Can't run because of shin splints

RECowgill

So I'd like to run, but can't because of shin splints. They are pretty severe, I can't go more than hundred feet without some pretty intense pain. I have in fact been dealing with shin splints for years. I'm also not an athlete, I have no history of running and I never truly tried it before. But my cardiovascular health and health in general is excellent, so it's not like I don't have the energy to run.

All that said, I tried searching for more information here and elsewhere and I'm not really getting the kind of advanced information I'm hoping for. Things I have tried that don't help:

Compression sleeves
Stretching and foam rollers
Rest and extended breaks
New and custom fitted athletic/running shoes
Hot and cold treatments
Different running techniques (ball of foot, ball and heel, doesn't matter)

About the only thing I'm left with is "lose more weight" which as you can see I'm in the process of doing. Assuming its even possible for me to run, and it may not be because of stress fractures or who knows what, that might be the only way. Im hoping someone else will some information that's useful.

Kadoober

Have you tried massage?

claquettes

Have you tried slowing down? Most running issues are solved by slowing down and changing form if necessary. Many people try to run too far or too fast right off the bat. Practically guarantees an injury right there. Additionally, you didn't mention the method with which you tried to change your foot strike, nor did you mention how long your rests were or how long you tried ice massages. Shin splints are one of those injuries that you simply cannot run through. You have to rest until the pain is gone. And if you're changing your form, you have to start slow. Switching right away and trying to run 3 miles will not go well. Run 60 seconds, walk 90 seconds. Repeat 8 times. Then slowly up the amount of time you're running. A good program for this is Couch to 5K.

However, since you are getting pain very quickly, you may have something else going on. GO TO A DOCTOR. Preferably, a doctor who is well-versed in sports medicine. The internet and random internet strangers can only help you so much. Because stress fractures are a very real possibility for shin splints that just won't go away, you really should get it looked at.

RECowgill

Yes sports and deep tissue. And I do Epsom salt baths. Forgot to mention those.

steve2kay

I don't think I really had shin splints but I found that if I ran fast and took big strides then my shins really hurt after about 1km. This is also true if I take big strides when I walk.

I slowed down (8kph from 10kph) and upped my cadence so I was taking shorter strides which seemed to do the trick.

I'm now back up to about 10kph without problem but my stride is shorter and my cadence is still at about 180.

Good luck.

RECowgill

Can't do c25k, running for even 30 secs is difficult. I have rested long enough to be fully recovered only to get the pain again from trying. And I can't run that fast, best I can manage is a jog speed, sometimes barely faster than a fast walk.

MB_Positif

Have you tried minimalist running shoes...doesn't have to be the Vibram Five Fingers, many manufacturer's make them now. Strangely I used to get shin splints when I was on high school track, but just don't really get them anymore.

That said, one of my friends who runs a lot and got shin splints a lot switched to minimalist running shoes and hasn't been getting them.

A stretching technique that has worked for me is to point my toe toward the floor and basically "write the alphabet" a few times with each leg. That and straight ice. In school the trainer made ice in Dixie cups. He'd have us sit on a towel and just rub the cup of ice up and down our shins, tearing the cup down as the ice melted. We would do it until it was gone.

RECowgill

I don't need to be told 'go to a doctor'. If that's your advice move on. Looking for useful experience and insight if you have it.

2RobD

Try elliptical trainer instead of running or treadmill...much easier on my shin splints

3laine75

It was definitely shoes for me. The ones I got at a specialist shop, using gait analysis, made my shin splints WORSE - after stating that was my problem.

Picked up a comfy pair of Nike from a discount shop and have had no problems in 3 months

These are on the way to 'minimalist' so getting away from the whole support thing and letting your body adapt naturally - oh, and don't over do it

MB_Positif

I don't need to be told 'go to a doctor'. If that's your advice move on. Looking for useful experience and insight if you have it.

It's not invalid advice. Honestly shin splints usually don't come on instantly.

ninerbuff

The tibialis anterior is the usual culprit of shin splints and due to mostly unconditioned muscle and lack of flexibility in it. There are severals ways to stretch them and to work them out you need resistive dorsiflexion. You can do both by standing on a stair or step with your heels on the edge then pointing your toes down low as you can go, then bringing then up as high as you can. A good stretch you can do is to sit on your heels with your toes pointed straight out and top of the feet flat on the floor. For many, this will give you an idea of the flexibility of their tibialis.

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steve2kay

Have you tried minimalist running shoes...

Good point - I also switched to a pair of Nike Free running shoes from a more supportive pair - I didn't get on with the more supportive pair.

So this worked for me:
- run in less supportive shoes
- run slower (8kph)
- run with quicker cadence (180bpm - try podrunner for some music at that speed)
- set the treadmill to a slight incline (1 - 1.5%)

RECowgill

Try elliptical trainer instead of running or treadmill...much easier on my shin splints

I do elliptical routinely.

artsycella

I get pretty bad shin splints when I run for long. I have, like you, tried a lot of different things. Different shoes, different techniques, different surfaces. Back when I needed to run (I was in the military, so I didn't have a choice), I went to a lot of different doctors about it. The usual "prescription" was to take a lot of ibuprofen.

