shin splints and exercise

jlallen

Ok so I thought I was doing good on my workouts just a little sore...ok A LOT sore but thought it was bc I haven't worked out in soooo long. Turns out I have shin splints. Are there any workouts I can do without dying? I don't want to slack off and then just stop. :frown: Any suggestions???

ambraroberts

I also have shin splints! The key is stretching good prior to working out! Here is a link!
http://ezinearticles.com/?Three-Shin-Splints-Stretches-You-Need-to-Be-Doing&id=1457414

kcdrake

When I had shin splints the only thing that helped me was getting new workout shoes.

BUT I had to let them heal first. I couldn't run (or walk) without them killing me. The only thing I could do without being in crazy agony was yoga - the slow kind not the crazy cardio yoga (and it helped stretch them out, which helped them feel better faster). Depending on how bad they hurt you might be able to use the elliptical or a bike (stationary or otherwise). If you have one available to you, swimming in a pool would be great exercise without putting any pressure on your achey shins.

good luck!

karrenbennett

The best way to treat shin splints is to allow it to rest. However, if you want to exercise try non weight bering exercises such as swimming, cycling and running in water.

Make sure you stretch the muscles in the lower part of the leg mainly the tibialis posterior.

I get shin splints all the time and have to switch up exercises to allow mine to recover.

Good luck!

goatskinlegs

one of the most over looked keys in exercise is stretching. You should stretch more than you actually exercise. especially your legs, the hamstring is the most neglected tendon in your body if you don't stretch it you can give yourself shin splints or even worse you can tear it, and you don't wanna know that kind of pain! An easy stretching exercise for that area is stand on the tips of your toes on a step or a curb any elevated but flat area and lower your heel towards the ground until you feel it stretch then hold it, do this twice a day everyday. Also try some new running shoes, I recommend Nike Air+ 7.0's GOOD LUCK! :happy:

edinbors

Jillian Michaels says if you have any lower body injury to do jab cross punches with a squat cause it blasts up your heart rate and burns off fat...there are many variations....up cut with a squat things like that. She is so right it really does blast up your heart rate....kinda boring but it keeps you on the right track with calories burning. Also yoga really helped me when I had shin splints. I do Jillian Michaels Yoga Meltdown...I LOVE her dvd's! Its $9 at walmart! Good luck and hope you get to feeling better soon! It took a couple weeks to fully heal for me!

rowie

I have shin splints too. The things that hurt the most are running/jogging and lunges, at least for me. I found that avoiding high impact exercises in that area is what works. Now, i ride my bike instead of running, and you can do leg exercises with a stretchy band while sitting in a chair or laying on the ground! Stretch lots, get good shoes, and avoid high impact! Good luck!

elmct57

good luck on your recovery. once you're better, work on preventing shin splints by strengthening your lower legs and NEVER running on concrete. My daughter was a runner; we used these:

Shin splint preventing exercises

1. Wall Shin Raises. Simply stand with your back to a wall, with your heels about the length of your feet away from the wall. Then, lean back until your buttocks and shoulders rest against the wall. Dorsiflex both ankles simultaneously, while your heels remain in contact with the ground. Bring your toes as far toward your shins as you can, and then lower your feet back toward the ground, but do not allow your forefeet to contact the ground before beginning the next repeat. Simply lower them until they are close to the ground, and then begin another repetition. Complete about 12 to 15 reps.

Once you have finished the reps, maintain your basic position with your back against the wall, dorsiflex your ankles to close to their fullest extent, and then quickly dorsiflex and plantar flex your ankles 15 times over a very small range of motion (smaller than the nearly full range you use for the basic reps; the emphasis here is on quickness). These short, quick ankle movements are called pulses.

As you gain strength over time, make the wall shin raises progressively more difficult by advancing from one set of 15 reps to two and then three sets of 15 (for the basic raises and the pulses). It's OK to walk around for 15 to 30 seconds between sets.

