I've got some shin pain. Think it could be a developing stress fracture.

I march DCI. For those of you don't know what this is, it's marching band, at a world class level for college kids, competitively. It starts early may and ends in August. Every day during spring training (about 30 days) are 14 hour days of music, marching, and drill rehearsals. After that is 60 days of touring the U.S. and performing in competitions.

This past summer I got pretty bad shin splints part way through, but they went away as our rehearsal schedule eased up.

I got home, had about 12 days off, and then went straight to college marching band. I'm in the UW marching band, which is extremely physical and intense. The marching step is very demanding and not the best for your body. Aside from the 12 days off, I haven't hadn't more than 6 days of rest since May.

The past week we've been rehearsing indoors since it's so cold. I've had my shoes off (no cushion/ impact absorption for my legs...?) for rehearsal on the turf field.

The pain is in my left shin, about halfway between the knee and ankle. The most I feel the pain is when we warm up, we jump on one leg. The repetitive jumping on my left leg causes me to feel it. What's weird, is unlike the symptoms of a stress fracture, it really doesn't linger. Once the hopping on one foot ends, the pain subsides for the most part. It doesn't normally cause pain while I'm marching, at all. What bothers me is that it's definitely not a tendon and it's definitely something. I can press on the shin with my thumb in that area (halfway between knee and ankle) and it does hurt, there's a spot about an inch or so long where the pain is. The pain is probably a 2 or 3 out of 10. Very tolerable, it's hard to even call it pain sometimes. I can get the pain to happen if I hop on one foot, or do a jazz run (dance/ marching movement technique). It feels almost like a bruise at some points. I've had shin splints, this feels different.

I'm trying to be as proactive as possible as to what this might be. I have one week left of marching band and the band im done for the season.

After that, I'll have a month of rest before a weekend rehearsal camp for this upcoming DCI season. After that weekend, I've got two months before the next weekend rehearsal. So I'll have ample healing time.

I would love to hear people's opinions and thoughts. Also, things I can do to prevent this from happening again (vitamins? Strengthening exercises, the like)

Thanks in advance

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