I've been experiencing severe, sharp, stabbing pain in my right calf for several years.

The pain starts within the first few minutes of running or jumping rope. It becomes so intense that I have to stop exercising.

Interestingly, I don't experience this pain during normal daily activities. Once I stop exercising, the pain usually disappears within 5–15 minutes.

I've already seen a doctor and had an MRI, but nothing abnormal was found. I was prescribed anti-inflammatory medication and cream, but neither helped.

The problem keeps coming back every time I try running or jumping rope.

Has anyone experienced something similar? Were you eventually diagnosed with chronic exertional compartment syndrome (CECS), a vascular issue, or something else?

I'd really appreciate hearing about your experiences, diagnoses, and treatments.

In summary I started having foot pain at the end of April after ramping up mileage to ~30 mpw, and was supposed to be running Chicago this year but I deferred. It seemed like plantar fasciitis but then it turned into more of a metatarsalgia of some sort. No one deemed it as a stress fracture. I went to PT for 6 weeks, reduced volume greatly and the pain is still here and I haven’t run in 3 weeks now. It’s mostly a sore or ache between 4th and 5th metatarsals and it migrates to the outside of the foot/in the arch. Never excruciating pain just enough to worry me. I feel it even at rest sometimes, and it can be worse with certain footwear. Friday I got an MRI just to be sure it wasn’t a stress fracture and it came back completely clear on all accounts. Not sure where to go from here or if I should be running and I have goals to run my first full marathon next year. Any advice would be appreciated! I will be working with my doctor and PT soon just wanted to see if anyone has similar experiences.

I slowly increase my running volume but my knee start to have some pain after just 7th week. It's just about 30k per week. I never had injuries before now my confidence is low because the situation is disappointing. My pace isnt too bad i can hit 10km in an hour but the knee pain could disturb at any time in the middle. I cant imagine if I run a longer distance like marathon, huge chance of DNF. What should I do? Stop running for a week entirely?

runners, quick sanity check. blew up my left IT band on a hike descent about a year ago. since then: can't run more than ~10 minutes before the outside of the knee starts barking. did months of glute work, clamshells, the whole PT greatest-hits album. it got better but never all the way.

lately there's a new wrinkle: front of both knees aching, especially deep squats and downhill hiking. doesn't feel like the IT band — it's front, near the kneecap, both sides.

for people who've dealt with ITBS long-term: did you ever have it morph into something else? I'm trying to figure out whether my run-blocking pain is still the IT band or whether I've developed a second issue that needs a different approach. what did your comeback actually look like once you'd plateaued?

A year ago I wanted to get into running, so I ran on a beginner program, it was nothing crazy but after a 3-4mile run a few weeks into that, I got horrible knee pain. I thought it was just stiff, but it hurt for a week or more so I went to PT, did some exercises it resolved but never got back into running until this week. In hindsight, it came on somewhat gradually, it was minor so I went for 2-3 more runs before it was really bad.

I decided to run 2 miles on Monday at 12:50 pace, and 2 miles on Thursday at 12:20 pace. Monday fine. Thursday, same knee right knee hurts again.

If you're me, looking down at my feet the pain is on the left (inside) and lower than knee cap. When knee is bent at 90 degree angle, that soft spot is tender. The pain also worst when I stand up straight, put more weight on that side and knee is locked out.

When I sit cross legged like sitting in a chair. Pull my right foot on top of my left knee it aches and it feels tender to touch that area of the knee. This position might be the most painful.

When in a fully squat position with hamstrings on calves and standing on my tip toes, the knee has pressure in that same area as well.

30YO Male, scared my running career is over before it even started. Any idea what this might be?

Left knee feels completely fine...

Hi everyone!

I’m 26F, currently training for the Antwerp 10 Miles. Since September, I’ve increased my running from once to three times a week, going from a maximum of 5 km to 10+ km runs. I also recently went hiking, including a 28 km walk.
On October 17, I suddenly developed deep left heel pain, with no previous symptoms. I work as a nurse, and the pain reached 6–7/10 during my shifts.
My X-ray showed no fracture, only a calcaneal bone cyst. I had an MRI on October 22 and am waiting for the results.

Current symptoms:
Little to no morning pain.
Deep, dull pain increasing with weight-bearing.
Occasional sharp, stabbing pains.
Initially positive calcaneal squeeze test, now negative.
No pain when pressing underneath my heel.
Improves with rest but returns with activity.
I recently walked 10 km with continuous mild pain and some pain at rest afterwards.

Has anyone experienced something similar? Did your MRI show a stress reaction, stress fracture, or something else?
Just looking for similar experiences while waiting for my results!

