What Causes Severe Pain In Shin?

Posted on Tue, 22 Apr 2014

Question: H Doctor, This is on behalf of my husband. He has been experiencing severe shooting pain at the shin part - the area exactly between the ankle and the calf muscle.He jogs everyday and is training for a trek. The pain developed 2 weeks back when he suddenly increased the running distance to 5k at once. Although the last week, the pain is slowly going down, he isnt being able to run. Ever since, he only walks daily but the pain isnt receding. He weighs 81 kgs and is 5'10 in height. Could you suggest a solution?

Answered by Dr. Vaibhav Gandhi (45 minutes later)

Brief Answer: Possibility of stress hair line fracture to tibia Detailed Answer: Hi, I have studied your case, There is possibility of stress hair line fracture to tibia[leg], or there can be muscle strain due to excessive running. You may need x ray leg if pain and swelling persist on rest. If x ray is normal indicates soft tissue injury. I can not compare swelling, but if swelling is there, you need to take rest and use splint or compressive crepe bandage to reduce swelling. Till time take analgesic like diclogesic sp. Watch for appearance of redness, infection. Do ice fomentation. If required you may need to do blood investigation for prognosis and recovery. Hope this answers your query. If you have additional questions or follow up queries then please do not hesitate in writing to us. I will be happy to answer your queries. Wishing you good health. Take care.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Vaibhav Gandhi (22 minutes later)

Thanks for the reply Dr XXXXXXX There is no swelling/infection. He is able to walk properly, ride the bike & do other daily chores as well. But he experiences a shooting pain when that part is touched or strained. As per your advice, we will take an X-ray and use the sprint/crepe bandage. Need your advice on the following: a) The trek is planned for the week of May3-May8, will he be able to recover if suggested precautions & medicines are taken starting today? that is 5 weeks until the start date. b) In case it is a soft tissue injury, will the crepe bandage help in holding the muscles in place without giving strain? & can he practise slight jogging upto 30 minutes per day? c) Has weight reduction got to do with the problem? If so, is there any specific diet that you recommend.? Thanks, XXXX

Follow up: Dr. Vaibhav Gandhi (23 hours later)

Hi Dr XXXXXXX Not sure if you received my follow up questions. Could you help me with the below. Thanks for the reply Dr XXXXXXX There is no swelling/infection. He is able to walk properly, ride the bike & do other daily chores as well. But he experiences a shooting pain when that part is touched or strained. As per your advice, we will take an X-ray and use the sprint/crepe bandage. Need your advice on the following: a) The trek is planned for the week of May3-May8, will he be able to recover if suggested precautions & medicines are taken starting today? that is 5 weeks until the start date. b) In case it is a soft tissue injury, will the crepe bandage help in holding the muscles in place without giving strain? & can he practise slight jogging upto 30 minutes per day? c) Has weight reduction got to do with the problem? If so, is there any specific diet that you recommend.? Thanks,XXXX

Answered by Dr. Vaibhav Gandhi (21 hours later)

Brief Answer: He may recover in 5 weeks time. Detailed Answer: Hello again, If there is no fracture on x ray and only soft tissue injury is there then he may recover in 5 weeks time. He should take adequate rest and do proper exercises. Do ice fomentation, physiotherapy in form of TENS and ultrasound will help. Crepe bandage will help in soft tissue injury and he can do jogging if there is no pain. Weight reduction will definitely help in reducing long term problems. For weight reduction, You can take high protein, and vitamin diet, take heavy salads and fruit juices. Avoid fatty, oily, junk food, milk products containing high fat, non veg, and beer. Drink 4 to 5 little water daily. Do exercises for weight reduction,yoga,pranayama. Hope this answers your query. If you have additional questions or follow up queries then please do not hesitate in writing to us. I will be happy to answer your queries. Wishing you good health. Take care.

Note: For further queries, consult a joint and bone specialist, an Orthopaedic surgeon. Book a Call now.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar