RHP with right shin pain

[mike s]

DD just began to experience pain in her right lower leg, she is a right-hand pitcher. The pain is on the inside of the mid shin area. We shut down her practice early yesterday when I noticed that the pain was causing poor mechanics even though she said I need to learn to work through the pain. So my question is has any dealt with this, could it be shin-splints? For now she will rest, stretch and take Ibuprofen. Obviously if this does not work then its off to see the doc.

 

[halskinner]

Who said you need to work through the pain???

Nothing in pitching should cause pain. There are instructors out there teaching mechanics that are not considered safe. Many of those will make that statement. However, pain in the shin area is not usually a spot that bad mechanics will cause pain.

Again, who was it that said to work through the pain?

 

[starsnuffer]

Does she do anything besides pitch? Did she run the mile in school that day? Sometimes pitching aggravates injuries that occur elsewhere, especially things like shin splits. The vast majority of people have no bloody clue how to run correctly, and they certainly do not teach running mechanics in public schools. My only experiences with shin pain (other then comebackers to the shins) with students were from aggravations from running. . . either in school or a recent practice that had more running in it.

-W

 

[mike s]

Hal - she said it not me. She wanted to try, I shut it down as soon as I noted it was effecting her mechanics.
Star - No softball is her only sport, does not run for conditioning either.

 

[halskinner]

Without playing a thousand questions here, do you have a video you could show us?

Trying to picture something in mechanics that would cause pain in the pivot leg shin area. Imagining this to be a nerve thing, slightly pinched nerve. The nervous system is like a tree. Starts at the spine with big branches, then smaller branched down the line and so on. An injury to the shoulder can sometimes first be felt in the fingers, injury to the elbow can first be felt in the fingertips, as examples. It is probably very unlikely but possible, injury to the knee or hip being felt in the shin area??? Wild guess there. Something in her mechanics causing a slight impingement further up the leg that is being felt first as pain in the shin??

If it pops up again, definitely go to the Dr, maybe physical therapist after that. This sounds like an odd case here. A video might give us a better 'guess'.

 

[FrozenRope]

DD just began to experience pain in her right lower leg, she is a right-hand pitcher. The pain is on the inside of the mid shin area. We shut down her practice early yesterday when I noticed that the pain was causing poor mechanics even though she said I need to learn to work through the pain. So my question is has any dealt with this, could it be shin-splints? For now she will rest, stretch and take Ibuprofen. Obviously if this does not work then its off to see the doc.

I wouldn't get too excited about it. She could have bumped it at some point and not even realized it. I can't think of ANY mechanical issues that would cause pain in the pivot foot shin. Let her rest it for a few days and give it a go. But then again... I didn't think pitching mechanics could cause vision issues either.

 

[Westwind]

Local RHP had right shin pain. Tried to play through it. Stress fracture.

Supposedly a local sports physical therapist says it is related to pitchers converting from molded to metal cleats which prevents pivot foot from moving the same way. Fracture occurs. He is recommending turf or molded cleats.

Anybody else hear of this? (asks the guy whose dd is 12u and doesn't have to worry about it yet).

Don't shoot the messenger here, I don't have a horse in the race.

 

[mike s]

Thanks all for your responses. Hal, she has never consented to have video posted, I respect her right to decide. Westwind, thought about stress fracture, just hoping it isn't. Will continue with resting it and see what happens.

 

[starsnuffer]

Never heard of that, Westwind.


-W

 

[javasource]

Mike S,

Sounds like a splint... and if it is, they are usually more of a foot problem... allowing pressure to not be dispersed throughout the shin area.

Let her rest a day or two... and give her ice and aleve if it is troublesome. This can be a one time thing or in some cases, chronic. If it is the latter, arch supports really help.

In the interim, try rest... maybe different shoes, and avoid pitching on harder surfaces.

Most importantly, if it persists... see a doctor. Hope she gets better.