pain while running on a treadmill

by J.Balasubramaniam
(Tirupur,Tamilnadu,India)

i use the treadmill for the past 3 yrs or so,its a 45 minute routine where i start with a speed of 3.5 for 2.5minutes and increase my speed by 0.5 to4 for the next 2.5 minutes by then 40 minutes will be left then i increase the speed by 0.5 every 2 minutes and start to run while 30 minutes is left with the speed at 7.0 and go on to the maximum of 9.0 and then gradually reduce the speed and finish off with my running while 10 minutes is left and end up walking then on.

My problem is that recently for the past 6 mnths i am not able to go through this routine as when iam at the speed of 8.0 i feel stiffness and gradual pain at the point of intersection of the fore leg or the shin and the foot and even though i persist with my running i feel a certain kind of numbing pain at that particular point and then as soon as i finish off it gets moderated and there`s some amount of stiffness left till the noon.
there`s no swelling or any physical distortion.Pls suggest me a remedy.
thanks with hope.
Balu.

RESPONSE

Hi Balu,

My first thought would be whether or not you have increased the incline of the treadmill at all. If so, the increase could cause a strain on the muscles of the lower leg and might cause pain over time.
Of course, if you have increased the incline, first try going back to a flat surface and see if that solves your problem.
If the problem is not as simple as that, my next thought might be shin splints. Shin splints occur when the anterior leg muscles are overworked, usually as a result of exercise. It appears based on your narrative that you are reaching a certain plateau and then the pain begins.
Since a treadmill surface has a lot of bounce to it, I cannot say it is because you are running on a hard surface like a sidewalk or street. Hard surfaces will not absorb shock and thus the shock goes into the foot and leg.
So, the next thing we need to look at would be the structure of your feet. If you have what is known as a hypermobile foot, where your foot flattens out a great deal when standing (compared to being off weightbearing), then the problem may lie there.
When a foot flattens out too much, the foot goes through a greater range of motion than a normal foot that does not over flattens. This extra range of motion puts a greater strain on your anterior leg muscles (which is where your pain is occurring), and causes them to swell in a confined space and thus you get pain.
Before you seek medical attention, you might try an arch support that you can buy in a store to see if hypermobility is your problem. Most arch supports sold in stores are useless because they tend to try and cushion rather than support, but if you can find one where you actually feel support under your arch, try running with them and see if that solves your problem.
If not, there is always the possibility that you have a stress fracture in the lower leg and that will need to be addressed by a doctor.
As a side note I should mention a condition known as compartment syndrome, you can read about it on my site. Although it does not sound like you are experiencing that condition you should be aware of it, so read my section on compartment syndrome.

Marc Mitnick DPM
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