Right leg stiffness

[MQ5]

I started trying to get in shape in February with power walking.
I did pretty well and was up to 3 miles quickly. At the time I had some aches and pains that I thought were due to disuse and cheap shoes.

So I bought better shoes, double checked my stretching technique and kept going.

Although my left leg seems to be stronger as I would expect, my right leg does not. It is usually stiff despite stretching and often there is a lot of muscle cramping along the front of the shin.

A couple of weeks ago I also noticed that my gait seems uneven and I seem to stumble a bit off the right leg. It is very noticeable on the treadmill and slightly less bothersome on hard trail.

Often I can work through the stiffness and keep up a really good pace. Sometimes however my right shin is so tight and painful I limp through a couple of miles and pack it in. There are also times when I do not experience any stiffness or pain at all - but this seems to be getting more rare.

At first I thought I might be over striding so I have been really working on that but I have seen minimal improvement. I have even thought it might be psychological.

I dont notice odd pains else where - like pains from compensating for the uneven gait.

But I am really really bothered by this right leg thing. Since I have been doing this for a while my cardiovascular health is much improved and I want to get faster at walking. But right now that right leg hampers me!

Of interest - I have been following the couch to 5k program for a couple of weeks on my treadmill. Aside for a little bit of uneven gait I have not had the same stiffness or shin pain as when I walk.

Any idea what might cause this odd problem?

[Cloud9Fitness]

I suspect inflammation in the area of the tibialis anterior, fibular muscles, and interosseus membrane. These are all areas that are associated with shin splints. This is likely since no other symptoms mentioned, there is gradual worsening, and stiffness.

Therapy for these issues is not consistent. However, most individuals attempt rest, scheduled ibuprofen, and stretching (stand on the left leg, and push the top of the right foot on the ground to stretch the muscles next to your shin).

If these therapies do not sound like they address the issue, or the problems persist see an athletic trainer, therapist, or sports med physician that may be able to look at your gait and make specific suggestions.