Shin Splints?

Jessamine
Jessamine Posts: 226 Member
edited December 21 in Fitness and Exercise
Can someone describe shin splints and its pain to me? I'm not sure if that's what I have.

ETA: And please share a good deep calf muscle stretch if you know one.

Replies

  • Duck_Puddle
    Duck_Puddle Posts: 3,237 Member
    My understanding is that shin splints is a somewhat generic term that is given to a number of lower leg pains-so different pains can be called shin splints. Also-you can get shin splints from the front of your leg or the back-and the pain is in a different place depending on that. I had shin splints years ago and had the ones that come from the muscles in the back of your leg-which makes pain happen along the inside of your shinbone between your ankle and the big calf muscle. The pain itself felt like someone was etching into the bone with acid. Again-that is my experience-and from what I understand, shin splints can be applied to many different pains besides the kind I had. If you're not sure what it is, and especially if it doesn't get better with rest-go see a doctor.
  • Rocbola
    Rocbola Posts: 1,998 Member
    It's very painful, and it's felt in the shins. You would know if you had it. It really hurts. When i had it, it was felt right in the bone, and not just in one spot, but along a stretch of the bone. (I had been running a lot and i had just moved to Mexico, so my diet had switched dramatically from the diet in the country where i had been living previously, so i was gaining weight, despite all the running.)
  • CarrieMyPhilos
    CarrieMyPhilos Posts: 38 Member
    In highschool our coaches told us that shin splints were severe muscle pain in the shins, specifically, as a result of working of excessive exercising the calf muscles without giving any attention to their opposing muscles: those in the shins. Generally speaking, it's important to work out opposing muscle groups so that everything is evenly balanced - if you do lots of ab work, doing good back work is important, too. Shin splints, then, according to our coaches, was an opposing muscle group complaining about being underworked while the calf muscles get all the attention. They always recommended doing toe raises or toe pulls as described here: http://youtu.be/hafXc1THHiI

    I don't know how much of that is accurate! It looks now like shin splints can refer to a variety of things, including stress fractures in the shins. Try the toe raises and see if they help, but if they don't and the pain doesn't go away, see a doctor. Hope that helps! :)
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