I know it may be off topic a bit, I just bet some of you have some good answers. My 13-year-old daughter has started running track this year and has pain in her calves. I guess her coach believes it is shin splits and several of the girls have it. She also has pain in her feet when she runs, but not continually. So this could have something to do with PN since I have PN that I have apparently inherited from my mother. Any ideas on how she can relieve the pain? The coach tells her to put ice on her calves, but I don't see how this could provide anything but temporary relief. Thanks for any ideas.
Ron

Is she going through a growth spurt by any chance? I grew 3 inches when I was 13, and was in frequent discomfort. Sometimes when I would try to run, I'd get horrible foot and lower leg pain that would topple me. The same thing happened to a good friend (male) who was a year older than I was and also going through a growth spurt.

Magnesium lotion.... Morton Epsom lotion. I have umpty ump posts here about it. Use an nickel's diameter on each lower leg once a day. That should do it.

Pain in calf muscles are charlie horses. Shin splints are in front of the lower leg and affect the toes mostly.

Runners use up B6 alot also. If pyridoxal is low in muscle it cannot work right.

Pain like that suggests overuse... I'd get her to rest more often.

Make sure her shoes are proper for running also. Running shoes are not the same as other athletic shoes.

When I played soccer many moons ago lower leg pain (in my case shin splints) was mitigated best by stretching and strengthening the front muscles. The therapist at thr time explained my issue was due to the under developed from of leg muscles couldn't keep up with my massive calf muscles.

At least that is what I remember from it. I hope she finds some relief.

Jon

location of pain? may or may not be shin splints...

http://www.medicinenet.com/shin_splints/article.htm

[Shin Splints - Runner's World
www.runnersworld.com/tag/shin-splints
Runner's World
Shin splints, the catch-all term for lower leg pain that occurs below the knee either on the front outside part of the leg (anterior shin splints) or the inside of the leg ...]


I would make sure to have every good fitting shoes for her foot.* higher end sporting/running stores can fit properly..

check for stride, leg, alignment hypermoblity?

Thank you everyone who posted. The pain is in the front outside of her lower legs. She says her feet and ankles also start to hurt while she is running. My pain started when I was about her age playing soccer. I'm sure it is from too much use too fast, but she wants to keep running so it's tough. She does try running less but the pain doesn't go away. We will get some running shoes, magnesium lotion, and maybe some B6.
Ron

Don't know about a growth spurt, but since the pain started about when she started running, and several others on the team have similar pain, I think it is likely from that.

I have watched some youtube videos and one doctor said that actual 'shin splits' are rare but several other conditions are often called that. Probably is just an inflammation of muscles in the calf due to poor muscle balance and/or poor running form, the muscles not being strong enough to handle the poor form. There are stretches recommended and I think strengthening the muscles could help. This is all assuming it's not related to PN, but the pain matches the shin splint pain descriptions pretty well.
Ron