Shin splints - advice needed

sthoma13

Looking for some advice from experienced runners on how to deal with shin splints! No, I haven't gone to the doctor yet because I just started feeling something might be wrong about a week ago. I get the dull pain in my lower front shin after running - usually persists with a dull throbbing periodically throughout the day. Pain scale: about a 3.

I'm training for a 20k in June and I had been trying to do speed work (intervals) to prepare for a 5k last weekend. It seems the worst when I'm doing "speed" workouts. I'm resting today and still fairly early in the training, how many days should I take off to heal and should I stop trying to increase my speed and instead just focus on the miles until my 20k?

Also, is icing good for it? I've seen conflicting things.

Stoshew71

I found this Yoga/stretching routine helped a lot with tightness I had in that area.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lc3haRNn-5I

Stoshew71

Also, doing too many speed workouts is not good (depending what you mean by speed workouts).

kristinegift

Does it get worse and worse the more you run, or is it a pretty constant pain?

Icing and stretching will help. Strengthen your calves (Google is your friend!). But if it continues is recommend seeing a doc. The pain and throbbing may mean a stress reaction or fracture. Best to see a doc and get cleared!

Elise4270

The culprit for me tends to be 1) increasing miles to fast 2) uneven hips/ tight muscles on one side.

I wear compression between runs when it's bothering me. I get a knot medial tibia/soleus. Gentle pressure while alternating flexion/extension of the ankle helps break it up.

I saw 3 docs over 2 years with it. One MRI and no one had any advice for me. @kristinegift might have better luck with the docs!

sthoma13

@kristinegift it's more constant than throbbing and very dull - I have only begun noticing it since doing a few interval type runs on pavement vs. my usual which was the treadmill. I've also noticed bruising on that leg. (Only right leg is affected) I have a few bruises on the back near my knee and sides. Wondering if this could be from stress or inflammation. I certainly haven't run into anything to cause the bruises otherwise.

I took 2 days off to rest - I also did a bit of icing i'm going to attempt easy runs tomorrow morning and Saturday.

I think it may very well just be a stress and my muscles being sore from changing my run routine up. I probably have bad form due to one leg being slightly longer. This leg is usually more tight than the other.

sthoma13

@Elise4270 what kind of compression? Like a tall sock? Forgive me, I'm pretty new to the running community.

ariceroni

I've sadly had a lot of experience with both shin splints and tibial stress fractures. What ultimately helped eliminate my shin splints were: shortening my stride, minimizing the amount I run on sidewalk, getting fitted for shoes to help with pronation issues, and strengthening my hips and calves. As far as dealing with the pain goes, I found ice cup massages to be really helpful. Basically, freeze water in a little dixie cup, then peel back the cup from the ice and use that to massage with. Just don't press too hard on the shin bones directly!
In my experience, there seem to be a few quick and dirty ways to (only somewhat reliably) discern stress fracture from shin splints. My shin splints felt about constant pain level during the course of the run, whereas with the stress fractures the pain got worse over the course of a run and hurt the most right after. The shin splint pain was more generalized, whereas with the stress fractures there was a specific point where the pain was intense. You can check for localized pain by running your finger along the inside and then outside of your shin bone while pressing lightly. Finally, there is the "hop test". Essentially, if you can hop on one leg without too much pain or not. Not the best test though, depending on how tolerant you are to pain. I was able to hop just fine, then later found out I had been running on a stress fracture for 2 months -_-
Either way, I would try to get it treated! If left untreated, shin splints can develop into stress fractures, which could sideline you for months depending on the severity...

sthoma13

@ariceroni thank you so much! That was super helpful! I can hop on the leg this morning with no pain. Haven't felt any pain in the last 18 hours or so. Going to run this morning and see if it starts back up at all.

Elise4270

sthoma13 wrote: »

@Elise4270 what kind of compression? Like a tall sock? Forgive me, I'm pretty new to the running community.

Yes, it's a sleeve, no foot. I bought CEP compression sleeves online. I think you can find some other brands cheaper that are just as good. A running store or some shoe/sports stores usually have them.

Elise4270

@ariceroni I have the tender spot that knots up. Glad to hear I've not been imagining it. No doc I saw was helpful. Thanks for sharing you experience.

Elise4270

Just a thought- The purpose of compression is to keep the muscle against the bone so it'll heal. The muscle can pull away from the bone and/or cause the bone to fracture...

Stoshew71

sthoma13 wrote: »

@Elise4270 what kind of compression? Like a tall sock? Forgive me, I'm pretty new to the running community.

Here are some examples:

http://www.runningwarehouse.com/catpage-INJCOMSKREC.html

And a couple articles:
http://www.runnersworld.com/tag/compression

http://running.competitor.com/2013/12/recovery/do-compression-socks-really-work_62611

Elise4270

Stoshew71 wrote: »

sthoma13 wrote: »

@Elise4270 what kind of compression? Like a tall sock? Forgive me, I'm pretty new to the running community.

Here are some examples:

http://www.runningwarehouse.com/catpage-INJCOMSKREC.html

That works. I didn't know there were socks. http://www.zensah.com/men/men-accessories/compression-leg-sleeves.html

Elise4270

Promo code for 40% off and free shipping at http://procompression.com/race-bag-forty-off