Shin Splints

maddogg82

I have Shin Splints. I’ve pretty much had them for a while. It happens every time I take a break from jogging and start back up. Last week I wasn’t feeling well and took a week of.. hence the splints today.

What exercises can I do that won’t irritate it? I still want to work out today but I don’t want to be in pain the whole time or put my body through something that might damage it even more.

Also if any of you know of anything I can do to ease the pain that would be great.

aschroeder2749

I don't have any answers for you, but I'm going to lurk. I struggle with shin splints all the time it seems. But yes, mostly if there's been a few days in between jogging.

maddogg82

I saw that some people put swimming but i dont have accesses to a swimming pool.. so there is that idea.

I have it wrapped up right now. I took some ibuprofen.. so we shall see .. let me know if you see anything.

Thank you.

aschroeder2749

I'll let you know. It's very discouraging. Right now I've injured my neck somehow but I'm still running. I went to the chiropractor yesterday and she adjusted me and didn't tell me I needed to stop lifting weights or running.

kcvance

I got shin splints when I ran because I have crazy-flat feet - my ankles roll inward (pronate) when I run, which causes tearing of the leg muscles where they are attached to the shins.

Cleared right up for me with some arch supports for flat feet - I never have problems any more. I would go to a store that specializes in running and see if they can do a gait analysis for you and fit you for some orthotics and/or some different shoes.

maddogg82

OH that sucks im .. yes it is very discouraging.. its like man i was just on a roll and ur gonna just put a HALT to all my hard work.. I feel you..

maddogg82

I got shin splints when I ran because I have crazy-flat feet - my ankles roll inward (pronate) when I run, which causes tearing of the leg muscles where they are attached to the shins.

Cleared right up for me with some arch supports for flat feet - I never have problems any more. I would go to a store that specializes in running and see if they can do a gait analysis for you and fit you for some orthotics and/or some different shoes.

Yes ive heard about this.. I was thinking of this too.. I need to find one in my area cus its hurts like m*ther right now.

hananah89

make sure you have your gait analyzed so you are wearing proper shoes, then cross train and strength train. you also should slow down, especially after taking a break.

aschroeder2749

I got shin splints when I ran because I have crazy-flat feet - my ankles roll inward (pronate) when I run, which causes tearing of the leg muscles where they are attached to the shins.

Cleared right up for me with some arch supports for flat feet - I never have problems any more. I would go to a store that specializes in running and see if they can do a gait analysis for you and fit you for some orthotics and/or some different shoes.

Now that you mention it, I was told I had flat feet as a child. Maybe arch supports would solve my problem!

toornstra05

rest until the pain goes away, even if its counter productive to your weight lose and stretch stretch stretch, before and after any and all workouts! If you hold each stretch for only 20 sec but do it every time you workout you will notice an improvement.

NotRailMeat

Shin Splints suck. I've struggled with them nearly my whole running life.

My best advise is:

1) Be sure you have been properly analysed for proper fit and foot strike and wear shoes to correct over/underpronation if needed. This seems to be the #1 cause of shin splints.
2) Stretch adequately before and after your run.
3) If at all possible avoid running on hard surfaces such as asphalt and concrete.
4) Learn to detect Shin Splints early, then take a break from running to let them heal.

maddogg82

rest until the pain goes away, even if its counter productive to your weight lose and stretch stretch stretch, before and after any and all workouts! If you hold each stretch for only 20 sec but do it every time you workout you will notice an improvement.

THIS is what freaks me out.. I hate it. I feel like i take 2 steps forward and four steps back.. Sigh :sad: :ohwell:

maddogg82

Shin Splints suck. I've struggled with them nearly my whole running life.

My best advise is:

1) Be sure you have been properly analysed for proper fit and foot strike and wear shoes to correct over/underpronation if needed. This seems to be the #1 cause of shin splints.
2) Stretch adequately before and after your run.
3) If at all possible avoid running on hard surfaces such as asphalt and concrete.
4) Learn to detect Shin Splints early, then take a break from running to let them heal.

I think it might be the shoe because i got them less when the shoes were new .. now that ive broken them in.. it seems like i get them more often.

What did you do to ease the pain?

beccaniles

When I first began running, shin splints were the bane of my existence.
I ignored all the "GET PROPER SHOES" posts because I'm a total tight wad and hate spending money... but seriously. Now, I can't stress that enough. Gots me some sweet sweet Mizunos (I'm a ball of the foot runner) and the problem disappeared completely. I also started speed walking 2-4 miles on the days in between runs, and that seemed to build up my legs in a less jarring manner.
Moral of the story: proper shoes and walking = victory over shin splints (mine, anyway).

As for easing the immediate pain - I iced my shins down a couple times a day and popped some ibuprofen.

darkrider42

In many* cases....mine included....it was not flat feet or anything like that. I'm just a big guy and my shin muscles were not prepared for the task I was asking them to do. :bigsmile: It's possible that, like me, your shin muscles were just not strong enough or not warmed up enough, and the pain you felt was the shin muscle cramping. Since you can sometimes run without pain when you've been doing it regularly, this makes me hopeful that you might benefit from what helped me. I've been running for some 30+ years...although VERY OFF & ON. And when I've been off for a long time and decide to start back up, I always have to do the following exercise.