The conclusion I eventually came to is that I am not cut out for running. I do great on the elliptical, swimming, or other lower-impact sports. But running is more painful for me than it seems to be for most people, and I never found anything that would change that fact. I'm sorry this isn't particularly helpful advice, but I thought I'd let you know that you're not alone in having these issues.

CrusherKun

Have you tried a new arch support at all? That has always been my problem in the past. Use to have my arches taped when i played football in highschool. was the only thing to help push through the pain at times like your in.

RECowgill

Minimalist shoes are awful they make it worse. And I do and have done most all the stretching exercises here, stretching and shoes are not the issue.

kaned_ferret

I don't need to be told 'go to a doctor'. If that's your advice move on. Looking for useful experience and insight if you have it.

It's not invalid advice. Honestly shin splints usually don't come on instantly.

This. It could be something else altogether, particularly if decent shoes and gait analysis haven't helped in the slightest:

http://www.runnersworld.com/injury-treatment/mistaken-identity

I got awful splints when I first took up c25k, and I was very unfit - a decent pair of running shoes completely changed it for me. I won't say it made running painLESS, but it helped a huge amount. I second the vote for asking a medical professional if you've ruled out the usual alleviators for the problem

MB_Positif

Alright, so you have unsuccessfully tried everything that everything everyone has offered to you. You win. Sounds like it's time to see a doctor.

Doodlewhopper

Shin splints are caused by the terrible toos - too much, too soon, too hard. Ice, elevate and rest the legs a few days. Then go minimalist.

I had chronic shin splints for years. Went minimalist and havent looked back. You can try all the other stuff if you want but going minimalist should give the best results and save time and frustration. Going minimalist has added much and improved all aspects of running for me.

SoDamnHungry

Do you run on pavement or treadmill? Asphalt or concrete? Changing the surface you run on might help.

DeltaZero

Alright, so you have unsuccessfully tried everything that everything everyone has offered to you. You win. Sounds like it's time to see a doctor.

Or a PT, or maybe just suck it up, or try something different....

kenzietate

When I had shin splints, my dad had me do toe raises on the edge of a stair. You put your toes on the edge and then lower your heels as far down as possible and then raise them up as high as possible. He would have me do them 3-4 times a day as many as I could do. I was skeptical because it seems like you are working the wrong part of the leg but within a week they were a ton better and within a few weeks they were gone. I still continue to do them when ever I think about it and they have never come back.

mrsg2006

Do you run on pavement or treadmill? Asphalt or concrete? Changing the surface you run on might help.

I was wondering this myself....

leannems

I had terrible shin pain when I started C25k. It would get so bad that I overcompensated by trying to run different ways (on toes, ball of foot, no heel), and my feet fell asleep, while jogging. It was crazy (and I was always in danger of falling).

To get rid of the pain, I slowed down, took much smaller strides (sometimes during the first days of a new week, it seems like I'm faster when I'm doing the brisk walk instead of the jog, but over time my speed increases) and I will repeat days (so if I end a day with awful pain, I will repeat that day until I have no pain). To get rid of the foot sleeping, I changed the lacing on one of my shoes (the foot that fell asleep more would start at my toes, so I didn't cross at the top, only at the bottom).

I really feel like running barefoot of with those minimal shoes would be the best for me, but my changes have helped with the pain for now (and again, I repeat days until I can finish a day without pain). For example, I'm in the middle of week 4 now but I've been doing it since September 16.

I also make sure I'm not "leaning forward" too much. I do this by lowering my hands to my waist level, and relaxing my shoulders.

So yeah - what worked for me was slowing down, taking shorter strides, repeating days, trying to stay more upright, and re-lacing my shoes. As a point of reference, I'm morbidly obese, on week 4 of C25k, and walking/jogging about 2 miles in the program (which goes from 28-32 minutes, depending on the week) without pain.

Otterluv

I'm an obese runner and never had this problem, you probably can't blame it on the weight. Sometimes I get aches and pains, but never instantly.

If you have really tried everything else, like getting fitted for shoes, trying to run on a different surface, etc. Then it's time to:

go see a doctor

BusyRaeNOTBusty

Why are you so set on running?

Ride a bike.

DeltaZero

Why are you so set on running?

Ride a bike.

Please don't offer him any common sense answers. He only wants to hear answers he's expecting.

timeasterday

When I had shin splints, my dad had me do toe raises on the edge of a stair. You put your toes on the edge and then lower your heels as far down as possible and then raise them up as high as possible. He would have me do them 3-4 times a day as many as I could do. I was skeptical because it seems like you are working the wrong part of the leg but within a week they were a ton better and within a few weeks they were gone. I still continue to do them when ever I think about it and they have never come back.

That was good advice. Sometimes the shin pain is due to weak calves. Weak calves cause more work for the shins.

It could also be caused by excessive heel striking or just too much too soon. You can increase cadence which should help heel striking, maybe take a Good Form Running class.

odusgolp

Why are you so set on running?

Ride a bike.

Please don't offer him any common sense answers. He only wants to hear answers he's expecting.

^^QFT

MB_Positif

Please don't offer him any common sense answers. He only wants to hear answers he's expecting.

I thought I was done in here, but I so baffled by what the answers he is expecting are. I don't really think there are any other logical answers. Oh wait, I think I've got it...

Shin removal surgery!!!!