Started running, what's the issue with my lower legs?

Forums › Health and fitness › Started running, what's the issue with my lower legs?

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#3282516 16-Sep-2024 11:02

alasta:

Worn shoes also tend to lead to injury. Earlier this year I got a painful knee injury with shoes that had done nearly 1500km, and it was surprising how quickly the pain eased with new shoes. I won't go beyond 1000km in future, but some experts seem to recommend even 800km as a limit.

Yeah I go through 1 to 2 sets of shoes a year and I average 1600-2000km of road running. My trail shoes go till they wear out.

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maoriboy

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#3282537 16-Sep-2024 11:45

As @DMWellington said.. stretch stretch stretch!!

By the way you describe your issue it sounds like you have anterior shin splints. That muscle is is involved in lifting your foot and is an antagonist to your calf. If your calf is tight, then when this muscle works to pull your foot up, it could be straining to do so. Try stretching your calves or using a foam roller to massage them out. The stick works great too.

If your calves aren't tight then you may just be excessively pulling up on your toes/foot while you run. Try relaxing that some.

It could also be indicative of a lack of strength in your calf muscles. The following was stolen off a running page I follow but is similar to the routine I use.

Calf/heel raises with heel off a step. Slowly, until failure.
Seated soleus raises 6 x 10 maybe?
45 minutes of barefoot forefoot walking, heel not touching the ground
scrunching a towel with my toes whilst watching TV in the evenings.
single leg hop with bent knee explosive
single leg hop with stiff straight knee, all impact absorbed by foot
single leg hop forwards and backwards bent knee
Single leg hop side to side bent knee
Single leg hop up onto step (30cm ish?) and then down again

Do all exercises in bare feet.

outdoorsnz

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#3282540 16-Sep-2024 11:48

I had lower calf pain when I went from moderate exercise to full on. Two things that helped me greatly was hamstring dumbbell lunges (10 - 20kg) and most importantly calf raises against the wall on a raised step or outdoor steps. Raise up and raise down below the step. You need to build these muscle up if you have a weakness there.

Scott3

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#3282571 16-Sep-2024 12:46

blackjack17:

David321:

Thanks all, looks like it could quite possibly be shin splints (although its my claves also). There is plenty of info on treating this, but not much info on weather this will cease being a problem as I run more?

For what its worth, as other people have asked, I have good shoes and am not overweight.

Just want to point out it often isn't a matter of good shoes but having the right shoes.

Check the wear patterns on an old pair of shoes.

I second this.

I had nice Nike Trail running shoes, but they allowed my ankle to move outwards on every strike.

Don't read anything into wear (I think that is more about how the shoe meets and disconnect from the ground). If you don't want to pay for a physio or podiatrist, go to a shoe shop with video analysis, explain you have lower leg issues, and that you want to have your shoes checked to see if you need new ones. They will be able to show you in about 30 second if your current shoes are OK or not.

SheriffNZ

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#3282583 16-Sep-2024 13:16

My 2c (on top of all the good previous advice) - trail running is easier on the body given your gait is always changing so you don't get the same repetitive stress injuries you could get on the road. I did 15k and 500m of climbing in the Port Hills on Saturday, and I felt way better on Sunday than I would have done had I done 5 flat k around the streets near my home.

Asteros

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Master Geek

#3282803 16-Sep-2024 20:05

In my case, I had really sore leg muscles when I started running. After seeing multiple physios and not improving, by pure chance I discovered I was extremely dehydrated and drinking electrolytes was the solution. Two years later I still drink electrolytes and don't have any serious leg muscle issues. That said, try everything else suggested in this thread. Good luck!

idle

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#3282881 17-Sep-2024 07:16

If all else fails, it could be worth checking your peripheral circulation. Your symptoms are probably due to the mechanics of running and/or footwear, but those symptoms could also be suggestive of an arterial insufficiency which becomes obvious when extra muscular stress (running) requires increased blood supply. Sometimes, cold feet can be an additional symptom.

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mattwnz

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#3283210 17-Sep-2024 14:28

Running can be hard on the body and joints, you may want to try cycling or an exercycle instead.

alasta

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#3283219 17-Sep-2024 14:37

mattwnz:

Running can be hard on the body and joints, you may want to try cycling or an exercycle instead.

The wear and tear from running is nothing compared with the injuries you get in a bicycle crash.

I have been running for a couple of decades with no noticeable detrimental effects. The running events that I attend often have participants in their 70s, or even 80s.

I augment my running with a decent amount of swimming, which allows me to keep my training up without increasing the risk of injury.

mattwnz

20141 posts

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#3283222 17-Sep-2024 14:54

alasta:

mattwnz:

Running can be hard on the body and joints, you may want to try cycling or an exercycle instead.

The wear and tear from running is nothing compared with the injuries you get in a bicycle crash.

I have been running for a couple of decades with no noticeable detrimental effects. The running events that I attend often have participants in their 70s, or even 80s.

I augment my running with a decent amount of swimming, which allows me to keep my training up without increasing the risk of injury.

