Heavy weight rugby battle

[veteranRugby]

Hi there.

I am currently 24yrs old, but played rugby from 10yrs old untill 18yrs old. I have never been a natural runner as my build somewhat dictates that i am more use as a bulldozer rather than a long distance runner, and long distance running has never been easy for me. I wouldnt say i have battles furiously with shin pain throughout my career playing rugby, but did in my earlier years feel a little distress in my shins, but always believed that pain and rugby went hand in hand, cant have one without the other. I am now 24, and havent been playing for about 5 years, and about a month ago began training again at a local rugby club. I am 130kgs, 5ft 10", a little overweight, but am surprising quick and mobile on my feet. I have a big build and a large frame. But since i started playing again, I have attended 3 2hr fitness sessions that mainly consisted of pushing us all past pain and exhaustion, but survived, ha ha. Problem is, on tues my shins began getting sore, and i wondered if i should attend another fitness session tonight only 2 days after the pain started, and true to my stubborn rugby outlook on life i decided to go and push through the pain. Big mistake. I ran about twice round the field, and i felt the muscles in my shins get relly sore and tired quickly, and once i stopped for a few minutes and i cooled down, it started to get really painfull when i moved. I then couldnt continue the training and opted to sit out. the pain is mainly about halfway between my knees and ankles. my toes and foot are not sore when i pull them up. as soon as i put pressure on my foot ( bearing in mind i do weigh 130kgs) i feel the pressure on my shins. I doubt these have and addative to the injury, but in my rugby days, i cracked both my ankles in two consecutive seasons when i was 17 and 18. Am i simply too heavy to run? are my shins to weak to carry me? Please shed some light into similar injuries you know of. many thanks

Also, i had a bankart lesion repaired in my shoulder due to continued dislocation and sublocation, and apparently the scar tissue hindered the repair, and my shoulder is still unstable. should i look into having the operation done again, or just live with it? i only feel discomfort if i raise my arm above shoulder height. thanks

[Heidi]

Hi,

When you say you cracked your ankles, what do you mean? Sprains? fractures?

And are you running on grass or hard surfaces? Is the pain on the inside of your shin bone or in the outside (muscly part)?

Sounds most probably like shin splints, if the pain is on the inside of the shin bone. If it is outside then consider anterior compartment syndrome or a problem with the tibialis anterior or peroneal muscles.

What I would say you need to do, given your history of ankle injuries, is get a gait analysis. This involves a podiatrist/sports therapist/physio or someone similar looking at the position and movement of your feet when you are standing, walking and running.

If you have flat feet or a particularly high arch then this places stress on the shin muscles. It can also cause problems higher up in the knees, hips and lower back.

If you do have either of these problems it is usually easily corrected with the right shoes or insoles. I would also recommend getting some massage treatment to the calfs and shins to help loosen the muscles, which no doubt are tight. Regular stretching of these muscles, at least 3 times a day, will also help.

Have a look at the following pages to get some more info:

http://www.sportsinjuryclinic.net/cybertherapist/front/lowerleg/shinsplints.htm

http://www.sportsinjuryclinic.net/cybertherapist/general/pronate.htm


As for the shoulder, i would try a good strengthening program before you resort to more surgery. If it is still unstable, strengthening the rotator cuff and other surrounding muscles (deltoid, trapz and chest) should really help.