Pain in upper shin

[spacekadet]

Hi all!

I've been experiencing a weird pain in my shin for the last four days. It's right below my knee, along the inner part of the tibia, but not the muscle (see circled portion of attached image).

I don't get it, there's just bone there so I don't know what's causing it to hurt! I walk daily (7-10km) and swim every other day and the only thing that really aggravates it is swimming freestyle. So I've stopped that but kept up with the walking and swimming breast stroke. Still, no relief. If anything, it's a little worse. I wonder if I need to stop all of my lower body activity until it's gone? Take ibuprofen? Ice?

I've read low-impact stuff like swimming is good for an injury, but in this case it seems to be doing me more harm than good! What kind of exercise can I do while this heals?

Thanks for the advice.

Monica

[Heidi]

I would consider the possibility of a stress fracture. These can come on it you suddenly increase your mileage or maybe change shoes or something that simple.

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

Other options to look into include myofascial pain. throughout the lower leg there are layers of fascia (connective tissue) which surround the muscls and separate the leg into compartments. This fascia attaches to the bone and may have become inflamed at the attachment. If this is the case ibuprofen may help and ice too.

I would recommend visiting a specialist though who can fully assess the problem

Good luck!

[spacekadet]

Thanks for your feedback, Heidi. I would be surprised if it were a stress fracture - I don't do any high-impact activity. The most stress my legs see is the daily walking. HOWEVER, I have recently increased the amount of my walking... from 7km every other day to 7km every day... this was about a month ago. And I also rarely menstruate, which I've heard is an added risk factor for stress fractures.

What's weird is, I don't feel the pain much when I walk. It's only bad when I kick my legs swimming freestyle or backstroke. I will try ice, ibuprofen, and rest. I've ordered a leg buoy so I can swim with my arms in the meantime.

Thanks again!