Runners can also get hit by cars including cars coming out of driveways not looking where they are going. So there is risk in everything. Although an exercycle is going to be safer as you are inside doing it. My brother is a big runner and has had lots of injuries, where cycling is supposed to be easier on things like knee joints.

Handle9

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#3283329 17-Sep-2024 20:33

alasta:

mattwnz:

Running can be hard on the body and joints, you may want to try cycling or an exercycle instead.

The wear and tear from running is nothing compared with the injuries you get in a bicycle crash.

I have been running for a couple of decades with no noticeable detrimental effects. The running events that I attend often have participants in their 70s, or even 80s.

I augment my running with a decent amount of swimming, which allows me to keep my training up without increasing the risk of injury.

If you win the genetic lottery then you stay injury free. If you don't you won't.

Lots of people have bodies and biomechanics that don't support running.

anatokidave

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#3283362 17-Sep-2024 23:30

Congrats on starting your fitness journey - to paraphrase Chairman Mao, 'a journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step' (or something along those lines).

I started by efforts to improve fitness about a year ago - then got a smart watch & have had to work hard on avoiding becoming too fixated on the data ...

Anyway -there have been some great suggestions from other contributors, and as you allude to, there is a lot of info online, esp on Youtube channels devoted to running - eg google 'Couch to 5km' and marvel at the results ....

I very much agree with the advice about going to a store that can video your running style and recommend a suitable style of shoe. Search 'Run FAQ' for running shoes classification. Some brands, such as Asics, has information on the sole type of each shoe (eg normal, stability, etc)

My lessons from the past year include the need to start off easy - too much too soon leads to pain and injury. I ended up with a Soleus sprain (lower Achilles area), and have also had some ITB issues of late (which I also used to get when I was doing a lot of tramping many moons ago), as well as a hint of plantar fascia niggle. Cross training (e.g. cycling instead of running) helped me in maintaining aerobic fitness while I addressed running relating tendon or muscle issues.

While having physio tmt for my Soleus issue, I'd look at quite a few physio vids on YT and then discuss some of that info with my own physio. If she agreed with their approach, she would then add some of these exercises to my list of things to do. Some of my YT sources included Sport Injury physio and Upright Health.

The main takeaway for the first few weeks of starting up a new activity is to allow yourself a recovery period between sessions.

In the beginning - may do a walk/run, and then give yourself 2 or 3 days to recover before doing it again. Start with a walk and include some short runs as part of the walk. Over time, evolve it into a run - walk (ie more running than walking). Stop what you are doing if you experience pain during an activity - otherwise this can develop into an injury.

The next lesson I learnt - but have trouble applying - is to slow down when going so called easy runs (or Zone 2). TLDR - running slow burns fat, faster running draws on carbohydrates. There is some really good info on the relationship between running pace and how this affects the energy sources used by the muscles. - lookup 'Lactate Threshold and Onset of Blood lactate accumulation'

Running slow also helps with muscle growth, mitochondrial development, improving VO2max, and it reduces the chances of injury. As you get fitter and build strength - you can start to incorporate intervals or strides into ur sessions. A good way to build strength is to walk up a hill - and as your aerobic fitness improves, move to doing hill repeats on a gentle uphill slope.

Heaps of YT info on Running Slow / Zone 2 methods of training - see the Running Channel, Coach Parry (for older ppl), GTN, Fredrik Zillen (good info on Technique), Jame Dunne physio, etc.

Good luck

networkn

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#3283436 18-Sep-2024 10:17

I'd be starting with a stretching and basic strengthening programme before jumping into running.

The program I would recommend is the COUCH to 5K program as well.

I am not a runner, but understand the mechanics and think running is something you warm up to, not just start doing, esp if weight is a consideration.

mattwnz

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#3284102 19-Sep-2024 16:31

anatokidave:

Running slow also helps with muscle growth, mitochondrial development, improving VO2max, and it reduces the chances of injury. As you get fitter and build strength - you can start to incorporate intervals or strides into ur sessions. A good way to build strength is to walk up a hill - and as your aerobic fitness improves, move to doing hill repeats on a gentle uphill slope.

I think doing a variety of activities is the key. I started doing a lot of walking building up over months, and developed foot problems meaning I had to stop. So now I do a range of things, so I am not doing the same thing each day where you are doing the same repetitive actions.

According to my Apple watch, my VO2max has improved a lot, but apparently it is not very accurate and is more just a calculation based on your activities. I am not sure how easy it is to get VO2max measured accurately.

networkn

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#3284110 19-Sep-2024 17:03

mattwnz:

I think doing a variety of activities is the key. I started doing a lot of walking building up over months, and developed foot problems meaning I had to stop. So now I do a range of things, so I am not doing the same thing each day where you are doing the same repetitive actions.

This is absolutely true but especially true of kids who play sport.

We are starting to see some alarming signs of kids in our squash community, who at 18.19 have worn joints and serious problems usually reserved for men 2-3 times their age.

It's so important to get kids to do different things.

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