Posterior Shin Splint

My current "injury"

Forefoot running was not meshing well with my left leg. My plantar would be upset, my ankle would need more support, and my calf would always be really really sore, but it was pains I could power through. Then recently, I got a 'new' pain that was much different.

This pain felt more like a really deep painful bruise on the lower, inner section of my left calf. Around 3-5 inches above the ankle. The foam roller couldn't help this time. The Pain would last about 3 days, but would come back again, with intense usage.

I started to google and narrowed it down to either a posterior shin splint or a stress fracture. I set up a meeting with my podiatrist who did an xray and thankfully said its not a stress fracture, and was as I suspected, a posterior shin splint.

I told him my new method of training, forefoot running. The strange thing is my right leg has No pains at all. no soreness, nothing. 100% left. so odd.

anyways, he explained that the Normal shin splints we get, (on the front of the leg -shin) is caused because that muscle is pulling our foot upwards (figure 1). Where as for me, from Forefoot running, my foot is in the downward position more (figure 2), which uses the posterior mucles, hence over use= shin splint

I asked him what a stress fracture would feel like, and he said:
1- a constant pain
2- more of a throbbing, stabbing pain, that would get get worse even with walking.

At least now I will be able to tell the difference.

For now I'm gonna go back to my old midfoot strike. But I'm really happy its just shin splint, and nothing worse. Horray!!

Figure 1
This is where the pain was.












Figure 2