Shin pains

[OCsunshine]

Ever since I have fallen ill with NMH and CFIDS, I have had this horrible trouble with "shin pains." It's impossible to explain, but I will try:

It isn't a constant pain through life, but it might happen twice a month or once a month. It can start in the middle of a busy day or I can wake up with them in the middle of the night. Awful "shin pains." Usually they throb and throb and the only thing that relieves the pain is pressure- I wrap them up tightly in ACE bandages. Sometimes I'll have my husband sit on my shins and that will help slightly (weird, I know). The pains can last for an hour or maybe 12 hours. If I'm desperate, I will take Darvocet or something to ease the pain and it does help.

Yesterday I had another attack. My shins gradually started to ache as I was sewing and sorting through fabrics. Within the next hour, they weren't throbbing as usual but I could NOT walk another step. I wound up in bed by 5:00pm and was stuck there the rest of the night because anytime I put my foot down and put weight on it, it was an excruciating pain into my shin bone. (This pain is in the front of my shin, like the bone... not in the back of the shin like a charlie horse.) If I was laying down I was all right, as long as I didn't flex my foot or point my toes too much, then the pain returned again.

So last night was different than the usual 'shin pain' but still, does anyone have this problem? My doctors have been baffled and pretty much threw their hands up in the air years ago. I had x-rays and of course my legs look normal to them.

I thought only athletes got shin splints. Obviously I don't run or anything like that.

Any ideas?

[blackbirdsings]

I'm not certain what is going on, but it does sound like its time to go get another opinion for a SPORTS Orthopedist. I had alot of trouble with shin splints years ago that became really severe. Lovely how people try to make you ignore what is a really bad pain, you keep pushing and it can get worse. That is how it is in sports, I don't mean that for everybody, but pain needs to be checked.

Anybody can get shin splints but they are more common in runners, gymnasts, etc. Sports where you have a constant repetition and pounding of the leg. If I wear a doozy pair of shoes, I can actually get a mild shin splint. Hence I am incredibly picky about comfy shoes. It's odd that its not constant, but it could still be something that is just flairing.

I had issues with my shins for months and than it just went "away" and came but but far worse. I highly recomend finding a TOP sports orthopedist that deals with Olympic athletes and professional athletes on a regular basis. You don't have to be an athlete to go to one of those doctors, but the great thing about them is that they are very specialized. I have one doctor that only does legs, another hips and knees, one wrists, etc. So when you say something hurts, they really know what you are talking about, far more than your regular doctor. The excellent ones can listen to what is going on, examine and give you an idea of what is going on VERY quickly and prove it with the tests.

Shin problems don't always show up in x-rays and you have to wait months for a stress fracture to show in some cases. A bone scan or MRI will show more. Mine showed up all over an MRI, but not on an x-ray for months. You mentioned pain with pointing and flexing. Some stuff in there can get too tight and cause problems. A good sports orthopedist should be able to figure out what is going on, and help you get a good PT program going etc. to get it taken care of. Good luck and let us know how your doing! I hope this helped some.

[dizzygirl]

Hiya!

Sorry about your shine pain.. I know that has to hurt...

Well what I was thinking was.. you mentioned that light pressure helps some times with the pain..Have you tried wearing compression hose?

Us potsy people can have blood pooling in the legs.. where the blood and fluids that drop to the feet.. gravity doesnt work well so to speak to push it back up to the upper half of your body..

Now somebody please correct me if I explain this wrong... the way that it was explained to me was you can think of your veins and such in your legs as a pipes or whatever.. and they dont constrict or dialate properly pushing the blood up through the body.. casuing blood pooling... and compression hose can help you w/ blood pooling.. b/c of the tightness they caus your blood to push up to the other half of your body.. doing all sorts of things that a regular body is suppose to do automatically....

I know that I experience ALOT of leg pain...some of it explained... and as you mentioned I too have my doc baffled.. as for the cause of my legs pain and sweling...my x-rays of the knees and ankles of course looked normal...

It was mentioned to me from Dr> Grubbs office that the pain in my legs might be POT pain.. which makes sense.. considering the pooling I have in my legs and and feet...

They gave me cymbalta to try to help combat legs pain and a boat load of other symptoms.. and cymbalta is actuall the first POTSY medication that I have been on that helps some.. It does help.. with the legs some too.. she told me that people who have diabetes (like myself) can suffer from diabetic neuropathy and that cymbalta has helped with that pain...

sorry babbled a bit...

But yes.. as I read your post I thought of compression hose for you.. if your dont allready use them..

and when it hurts to walk.. please sometimes it is better not to try.. and just keep your legs elavated.. and apply the pressure...I take ultram for my leg pain... if my pain isnt severe then it helps...and if my pain is severe enough I take heavier pain meds here at home or have to head to the ER for some IV meds...

I hope that you get some relief!!