Help!! Shin Splints!!

christine918

I'm training for a half marathon and I have devoloped shin splints, (I think)!! What will help them besides stretching and ice?? (that's what I'm already doing.)

angelarozmyn

write the ABC's with your toes EVERY night...really helps! shin splints suck...

eillamarie

Run on a softer surface more often, and do a TONNE of stretching. Have you tried orthotics or "squishy" inserts? Resting for a couple days is also a good idea.

ratkaj

I get them really bad myself. I have some stretches my personal trainer sent to me...

1. Quadricep stretch- grab foot and pull your heel towards your butt

2. Hamstring and calf stretch- downward facing dog position

3. Calf stretch pushing against a wall. Drop your heel and then bend your knee slightly.

4. Glute stetch- seated, cross one leg over the other and pull that leg into your body

these really really help, also go to a running store that will analyze your running and give you feedback and the right shoe for you. That should do wonders!

Let me know if you have questions.

Celo24

I'm training for a half marathon and I have devoloped shin splints, (I think)!! What will help them besides stretching and ice?? (that's what I'm already doing.)

You've been given good advice on remedies already so I'm more curious about the cause since the shin splints could have been caused by your shoes. Were you fit for your shoes? If not, I would STRONGLY recommend going to a store that specializes in running and getting fit. If you are going to be doing a half-marathon, that is very tough on the legs, knees, ankles and joints. You need to make sure you are wearing the right shoes.

katekrise

I was told by a friend that runs marathons...he said to walk around on your heels for a few minutes before and after. It seemed to help me.

tbtravels

Invest in a foam roller and roll your calf muscles out (and IT bands and hamstrings). Do it every day if you can. You can find you tube videos for tutorials if you need help. Good luck with the half!!!

AMSull19

agree with the good shoes thing. Also, my track coach in HS always told use to alternate ice and heat for them.

Vanishing_Gordies

I had shin splints all thru high school (cross country) - Ice and icy hot were my friends. We used to take Dixie cups (you know the paper ones), fill them with water and freeze them. We would take them out and rip off the bottom of the cup and ice down our shins. They were the perfect size (the little ones) for that. Plus you get a little massage with the ice while you rub it down your shins. I've heard of the toe alphabet before - that's a good one. Also, doing reverse calf raises (I'm really not sure exactly what to call them). You need to be on an elevated surface (grab a curb or a step) and stand on the edge of the surface so that your heel hangs off and then you just do like you would for a calf raise. it strengthens that front muscle. There's a stretch I do that really helps too..calves and shin splints. Start with legs more than hip width apart and bend your knee, shifting your weight to one side, until you are resting your top half on your leg (other leg should slide down as you go into the stretch). You should feel the stretch right in your shins and calves. This is the best stretch I have ever had for shin splints...better than the other stretches ppl tell you for calves and shin splints. I can post pics if you want because I'm sure my explanation was horrid!
http://www.sportsinjuryclinic.net/cybertherapist/front/lowerleg/shinsplints/stretching.php
The site above doesn't have the stretch I'm talking about, but it does have the heel drop exercise.

BrandonMB

The comments regarding stretches are good, simply because stretching is never a bad thing. However I have to really vote in favor of being fit for the right shoes, as well as taking a break. Shin splints are micro bone fractures that are caused by over excercising. For me, I find they are more pronounced after a run that involves alot of uphill work.

If you have a "Runners World" store or another that specializes in running, then go in there and ask about your stride. They will have you do some runs up and down the store and will analyze your stride to make sure that you are matched with a pair of shoes that are designed for your particular running style. This makes a massive difference.

Also remember to ask about the lifespan of the shoe, not in years, but in miles. The shoe may look like it is still in great condition, but it is the padding between the sole and your foot that is important, and if that is broken down, your shoes aren't doing their jobs. Use a site like this one or mapmyrun.com or others to track your running distances, and when the shoes are getting near their max, replace em.

christine918

Thank you so much for all the good advise! I have been fitted for shoes, however, my feet are big and I think they sometimes recomend whatever shoe that they have in stock in my size! ha ha! I will try the new stretches that I am not already doing now. I know that I have a tendancy to overtrain... Seriously competitive nature... Thanks again everybody!

knittnponder

Thank you so much for all the good advise! I have been fitted for shoes, however, my feet are big and I think they sometimes recomend whatever shoe that they have in stock in my size! ha ha! I will try the new stretches that I am not already doing now. I know that I have a tendancy to overtrain... Seriously competitive nature... Thanks again everybody!

If you go to a good shoe store that will check your feet, gait and all of that they will make sure your shoes fit you. I have orthotics in my shoes as well and for the first time I can do plyometrics without shin pain! I went to New Balance and they have a foot scanner that you stand on. It measured my pressure points and the guy tried a few inserts and would scan my feet on each insert to see how it change my foot dynamic. The pair I've got make my feet so happy!

Icing, stretching, doing the ABC's with your toes are all good advice. The advice about running on a softer surface is also very sound and one you should definitely incorporate. Start by running on grass, transition to firmer ground and if you start feeling store go back to grass. You'll build up those muscles and pretty soon you'll be able to run on the harder surfaces all the time.

One tip on stretching your calves, I like to do it in a very hot shower. I let the water run over my legs for awhile and toward the end of the shower stretch out my calves really well with the water on them. Feels so good and you get a great stretch with those muscles all warm!

One other thing I do is I wrap my shins with an ace bandage or a shin brace to help support them while I build them up. It helps a lot. I do Taekwondo and we work out barefoot so there is no shoe support for me there. I always wrap my shins for TKD and since doing that my shins have gotten much better. Hopefully here very soon I'll have strengthened them enough that I won't need to wrap them but until I do it helps!

kdiamond

My trainer has us use the foam roller on our shins before and after exercise or running...those things are amazing!

You kneel down, place the foam roller under your shins and use all of your body weight to roll back and forth. I'm not gonna lie, it hurts like a b*tch, but it works! You can buy them anywhere, even like Target, and they are under $20.