Kickas.org Forums Ankylosing Spondylitis General Discussion #1 AS Web Support Group Pain when walking

Hi all,

haven't posted here for a while but have been around.

i am wondering if anybody has severe pain in their shins/calves when walking (say over 100 metres at a time).

i walked my little girl to school the other day (downhill) and by the time i got there (only 1.5 blocks) i was crying from the pain. my whole lower leg was screaming in pain.

the funny thing is i play tennis and have no pain, a little bit achy(lots of stop/starts) and when i walk around the house etc it is ok, but any kind of distance and i just want to scream.

has anyone got any suggestions because i can't imagine this continuing forever (i NEED to be able to walk my kids to school, my little girl is starting in Jan)

Christine

How could you be playing tennis and not feeling the pain then... I really have no answer and would advise you see a doctor or a physio.

Take care. Ankush

I have always had problems with tightness and pain in my calves when walking for more than 5 minutes, and have been told the muscles there are very short. I too get no pain when playing sports, just from walking. This is probably because the pressure is constant when you are walking.

The only way I can get round it is to wear heels!!! I'm not talking about 3" heels here, just something that raises the heel by an inch. If I wear flats I am in agony! I find wedge heels are the best, as your foot still has a stable base, and you aren't at risk of twisting your ankle. You can also get inserts that raise the heel in your current shoes, they are usually sold as height raisers!!! I found mine on Ebay.

Other than that, I can only recommend regular streching exercises to loosen the calf muscles.

Hope that helps!

Thanks. like you i have found wearing heels helps. i am only 5 feet tall so wearing heels is great for me!!

Hi Christine, The pain in the shins was a big deal for me from the outset. I was a sportsman and apart from what at the time was believed to be groin and thigh strains, the big problem was the shins. After this came the ribs etc . The NSD cleared it up for me. Good luck george

Yes I thought I had shin splints for about three years before I knew I was sick. I also after stand for a couple of hours had to "let my spine collapse into place" This seems, for me to have been the warning signs I ignored. Keep playing tennis and keep trying to walk. Try walking slower and take breaks. Even for the short distance your talking about. Make it a game for your child. And good luck.

Probably a silly suggestion, but could you ride a bicycle to school?

I find that when I can't do one thing, often I can do some other variation, which then allows me to later do the thing I wanted...if that makes sense.

Have you tried yoga or pilates type excersizes? The 'Downward Dog" really stretches the calf muscles.
If your dr says it's ok...

I never really put it together before but I used to get horrible pains in my calves and achilles tendons. The tendon would get so stiff and rigid that I was convinced that it would snap if I took one more step. The calves would feel as though they were about to tear away from the bone. These pains would come and go only lasting a week or so at a time. I always associated it with wearing the wrong kinds of footwear, not stretching properly before strenuous work, etc.
To be honest, nothing seemed to work and there didn't seem to be any way to prevent it. I just worked my way through the pain.

I remember once in the bush while working as an archaeologist, I could barely move from the pain. My co-worker was pretty annoyed with me because we had a lot of ground to cover that day...somehow I overcame it and limped along? The same thing happened in basic training as well and I had to do the same thing.

I wish I had some good advice to offer. I tried Ben Gay and A5-35 (or whatever it's called) but those didn't seem to do much other than make me smell like an old man. I ate ibuprofen like candy during basic training (Tylenol was forbidden). I'm straining my brain trying to think of other things...hot baths? The one thing that did work I guess was mild stretching and massage but this only helped to lessen the pain and stiffness.

Best of luck with this problem, I hope you can work it out sooner than later.

never had the pain in the shins, but calves, yes.
was at its worst when i was on a statin that was causing edema.
i'd had edema (fluid retention) before, when taking vioxx, so i knew the symptoms and stopped the statin. both times (both drugs), the edema i had was the nonpitting edema, so the doctors couldn't hardly detect it, but my symptoms gave it away. so is it possible that you have some fluid retention?
probably not, but figure it doesn't hurt to bring it up.

the pain in my calves was from the tendons in the calves (can't remember their exact names right now), but most of my problems are tendon inflammation.

so for me, stretching prior to walking, and periodically while walking (calf stretches). and ice and heat. lots of ice and heat and stretching is what got me through that stretch. i was also going in to the chiros office (PT would work too) and having the entheses for these calf tendons ultrasounded, that helped me get through it.

the shoes i wear do make a huge difference in my feet, calves, achilles heel, knees, but for me, i think what i need to wear is different than most people. for me, i need really flat shoes, any kind of an arch that pushes into my foot, irritates, or any that pronate me one way or the other. like i said, i think i'm unusual in this respect. i can't even wear the expensive orthodics i paid $300 for.

sorry to hear about this. when i think of the worst things i have to suffer through, not being able to walk is at the top of my list. we take walking for granted, until each step is more painful than the last.

sue