I have been pretty physically active the past few months, even more than usual. I've always been one to do lots of exercise, but I have increased the amount of stuff I do. A part of that is daily walking/jogging. This has certainly improved my overall endurance but I somehow keep managing to hurt my damn leg. The problem area is my right lower leg, the inside portion, between the ankle and the bottom of the calf (calv, calve, whatever the hell it's called) muscle. It isn't a major problem, but over the past few months it's bothered me on 2-3 seperate occasions. I don't recall injuring it while in motion. But often the day after it hurts like hell to walk. After I walk on it a good bit the pain seems to work it's way out, until I sit down again for a while. Then we I start to walk again, it hurts again until I walk it off once more. After a day or two, it just goes away completely.
The pain is sort of a sharp one that reaches it's max as I place my full weight down and start to spring off for the next step. Again, nothing unbearable, but it's not exactly pleasant either. There's no swelling or discoloration or anything like that, so I don't think I have any major damage. And the only time it bothers me at all is just when I walk. And specifically when I drop all my weight on the foot on that side and as I start a new step. I am aware of what's called shin splints, but it seems this is a bit far to the side of the lower leg to be this. So what's causing this to happen and what can I do to prevent it? Should I start skipping days between my walking/jogging routine to give my muscles more time to rest? Would stretching before and after help? Or am I just turning into an old fart and have to accept that my body isn't what it was when I was 18? LOL.
Again, no big deal, but it's just kind of annoying.