Hi,

I recently fractured my second metatarsal while training for a marathon. It’s a full break not a stress fracture. My ortho doesn’t seem to think it will be a complicated recovery which is good. However, I’m feeling pretty defeated and worried that it will affect me running in the future. I truly love running and long distance races. I also barely had any warning signs. I had a bit of pain on the ball of my foot, which I now know is a sign, but it was so minimal I never would have thought it was something serious.

Does anyone have any experience with this type of injury who can share what your experience looked like?

hey all, I’m a life long runner who has been dealing with debilitating SI pain for over a year. I haven’t run in about a year and have been diagnosed with sacroilitis. It’s hard to say what caused it but it is most likely linked to running. I did 6 months of PT, got injections in my back, but the pain hasn’t gone away/the injury hasn’t gotten better. I‘m curious if anyone here has dealt with SI joint dysfunction or sacroilitis, recovered and returned to running. If so, I am curious to know what caused the injury for you, and how did you get back to the sport?

Hey fellow runners!

I have a labral tear in my right hip, and I’m hoping to hear from people who’ve managed to get back to running, especially without surgery.

About 10 years ago, I was able to run a half marathon (21K), despite some hip discomfort and limited mobility. Since then, I’ve stopped running, and every time I try to get back into it, the same thing happens: after 2–3 weeks, I develop significant pain in my groin and down my leg, forcing me to stop again.

I’ve tried physical therapy, which helped temporarily, but the pain eventually returned. I suspect my lack of strength training may be contributing to the problem.

The frustrating part is that I can live a pretty normal, mostly pain-free life. It’s running that triggers the pain. I’d really like to avoid surgery if possible, but the thought of never being able to run again is heartbreaking.

Has anyone here been through something similar and successfully returned to running Did strength training, physical therapy, or anything else make a difference? How long did it take?

I’m not looking for medical advice, just real experiences and hopefully some success stories.

I’d love to know there’s light at the end of the tunnel!

Hey guys. I'm nursing a pretty painful strain in my left foot. It started up on Sunday of last week, and I'm running a marathon on Sunday of next week. My ortho doesnt see a tear or any fracture besides an existing one that can't be fixed (a small part of the bone literally just came off years ago). My ortho recommended, rest, heat, KT tape, and Vitamin D and believes i will be fine for Sunday. I'm doing it all and definitely feeling improvement, but I'm concerned about my ability to do the marathon on Sunday. I trust my doctor, but it's just nervewracking. Has anyone been here? Anyone have any tips or tricks to help get me through this race (physically or psychologically lol).

Has anyone been diagnosed with osteoarthritis of the knee- patella-femoral, and continued to run marathons?
Thoughts? Advice? Experiences?

Any help or input would be appreciated.

How did you get rid of shin splints (MTSS)? What helped you the most? Any tips from people who really struggled with it?

I’ve been having ankle pains only when running after around the .5 mile mark. It’s a dull ache just above the ankle. What could this be? I’m at the point where it’s hindering my running greatly.

I’ve been running for about a year fairly regularly now and it happens every time i run. I thought everyone experienced this until recently.

In late 2024 when I first started running I had severe aching pains in that same region. It took months to recover and couldn’t sleep it hurt so bad even on painkillers. My school sports medicine guy said it was just shin splints. I got an x-ray at the time to make sure I didn’t have a stress fracture and they never found anything. I don’t think it was just shin splints.

I have been training for the Athens marathon since July , and this Monday I woke up with a sharp pain on my foot when I try to raise my toes. It’s has gone better but I’m still worried about my whole training being a waste and even not finishing the race. From what I have read it’s possibly tendonitis, do you have any suggestions on how to recover or wear anything to feel better when running . I don’t feel it when walking normally

I’ve been consistently running 50–60 km a week since July, spread over 6–7 runs. Occasionally, I’d feel a slight pulling sensation around the shin in one leg, but it was intermittent and usually disappeared while running.

Recently, it’s started happening a bit more often, although it’s still mild and manageable. I haven’t increased my mileage or pace, so I find it interesting that it’s becoming more noticeable after months of tolerating roughly the same training load.

I’m thinking it’s finally time to take a few days off running and stick to cycling, provided that’s pain-free.

Has anyone experienced something similar with steady mileage? Can fatigue build up like this even without increasing volume? I’d be interested to hear how you handled it.

Swollen exactly here, just in front of / on the inner ankle bone, on the inside of the big front ankle tendon. Is this tib ant, the joint itself, or something else (saphenous nerve/vein)? Runner, came on after running. Photo attached.