Shin Splints

mommakatmack
mommakatmack Posts: 13 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I've upped my mileage a bit the last couple of weeks and my shins are protesting. They do this every time I increase speed or distance and get better with a little bit of time. I'm running a 5K in the morning and was wondering if anyone had some tips for me to help with the pain some.

Replies

  • Im_NotPerfect
    Im_NotPerfect Posts: 2,181 Member
    Anxiously waiting for responses as well...having this same problem! All I'm doing right now is trying to stretch them like crazy!
  • AsellusReborn
    AsellusReborn Posts: 1,112 Member
    Everyone is going to tell you make sure you've been properly fitted for good shoes so I'll skip that lecture.

    In addition to that, my friend linked me to her blog with the exercises she got at the doc's office:

    http://zumbatohalfmarathon.blogspot.com/2011/11/898-ill-see-your-inhaler-and-raise-you.html


    I do those 3 exercises for 30 seconds each during my warm up, then repeat for a total 3 minutes. I do them again after I run. They help me :)


    To deal with the pain ibuprofin and icing helps too. I've heard you're supposed to pro-actively ice a few times a day but haven't quite worked out the details yet - those exercises plus ibuprofin and ice when there -is- pain have helped me a lot.
  • loveachallenge
    loveachallenge Posts: 62 Member
    SHIN SPLINTS are a nightmare. I am a victim. I've been a runner for years. I use to get shin splints to the point that walking hurt. They were always sore. As I increased mileage, forget it, I was in pain. Overtime, it went away. I'm training for a 1/2 maratthon now so they do get tender but not painful. Some things that helped me listed below. Good luck.

    soak in epsom salt
    use bengay or some type of icy hot
    Ice often
    massaging the shins even when your just sitting around
    flex your toes up and down for a few minutes on each foot - helps allot
    invest invest invest in good quality shoes - for me its Asics and I will pay the $150.00 its worth it
    give yourself rest before your next run to help recover
  • happycauseIride
    happycauseIride Posts: 536 Member
    Bumping to keep. Great info here. I've never ran in my life, because every time I try I get these stupid Shin Splints. I want to run so we will see.
  • victorious27
    victorious27 Posts: 250 Member
    Bumping to keep. Great info here. I've never ran in my life, because every time I try I get these stupid Shin Splints. I want to run so we will see.

    Almost the exact same situation here -- I always end up with them when I start running.
  • AKbluedragonfly
    AKbluedragonfly Posts: 79 Member
    I am the shin splint queen. I've gotten them from just walking around the mall! I've gotten them so bad that it hurt just to drive (pushing the pedal or switching from the brake to the gas was excruciating). The first time I got them it was from running 1 mile on 1 day. That's it. I was out of commission for weeks in pain.

    What I've found that finally worked for me is barefoot shoes, proper form, and proper pace.

    SHOES: I use vibram 5 fingers, but there are several brands out there. They give you NO support, so your feet are forced to build up the muscles within the tarsals that they should naturally have. Shoes with lots of support actually keep your feet from building these muscles. Now that I've worn vibrams for about a year, I have superb balance, strong toes, and can spread my toes out individually like fingers. This youtube video compares how you run barefoot vs. with shoes: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9itkEkcQ8WM

    FORM: Also, barefoot shoes MAKE you run with proper form. If you run without proper form in barefoot shoes, you will know within 2 or 3 strides. <b>Running is natural and should be painless.</b> After watching this video on youtube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XrOgDCZ4GUo) comparing proper and improper form, I changed a few things, and am doing great now. I feel like Forest Gump breaking out of his leg braces when I run. But, since I am still new to running properly, if I go too long and get tired, I start to lose my form and slip into bad habits. Maybe you're losing form when you push yourself to run farther/longer/faster, and that is causing the shin splints.

    PACE: Also something I learned while researching proper form- the natural stride pace for ANY speed is 180 steps (90 with each foot) per minute. The stride pace and stride length do not make you go faster, only how hard your heel kicks up to your butt influences speed. If you're landing with your foot out in front of you, trying to increase your stride to go faster, all it does is cause your shin and knee to take all the shock of the landing. So make sure your running at 180 steps per minute and your feet land directly under your hips, between the middle and ball of your foot, not your heal. I put a metronome app on my iphone so I could test this. Of course when I get tired I get off pace so that's another contributing factor to pain coming back.

    I hope that helped!
  • _JR_
    _JR_ Posts: 830 Member
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/322021-help-with-your-shin-splints
  • thathockeychick23
    thathockeychick23 Posts: 87
    Great tips from everyone. Also you can buy kinesology tape. Stuff you see a lot of athletes wearing, and tape up your arches.
  • drgndancer
    drgndancer Posts: 426 Member
    For straight "I just don't want this to hurt for my run tomorrow" and not more generic advice on how to prevent the problem in the first place, try ice and Aleve. NASID (Non Steroidal Anti Inflammatory Drugs) are the best short term fixes for things like shin splints, though they only mask the problem. Ice is of course the runner's best friend for any kind of inflammation. Don't use Tylenol as a rule, as it's hard on the liver (which is already stressed during running), but other NASIDs are fairly safe as long as you follow dosage recommendations.

    Definetely follow the other good advice in the thread for long term relief though.

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