Ah help shin splints are actually stress fractures?

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...

ok. so here's the deal. first of all, x-rays probably will not show stress fractures. there are clinical tests though. and if the clinical tests are positive for stress fractures you will probably be sent for a bone scan (they inject you with radioactive fluid and then take a scan which shows where your body is reproducing bone).

one way to possibly tell between stress fractures and shin splints is to run your finger along the flat part of your shin bone. if that creates a lot of pain, then you probably have stress fractures. but, if you only have pain by pressing into the soft tissue right to the inside of your shin bone, it is probably still shin splints.

also, you can tap your finger along the flat part of your shin bone. if that produces pain, that is also a positive sign.

as for fixing them. you have to stop running. i know it sucks. i will have to miss my entire track season because of them. i don't know what your pain level is right now, but if you try to run through them, the pain WILL become unbearable. i have played soccer through ruptured ankle ligaments, and my stress fractures would have me on the floor, collapsed in pain after each race. healing time is about 6-8 weeks, but can be longer. you can cross train so you don't lose your fitness, but it has to be no impact.

try meeting with a sports specialist to see what is causing your stress fractures. it could be as simple as too much too soon, or it could be helped by new running shoes or orthotics.

again, i KNOW how awful it is to be kept out of your sport, but if you run through them, they will turn into full fractures that need to be casted or even surgically repaired, and THAT will keep you out longer.

good luck!