Shin Splints Insanity

Bot_MN_fit

Alright, so I'm on week 2 of month 2 of insanity, but its taken me around 3 months to get this far as I have to keep taking weeks off because of the pain from the shin splints I'm getting. These weeks off I do a vigorous workout at the pool 6 days a week and it does give my shins good rest, however when I start insanity again they start bothering me a week and a half in. I bought Dr. Scholls in souls for my workout shoes and have been trying to land more on the heels of my feet (which aren't flat) but they continue to come back. I'm a fit person, and other than the shin splints these workouts would be perfect. Anyone have any advice?

purch1977

what ever you do don't land on your heel by doing this you are causing your foot to snap down straining your shin muscle (sorry i cant remember the correct name) this then causes your shin to be over worked and swell which is where the pain comes from.
when i did insanity i had to go bare foot due to foot pain ( low arches) and as soon as i took the shoes off the pain went literally straight away the work out continued and got some amazing burns (calories) some people are not made to wear shoes i have gone minimalist whilst running and it seems to be better too!!

Bot_MN_fit

Landing on the heel seems to take some of the strain of the shin it feels like? I could try it bare foot and see if that helps. Im doing it on carpet so hopefully it doesn't carpet burn my feet haha. It's worth a try though, thanks for the advice.

Ferrea

Here are some shin splint prevention/treatment ideas from runnersworld.com:

"Gently stretch your Achilles if you have medial [inside of the shin] shin splints, and your calves if you have anterior [outside of the shin] shin splints. Also, try this stretch for your shins: Kneel on a carpeted floor, legs and feet together and toes pointed directly back. Then slowly sit back onto your calves and heels, pushing your ankles into the floor until you feel tension in the muscles of your shin. Hold for 10 to 12 seconds, relax and repeat.

In a sitting position, trace the alphabet on the floor with your toes. Do this with each leg. Or alternate walking on your heels for 30 seconds with 30 seconds of regular walking. Repeat four times. These exercises are good for both recovery and prevention. Try to do them three times a day.

If you continue running [working out], wrap your leg before you go out. Use either tape or an Ace bandage, starting just above the ankle and continuing to just below the knee. Keep wrapping your leg until the pain goes away, which usually takes three to six weeks. "What you're doing is binding the tendons up against the shaft of the shin to prevent stress," Laps says."

navyrigger46

Get a pair of calf supporters, you can pick them up at any sporting goods store. I used to get shin splints and these helped immediately. I wore them for two years when I ran or played basketball and never had shin splints as long as I used them. I stopped using them about two months ago and so far so good.

Rigger

Bot_MN_fit

Thanks both of you for the advice, I'm going to check on calf supporters tomorrow and I'm going to look into a new pair of shoes.

mjudd1990

Shin splints are due to a muscle imbalance in your lower leg. Your gastrocnemius and soleus (aka your calf muscles) are too strong compared to the muscles on the anterior portion of your leg (tibialis anterior, extensor hallucis longus, etc.). This imbalance literally pulls your tibia and fibula apart which is what causes the pain. Usually to rectify the situation I would say first to take a few days off of any impact work and ice it/take NSAIDs like Advil to lower the already present inflammation. Once the pain has decreased you need to begin correcting the imbalance. Stretch your Achilles' tendon and calves and then start doing lots of dorsiflexion movements with your foot aka tap your toes. This is really easy if you are a student/have a desk job. Just pull your toes up toward your shin, hold it for a second and release. Do several sets of 20-30 throughout the day and your shin splints will be gone in no time

abbyoncloud9

I'm going to start doing toe lifts at work to see if this works. Thanks!

DR2501

Do it barefoot, you'll be amazed. I got terrible arch and some shin pain my first time round because I started off with running shoes then switched to cross training shoes. Once I started doing it in bare feet the pain disappeared.

Shaun T recommends barefeet too:

http://shauntfitness.com/insanity-shoes/

"I actually do INSANITY and T25 barefoot when I’m at home"