It's a combination stretching & strengthening movement that I've never heard anyone else talk about....I sorta just made it up myself. It requires no equipment and you can do it anywhere. I totally recommend doing one or two sets of 15 reps on each leg at least once a day, but you'll see results faster if you do it once in the morning, afternoon and evening....and definitely as part of your pre-run warmup. That can replace one of your 3x per day. Depending on the severity of your shin splints, you could see relief within a day or two. I've shared this with several other people that have also had good results with this stretch.

Sit on the ground or floor and draw one leg up to a 45-degree angle. Flex the toes toward the knee. Place the heel of your other foot on top of the foot that is flexed. Then do basically "Shin Curls" using only the weight of the opposite leg as resistance. You don't need to push against it. If you're more of a visual person, check out this 7-second video.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/28905870/Shin Warmup.3gp

I do also agree with a lot of the other advice here about making sure your shoes are not old and the cushioning is too broken down and about running on softer surfaces. YES! There is a huge difference between running on a concrete sidewalk and pavement!! Avoid concrete whenever possible.

Good luck!
Dave

NotRailMeat

Shin Splints suck. I've struggled with them nearly my whole running life.

My best advise is:

1) Be sure you have been properly analysed for proper fit and foot strike and wear shoes to correct over/underpronation if needed. This seems to be the #1 cause of shin splints.
2) Stretch adequately before and after your run.
3) If at all possible avoid running on hard surfaces such as asphalt and concrete.
4) Learn to detect Shin Splints early, then take a break from running to let them heal.

I think it might be the shoe because i got them less when the shoes were new .. now that ive broken them in.. it seems like i get them more often.

What did you do to ease the pain?

Remember that, like tires, shoes wear out and need to be replaced. The foam cushion inside the sole will wear out long before the tread does so you may not even know that it's time to replace. A good rule of thumb is to replace your shoes every 300 miles, but this could be significantly less/more depending on your speed/stride length.

As for pain relief, I go with alternating ice and heat on my shins and Ibuprofen as needed.

jonschirripa

These are tough. Try to improve overall muscle strength in your leg. The other posts are spot on in regards to making sure you are running in the proper shoes (there are specialists just for this!! pretty cool).

Whats happenings is that there is an imbalance in strength in the flexors and extensors of your foot (muscles that point your foot up and down). Taking extended breaks from running will allow muscles to atrophy and any progress on eliminating the problem will be halted. My advice (2 cents)... run consistently, and make sure you are hydrated. Keep up the great work, and fight through it!

darkrider42

Oh and I also meant to reiterate what someone else said about the shoes......if you're a big guy like me, you absolutely cannot skimp on good shoes. You'll need something with good cushioning and motion control. You will not be able to buy cheap running shoes at Kohl's or Walmart for $39.99. I don't know that's what you have or not, but just saying....shoes are not created equal. And yes, it's borderline CRIMINAL what stores charge for good* running shoes, but it's going to take about $100 to get a pair that will protect you from getting injured.

My current personal preference is the Brooks Beast. I'm 6'-3" and about 315 lbs and those babies are like running on clouds and they last nearly a good year with me pounding the pavement in them. I've owned like 8 pairs of them now. Before that, I wore Asics and New Balance but sorry I don't remember the model names.

OH! Another point I don't hear people mention real often. And this one costs a little money, but the benefits outweigh that. If you buy *2* pair of the same shoes at the same time and rotate between them, that gives the cushioning in them time to decompress in between workouts and they last longer. Meaning that those 2 pair will last as long as if you had bought 3 pair end-to-end. I didn't use to believe that when I read it in Runner's World magazine several times....but eventually I tried it to see if it was complete BS or not. :laugh: Turns out NOT. It works. Plus the other upside is that allowing the extra time for the cushioning in the insoles to decompress, they're softer and more comfy the next time you wear them! Score!

Okay, that's about all I've got for now....I think. lol

Dave

darrensurrey

Darkrider's toe curl suggestion is what I learnt to do after sniffing around the net. Shinsplints is basically the muscle that runs down the shin being too weak for the job in hand. In running, it's pulling the foot back so you can land on the heal (otherwise your foot would flop forward and you'd crush your toes ) ).

I get it from playing tennis - the sudden braking and changing direction really puts a demand on the shin muscle.

darrensurrey

Oh, you could hang from a pull up bar by your toes and do curls... but when your feet give way, it's likely to end in tears.

darkrider42

One more thing......several people have mentioned "Flat Feet" as being a contributor to causing shin splints. This is true because if you have flat feet, your feet do not have the natural "shock absorber" effect to soften the impact of your footstrikes so your foot lands with more of a *THUD* instead of rolling more gently "heel-to-toe" as it should.

It's easy (and free!) to determine on your own if you have flat feet or not.

How to tell if you have flat feet:

The "Paper Test"

1 - Grab a blank sheet of regular paper (8.5x11).

2 - Dunk your foot in some water (bathtub, sink, bucket, etc).

3 - Stand with your wet foot on the piece of paper for a moment.

4 - Remove foot from paper and compare the paper to the image below. If there is a dry indentation where your arch should be, congratulations, you don't have flat feet.



Dave