Shin Splints?

blonde20fan

I have bad pains in the front of my lower legs. I have been icing them. What are some ways to prevent them in the future? I am walking a couple miles at a time daily and the pain is usually after a walk. Thank a lot for the responses!!

rbryntes

I find they go away after a couple of weeks straight of exercising.

smurfette75

they really suck but will go away...make sure you stretch really good before and after

ratkaj

I had awful shin splints when I started running, and after seeing a doctor and then a specialist I finally was helped out by someone at the running store who suggested compression sleeves. They are kinda weird but they worked great. I wore them for a while when I ran (and sometimes at night to heal my legs). I wore them all the time at first, then 2 times a week, then less and after about 3-4 weeks I didn't need them anymore.

Send me a message if you have other questions.

sjtreely

Maybe it's time to replace your shoes. That's one of the first indicators the shoes have worn out their welcome. Or, they could be the wrong shoes for you. Go to a running store where they can analyze your gait and fit you with new shoes.

AmyW125

check your shoes!!! makes a huge difference.

McKayMachina

Calf raises every morning. Feet like this: | | shoulder-width apart. Go up on your toes 25x. Then feet out at 45º angles like \ / and repeat 25x. Finally, toes in at 45º like / \ and another set of 25x. Should take about 90 seconds total. You will be MAD sore the first few days but by the end of the week, you'll be much stronger and hardly sore at all. Stick with it!!! (I do mine while brewing coffee.)

Also, I bought some Vibram barefoot running shoes. Helps TREMENDOUSLY. I can't run in normal shoes for more than a minute without my shins totally locking up.

Hope those tips help!

nygiantschick

they will go away after while. get a good stretch in after your workout. you can make some ice massage cups-fill paper cups halfway with h2o. freeze them solid, then when ready to use just peel away the paper to expose the top and massage onto your shins for 15-20 minutes using circular motions. in a week or two of consistent walking you should not need them. Also make sure you have some good walking shoes for prevention.

DeviantDarkwolf2

Make sure you have a good pair of shoes, and warm-up and stretch out your legs really well beforehand. http://www.sportsinjuryclinic.net/cybertherapist/front/lowerleg/shinsplints/stretching.php

acciomuscles

My right shin developed pretty much chronic shin splint pain and was giving me problems on my runs, so I finally broke down and bought this:

http://www.amazon.com/McDavid-Shin-Splint-Support-Size/dp/B000UVVX2S/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315785659&sr=8-1

I ran with it on yesterday and had NO pain whatsoever! Definitely look into something like that, or as someone else mentioned, compression sleeves.

Seajolly

I had shin splints before from my shoes. I got better shoes and haven't had them since (I had them like 3 months ago)!

klewis81

If you are a pronator, your arches will fall or "collapse" when you walk, which exacerbates shin pain. Get to a running store and get fitted for proper shoes. They will probably put you in some shoes that are stabilizers with stiff arches. It may take you a week or so to get used to them. Also, your calves are probably too tight so stretch them often when working out.

daves160

May I suggest cycling instead of running? all the negative aspects of running disappear(joints/back/ shin splints/ things getting bounced and stretched) , and all the good aspects of a hard cardio workout remain....and you use more muscle groups.

tastigger

I will second everyone in saying stretch, and check your shoes. When I first started C25k, I had some serious shin issues. I started to stretch before & after (esp my calves) and after a few weeks, I replaced my shoes. I was wearing plain old sketchers & now have Asics running shoes. Totally worth the money - I no longer have shin issues (or knee issues and the hip is even feeling better - and I am jogging 8 minutes at a time now!)

Mommawarrior

Go to a running store in your town, or in a town near you. (Google "running store in 'whatever your town name is' and something will come up). Go there, let them do a gait analysis on you and then they will fit you into the perfect shoe for you and soon your splints will be gone. The proper shoe is imperative to any walking or running exercise. The time and money will be worth it in the end.

gmrgirl

I suffered from HORRIBLE shin splints for the longest time. I had to do the following things to get them to go away (I hope something listed here helps you)

1.) STRETCH your anterior tibialis (that's the muscle that is hurting when you have shin splints) before you go for your walk! Here are some of the best stretches I have found for that muscle
--- Toe Circles (standing on one foot, draw dinner plate sized circles with your big toe on the other foot - clockwise and counter clockwise - 8-10 reps in each direction. repeat the other foot)
--- Toe Points (standing on one leg, point the toes of the other foot all the way up - like you are trying to point at your forhead, and then all the way down, like you want to point at the floor. do 8-10 for each foot)
--Toe drag shin stretch (you can find it here --> http://walking.about.com/od/stretching/a/shinstretch.htm)

If you'd like a more holistic look at the whole thing, a muscle doesn't get tight unless it's partner muscles are tight or weak (it's weird, but that's the truth). So if you keep this in mind, you wouldn't have shin splints if your calves were either strong *or* properly stretched.

The best, short, holistic "stretch everything" that i've found is here --> http://walking.about.com/gi/o.htm?zi=1/XJ&zTi=1&sdn=walking&cdn=health&tm=245&f=10&su=p284.12.336.ip_p674.8.336.ip_&tt=2&bt=1&bts=1&zu=http://www.runnersweb.com/running/deb_june2000.html

2.) Get new shoes. i had to buy a new pair of shoes that were fitted properly for me and that made the rest of the difference!

hope that helps!

phlumpet

When I started running, I got really bad shin splints. What worked for me was a few days' rest when they'd get bad, and when I'd run again I'd wrap ACE wraps tight around my lower legs. Also, I got better shoes.

blonde20fan

My calves are really tight!

cthoma70

I got that, doc said ice down for 20 then heating pad for 20 and no weigh baring activities for 2 weeks.

blonde20fan

Thank you everyone! I am going to stat stretching my calves and legs more. I have a really good pair of running shoes that I was fitted for at a good store and they are only a month old. All your suggestions are great!