I had something similar to what you are describing. I found that while running seemed to be the cause, cycling aggravated it. While I didn't stop training, I did have to cut down a bit. I also started getting A.R.T. which in itself is absolute hell, but helped significantly! I have found that physio has never helped with anything for me.
Good luck and I feel your pain!!

Do you have media tibial stress syndrome? Have you gotten a diagnosis? Do you pronate? The reason I ask is I used to get shin splints and then it got so bad last year that I was crippled at Disneyland and called a podiatrist that was recommended to me. I had tried the superfeet orthotics and they did not help much. I got fitted for the real orthotics and they have changed my life. The doctor checked my out and was amazed that I had not had major issues before as he said I was a posterchild for MTSS. I just ran a half marathon on asphalt, something I though I would never be able to do. With that being said, I still am supposed to do calf stretches 3x day. If you have a similar situation and pronate(in my case a ton), you may want to get professional help. Hope that helps you.

These are all great advice. I am healing but not as fast as I would like to. I still have pain anterior part of my ankle. I have been all the exercises people have been telling me. I have not tried running yet because I still have discomfort when I walk. Should I try to run? Would running help me heal faster to break up all the scar tissue and knots in my muscle or should I wait until I am pain free from walking.

I also had a question about heating. Should I incorporate heating into my recovery or just stick with ice. Any help would be great. Again thank you everyone who has written!

In the past I have struggled a lot with shin splints / mtss. I pronate a lot and I have other weird biomechanical issues. It took me 3 xc seasons of running myself into the ground and having 3 month recoveries before finally learning my lesson. I saw 8 different trainers/PT's/doctor's,etc and was told that I really should not be a runner by a couple of them. I had custom nice custom orthotics made (I don't use them anymore). etc etc everything that I was supposed to do. I actually run in neutral - light stability shoes because, by my own experimentation, my biomechanical issues are too complicated for shoes to correct and I run better just using what I have.

What it took to recover completely was to stop running until there was no pain at all, and then build up slowly with this rule of thumb: If you feel any effect from the previous run, don't run.

That means, if I accidentally ran too long or too hard one day, it might be 3 or 4 days before I could run again, but if I stayed within my limits, every other day was ok.

I haven't had shin splints for years now. I never run more than 4 days or 25 miles per week. I just had to accept my mileage limitations and learn to use my miles wisely. I'm a lot faster now than I was when I was running 6 days/week with high school / college xc teams.

I have also just started with a neutral shoe this Spring. I'm hoping it does for me what you've experienced .

I've pretty much realized this through experimentation. The orthotics and motion control shoes that correct one problem seem to exasperate another. I've found that with a highly corrective shoe, when my foot leaves the ground at the back of the stride, it jerks pretty harshly back to the position it wants to be in putting a lot of strain on my soleus and anterior tibialis. With a neutral or light stability shoe, the jerk is much less pronounced. The neutral or light stability shoes that I use now are also a lot lighter and I think that that also seems to help. I am a pretty small person and having big heavy shoes just seems to stress my body more than a little less cushioning does.

Yes I pronate a lot - if you want a laundry list of biomechanical issues: heel and forefoot varus in both feet in varying degrees, if I stand on one leg and bend it my knees goes way inward, right leg is slightly bowlegged, right hip is set deeper and rotated, right leg is slightly shorter. When my old pt suggested an orthotic that came up around my ankles because nothing else was working, I decided that there had to be a better way to go.

My favorite shoes are Mizuno Elixer's which are a really lightweight mild stability shoe. I have a few other pairs of shoes that I rotate through (NB lightweight stability trainers and Brooks Axioms) but the Mizuno's are my favorites. I've been racing in Pearl Izumi Streak SL's but I'm looking around for something else because they give me blisters.

I would disagree. What works for one person may not work for you. I have similiar issues,(including a leg length discrepancy of 1/2 an inch). At one point about 5 years ago I had 3 stress fractures in 1 1/2 years time along with low back, and hip problems. After being fitted for my orthotics and wearing them I have been virtually injury and pain free since. I certainly have not cut back on my training at all. This last one(injury) was really due to not taking any rest and ramping up too soon/fast after my IM in August. Since, I have been fitted for new orthotics which are lighter and more flexable making them more comfy. Materials have changed those 5 years and it was time for new ones (they may have also broken down over the years leading to this latest injury). Getting your body used to them takes time, ie; you have to wear them walking, then running a few miles etc. I wear them with either the Assic Kyano or the 2100 series.
Just my opinion, since it works for me :)

Its about what works for you. Brit's route works for many people and since that's what the medical people recommend (even though $$), I do recommend you try that first. I definitely went my route counter to what all medical professionals told me (though some of them just told me to give up running). I am also a really small person (110 lbs), I have average arches which are really the only thing below my hips that I've never had any problems with, and I severely limit my running mileage. Its a solution, but its not perfect. I'm glad I really have no ambitions for IM or marathon or anything like that.

You must develop a good body awareness that will allow you to analyze why you are hurting and you pretty much have to swear off running while hurt. The rule of thumb that I use "never run if you feel any effect from a previous run" has been key to recovery for me. I officially swore off my orthotics a bit more than 2 years ago after 2 years of trying every medical professional in the Boston area. I've also just gradually tried lots of different shoes as they've worn out. This year, I was lucky enough to win 2 pairs of running shoes in races so I was able to try even more. The mizuno's are definitely the best for my feet and I can run 10 miles sockless without blisters in them, but they wear out more quickly than other brands.

Over the past 2 years, my mileage cap has definitely increased even though I don't actively push it. Its not something that I feel limits me any more. 2 years ago 15mpw was pushing it, but now I can do 20 no problem. That seems to be plenty for the Olympic distance triathlons that I like to do - my 5 and 10k split time have been dropping like crazy and I feel I can drop another 3-4 minutes off my 10k on my current mileage. You just can't waste the miles you have. This is the first year that I've been able to even fit long runs into my allowable mileage.