 at 10:09 PM..
I'm a runner too: I think what you have is a strained soleus muscle; it's attached to the outside of your shinbone, or tibia. It's a form of a very common runners' malady known as shin splints. (To make sure I am correctly diagnosing your injury, Google Image that muscle anhd make sure that's indeed where it hurts.
If this is correct, then:
you need to take a break from running till it heals. Take some anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen or Naproxen and treat the muscle with compression and ice.
Until it heals, get your cardio work done by biking or swimming. NO running!
Yes that looks exactly like the muscle that is bulging, thanks for the help! I am pretty bummed up, hoping to run a 5k soon!
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