Single-leg raise
Once you can quite comfortably complete 3 x 15 of the double-leg raises (both basic and quick), progress to the single-leg wall shin raise. The basic position for this exercise is as before, except that you begin with only one foot in contact with the ground; the other foot rests lightly on the wall behind you. Now, full body weight is on one foot - as it is during running - as you carry out the overall routine, and the exercises are considerably more difficult. Begin with 12 to 15 reps per foot (both for the basic exercise and pulses), and progress to 3 x 15 (basic and pulse) on each foot as your strength increases. There's no need to rest between sets; simply carry out 15 reps on one foot plus the pulses, shift over to the other for 15 repetitions and pulses, return to the original foot, and so on until you have completed three sets with each foot.

Heel Step-Downs
These are simple but devastatingly effective exercises for preventing shin splints. Begin with a natural, erect body position, with your feet about shoulder-width apart, and then step forward with one foot. The length of the step should be moderate - as though you were walking in your normal manner. When your heel makes contact with the ground, stop the foot from fully plantar flexing, ie, use your shin muscles to keep the sole of the foot from making contact with the ground. After heel contact, the ball of your foot should descend no more than an inch toward the floor or ground; your foot is held in check by the eccentric contractions of your dorsiflexors (shin muscles). Return your foot to the starting position (back by the other foot), and repeat this basic stepping action a total of 15 times. Then, shift over to the other foot and complete 15 steps. As with the wall shin raises, progress to three sets of 15 reps over time.


...Now with longer steps
Once you have mastered the basic heel step-downs, perform the same exercise - but with dramatically longer steps. Using lengthier steps will increase the accelerating forces placed on the dorsiflexors and force them to work more forcefully and quickly, as they must do during running. Start with one set of 15 reps of long steps per foot, and progress to 3 x 15 on each foot over time.

Finally, you will be ready to carry out the heel step-downs from a high step, which will increase the forces on your shin muscles to the greatest extent - and build the greatest amount of strength. Use a bench or exercise platform which is about four inches off the ground to carry out your stepping. Aside from beginning each step from a bench, your movements are the same as they are in the basic step-downs; the idea is to land on the heel of the forward foot and then to use the shin muscles to prevent the sole of the foot from making contact with the ground (again, don't let the ball of the foot move downward by more than an inch). The actual length of the step is moderate at first (you can progress to long steps later). As before, begin with 15 reps per foot, and progress to three sets of 15 reps as you gain strength and coordination.

Both the wall shin raises and heel step-downs can be carried out three to four times a week

LotusF1ower

I used to get shin splints when I ran on hard pavements. Eventually, I would only run on grass or soft surfaces and I also wore sorbothane Insoles in my trainers which would soak up 90% of the shock when running. In my own case, it was all to do with the pounding along the street when running, I wan't exactly a graceful runner either :laugh:

jlallen

Thanks for ALL the advice!!!!!!

S_H84

My husband is a marathon runner and used to have shin splints. Now that he is in Medical School he learned that upping your milk intake can take care of it. He now drinks a cup of milk in the morning and at night and never had shin splints again.

LotusF1ower

My husband is a marathon runner and used to have shin splints. Now that he is in Medical School he learned that upping your milk intake can take care of it. He now drinks a cup of milk in the morning and at night and never had shin splints again.

Hi! That's interesting! Out of interest, can you ask him why that works - why would drinking milk stop the splints I mean. That could resolve a hell of a lot of problems re shin splints for a lot of people and is extremely useful. Thanks :flowerforyou:

S_H84

Ok, what my husband says is that you can have shin splints in two different areas. One is on the front of your shin, and the other one is above the inside of your ankle. He had it on the inside of the ankle.
Basically, the reason you have shin splints is because the muscle pulls away from the bone causing the pain. The reason he was told to increase milk intake because the body needs a certain amount protein and calcium per day to function properly. So, if you are lacking calcium/protein in your diet, it might be the cause of experiencing shin splints. However, there are many other reasons why somebody might be having the pain, such as stride gait, type of shoe, weight, etc......
However, after trying everything else that he had read somewhere, he was told to increase his milk intake (the right amount of calcium was calculated that he needed for his height/weight) and his shin splints went away in 4 days. He now drinks a total of 4 cups per day, not 2 cups as I mentioned in the other post.
Hope this helps

buttabean14

I've got shin splints too, but I drink milk and stretch regularly. I had to take a break from the treadmill today and hit the stationary bike. But man, they hurt! Anything I can put on my shins for the pain?