Got leg pain, doctor says it's shin splints, but it feels like he doesn't know...

[runner]

...exactly what it is. What to do? Have had leg pain for almost 2 years now the pain comes from a point at the upper front of my legs where I develop a bump thats painful to touch during/after training. Been treated the last year taken a lot of breaks, followed my docs advices
Pain is worst at the left leg,gets worse while running, better while resting. Only mild pain when I touch the painful area after some weeks/months rest, but even I start slowly and follow my doctors training program, the pain starts to develop and gets worse and worse after some weeks, until it’s difficult to run, and it hurts touching the area. The more I train the larger the area of pain gets (several centimetres above and below the most painful area). It feels like my bone hits my shin each time my foots hit the ground and the pain can also be described as someone just have kicked me in the legs
Doc believes its shin splints (he seem unsure what kind of) and the last option is surgery. Should I consider surgery or might I have another injury?
tried strengthening and stretching exercises , got shoes especially made for my foots, use leg warmer/leg wrap.

Any other treatment methods I should try before considering surgery? Isn't it a bit risky to perform a surgery when the doctor doesn't seem to know exactly what's causing the pain? Any ideas of what's causing the pain, more specific than shin splints?
tried strengthening and stretching exercises , got shoes especially made for my foots, use leg warmer/leg wrap.

MRI is taken, everything was normal, except from something that was a bit thick (can't remember what, think it was something that lays over the bone)

Any other treatment methods I should try before considering surgery? Isn't it a bit risky to perform a surgery when the doctor doesn't seem to know exactly what's causing the pain? Any ideas of what's causing the pain, more specific than shin splints?
tried strengthening and stretching exercises , got shoes especially made for my foots, use leg warmer/leg wrap.

MRI is taken, everything was normal, except from something that was a bit thick (can't remember what, think it was something that lays over the bone)

Any other treatment methods I should try before considering surgery? Isn't it a bit risky to perform a surgery when the doctor doesn't seem to know exactly what's causing the pain? Any ideas of what's causing the pain, more specific than shin splints?
messed the details up a bit, not sure how to remove everything I wrote twice

[Kaitlin B]

Siete MOLTO stupidi per fare questo problema

[? Country Gal ?]

You either have Osgood-Schlatter or bad shin splints. Shin splints don't require surgery and neither does Osgood slaughter. There are prevention methods.

I had it while growing up - it's very painful and doesn't go away unless you take care of it. I went to the doctor for it and they gave me a band that goes around your leg and puts pressure on the bump. I didn't have to have surgery on mine and I still have a slight bump there.

[_-*45*-_]

get a second or third opinon. see another doctor.

[Matt L]

My God you're retarded. Why are you putting your faith in a bunch of random people on the internet instead of a doctor who spent all that time in school and knows what he's talking about?

[jeffyjj1]

I have been running for 30 years now, and ran CC and track in SW conference in college. I dealt with shin splints regularly...every time we increased the daily mileage, or added speed work; as you say, more running or exceeding prior intensity levels seems to trigger shin splints. You perfectly described what must in fact be "shin splints". Some have more pain than others, and your description is the worst I've ever heard re: shin splints. You should get a second opinion re: surgery for shin splints. Back in the 80's lots of arthroscopic surgery was done but shin sprints did not call for surgery; it sounds like you also have something agravating that area, a bump, and I wonder if the doc thinks there may be a bone spur or spurs to remove. Shin splints alone can feel like little splinters of bone stabbing away. So you should see if there is a secondary diagnosis, and possibly your doctor relates them and feels he can alleviate the shin splins as well as any pain from the bump. For most runners, shin splints come and go, and some runners never get them. You may want to avoid surgery, but your case seems so severe that you may need to refocus on other low-impact activities like swimming or cycling, both of which are as beneficial as running; of course some enjoy running best of all like me, so I lived through recurring, short lived issues with shin splints, and here are the simple things I know: They almost always go away (but you may be an exception). The usual approach is to cut back on the distance and the pace for a day or two when they are bad, but beyond that one concession, the consensus is that the only way to get over shin splints is to "run through them", in other words, very gradually increase intensity and allow your body to adapt to the new level of activity, and as you acclimate, shin splints should get better. Doesn't sound like a solution, but perhaps because it is first-hand information based on me and 20 others running 120 miles/week, some of the info may offer guidance. Of course good running shoes designed for road running are critical. I have also found that always staying hydrated helps as well as taking anioxidants (of course there are TONS of health benefits too). For 15 years now, every day I take a muli-vitamin (like Centrum), 1000mg of C, 400 IU of E, 35000 IU of beta-catotene, 100 mg selenium, and more recently added Co-Q-10 in the std dose pill. I don't even think about all this much anymore, but I know I look years younger partly due to this, plus my energy level/metabolism is high, also due to the running. But biking and swimming are awesome too, and the low impact benefits are better long term, so if you focused on one or both instead of running (or you may have a baseline amount of running that is agreeable to your body, and could continue that too). In this scenario, shin splints should no longer be an issue, and in later life you will not have taken near the abuse on your joints and your whole body that long distance running alone will do. Good luck to you.

[kellephant]

shin splints can be really painful. as a college distance runner i had them off and on for year. make sure you stretch before (after warm up) and after. also no NOT run on hard surfaces. try cross-training for awhile. hot pads before you train - ice after. STRETCH your calves a lot.

i don't know of a surgery for shin splints - but i would get and xray because it could be a stress fracture. that is a lot of times what shin splits turn into.

[Ben l]

Have you been to medical school? Listen to your doctor. If you're really unsure, get a second opinion.