Ahh shin splints actually stress fractures.. it think?

im scared my shin splints are actually stress fractures. last thursday marked the 3weeks of shin splints. the first two i didnt run at all and they didnt get any better.. only worse. it started out with one shin.. then the other. and now it feels as if i have them on the inside and out of my shins...im goin to get xrays tomorrow. what exactly are stress fractures, and how do you fix them? how long does it take for them to heal? im so scared cuz i LOVE running and i dont want to have to stop...

I feel your pain... If you keep running on your shin splints, the pain is terrible. It will *feel* like stress fractures. Fortunately, that's unlikely.
Unfortunately the only way to cure your shinsplints is to stay off them. No running for 6-8 weeks. I know that sounds awful. But the pain will never go away unless you take a break.
Meanwhile.... ice your shins to reduce the swelling.
Take Advil for pain and to reduce swelling.
Take arnica pellets (from the health food store) to repair tissue.
Soak in a hot bath of Epsom salts.
Do light stretches. Flex and extend your foot. Do this with a straight foot and a twist to right and left.
When you resume running.... be sure to warm up before running (even use hot pack) and to stretch thoroughly before and after.
Good luck.

well. this soccer season i got shin plints. and after a very long time of doing nothing, my pain would not go away. even when i was not moving. and i ended up with a couple of stress fractures on my right shin. It really stinks. stress fractures are pretty much tiny cracks in your bones. trust me they arent pleasant. and it may not show on a regular xray.. so if it doesnt. request a bone scan. i had that done. i ended up having them in both legs. it put me out of a whole soccer season, and any winter sports. try going to this site http://mayoclinic.com/health/stress-frac... it will give you some information. good luck :/ :]

See a chiropractor some of the bones are leaning either forward or backward and they can be fixed. They are the cause of shin splints.

other useful info - Much pain is from muscles below is an example of what may help (based on headaches).
Begin with a couple swigs of molasses or a couple of bananas daily - magnesium (which regulates many things in the body) and potassium (a needed building block for muscles).
Drink at least 1/2 gallons of water per day. Running a body low on water is like running a car low on oil is the analogy the head of neurology at UCDavis told my husband about 10 years ago.

Now to the cause - muscles - your back, neck shoulders and head have tender spots. They are knots in the fibers of the muscles called trigger points. It makes the muscles tight which makes them press on nerves and other things causing the pain.

The cure - start with a professional massage, you will also want to go back over any place you can get to 6-12 times per session up to 6 times per day rubbing (or lightly scratching on your head) every where that is tender until the knots go away. The place where the skull connects to the spine press up under the edge of the skull (to get to those muscles).

For more information read The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook by Davies. It teaches what to do and where the pain comes from.