Hey there!

I went to a sports doctor last Saturday (October 15th), and, rather surprisingly, he did NOT think it was a stress fracture. (Just a really bad case of shin splints.) He didn't take a bone scan to confirm his speculations, but he did prescribe 4-6 weeks of physical therapy...which I started today. I go back to the sports doctor at the end of November, so I've pretty much resigned myself to life without running until then. I'm able to the elliptical without any pain, so I've been substituting that to a (much preferred) runner's high. I'm also working hard to strengthen my hips, quads, and hamstrings--all of which the physical therapist told me were weak.

An intereting piece of the puzzle that I forgot to mention is that, back in July and as a result of finishing 'Born to Run,' I started playing with my stride a bit. I realized that I was definitely a heel-to-toe runner and started making more of an effort to strike on my mid-foot/the balls of my feet. Rather stupidly, I picked a 10-mile Sunday run to start experimenting with my stride and can remember my calves SCREAMING after the first couple miles of toe-strike running. My calves definitely felt the burn for several days after that run. I continued to run through the soreness, and, after a week or two, the soreness subsided to what I thought were much stronger calves and overall better running form. Looking back now, my sports doctor, physical therapist, and myself all think that this was the precursor to my shin injury.

I'm mentioning it just incase it resonates with you...or in case you are a toe striker. I know I've read a lot about the benefits of toe (vs. heel) striking, but my doctors seem to think that it (or an abrupt transition to toe striking) may put undue stress on the tibia, along with tightening the calves, which, in turn, causes the muscle/tendons to tug on your bone.

I hate to say it, but I'd go see your doctor. After all, 6-8 weeks without running is far superior to 6-8 months without running...which is what you might face if you continue to run and the injury gets worse. (This is what I kept telling myself to prevent myself from running the Hartford Half on the day of my sports doctor appointment.) If you DO have a stress fracture, imagine the following image (I read this online and it's been burned into my memory ever since):

Imagine your bone like a pane of glass, and your running like a hammer tapping ever so gently on this glass. After a while, this tapping will cause (or, as the case may be, has already caused) miniscule cracks in your bone. Over time, continued tapping (running) will exacerbate the cracks into what could eventually become a full-on break in your bone. In order to avoid such breaking (gulp!), you (we) must stop the tapping (running).

Believe me, I know it's hard to stop running and take yourself to a doctor. (I had many teary-eyed pout fests/pity parties about it. I know, I know...I'm kind of a sally.) Think of the rehab as a time learn to enjoy cross-training and strength train to address any weak muscle groups. It sucks at first, but a little time and a lot of positive thinking will make it better--I promise!

Keep me posted about your shin! Wishing you the best!

Thank you, Len! The videos/images you included were VERY helpful, and suspect you're correct about my toe rather than forefoot striking. The forefoot striker in the videos looks so graceful--definitely form to strive for!