Ways to avoid shin splints?

GCPgirl

you need to make sure you drink a lot of water and stand on the edge of a stair with about two inches of your toe still on the stair and lean back, you should feel the stretch. i had the same problem just make sure you keep stretching and drinking water! also don't push yourself further than you can go! good luck!

I had the same problem and did this ^ but also read up on it and heard changing your stride will help...it did for me.

1holegrouper

A lot of good info here. Here is my plan of attack (some if not all already mentioned)- in order of priority:

First; active recovery; Sub walking for a few days until the pain subsides; ice, elevate

1) Suspect your shoes and determine if you need new ones. That fit better and/or made for your gait and foot.

2) Tie some sort of weight (ex; 5 pound dumbell) under the ball of each foot. One at a time when sitting with your feet dangling over the edge raise your toes (exercising your shins) 2-3x to failure. Do this everynight and you will correct the muscle ratio imbalance.

3) Calf compression socks

4) stretching after your exercise

5) warming up (ex 5 min brisk walk) before your exercise

5.5) insert heel lifts under the insole of your running shoes

6) Get "The Stick" a rolling massager that you use before and after your run

7) Re-evaluate your running surfaces. Grass is best. Concrete (aka sidewalks) is the worst. On the weekends I go to a state park that has compacted dirt paths. During the week, if the ground is fairly dry I run on a ultimate frisbee field. If that fails I run on the road. Asphalt is softer than concrete (some say by a factor of 10X- I'm not so sure about that)

8) Re-evaluate your running form. Are you a heel striker?

ejwme

#2 and #5.5 throw up red flags for me. You're talking orthotics without prescription, and in the middle of an injury might not be the best time to start lifting weights for it (leave the weights out of the equation and I worry far less).

I'd also move 8 up to just below 1. Paying attention to your form is free, and will help you improve in a lot of different ways - it's like getting new shoes but for your whole body.

Short term you may find the most relief with #3.

MightyDomo

I am very prone to shin splints as well, something that I was told was attributed was that a face leg muscle above my knee's were inactive (not activating when running and add's additional strain to other surrounding muscles, electrostimulation at physio helped me for this)

I also have flat feet from wearing non-supportive shoes for years. My feet hit the floor flat when I run but they have a decent arch when not fully pressed against the ground. People like me need shoes that are specific to changing the rollout when you hit the pavement.

Also how are you striking when you hit the ground? Toe first, heel first or full foot and toe roll? If you are hitting with your heel first it can cause shin splints or related pain in the heel. Hitting with your full foot and then rolling off will help to reduce the chance of shin splints (and I can attest to this, I run this way now and have had far less injuries and occurences of shin splints since changing).

Proper stretching before and after are also important, getting the muscles in your legs ready and winding them down afterward is very beneficial.

http://www.livestrong.com/article/18797-stretches-shin-splints/

Livestrong has a great article that gives some tips on how to prevent with stretches

cheri0627

I have had terrible shin splints my whole life. Even as a kid, running just kinda hurt. I have high arches but I severely overpronate, in part due to weight.

Things that have finally helped:

* Strengthening my legs overall. I do a lot of leg exercises never focusing on just one muscle in my legs, but overall muscle development and balance. Things like working on squats with full range of motion (both at top and bottom of the squat) and making sure that my knees aren't collapsing in. My weight stays on the my heels and the outside of my foot.

* proper running form in correct shoes. I have switched to minimalist running shoes and have focused on developing a good mid-sole strike form in my run. I'm still not perfect at it, but the minimalist shoes help force the issue in some ways.

* KT Tape. Things were getting a lot better as far as my shins went, but I was still having pain when running or jumping rope. A friend recommended I try kinesiology tape and said that KT Tape had tape cut to the right length with video directions on how to best apply it. I tried it out and the difference it made was amazing. On the first application, my pain was reduced to a point it wasn't really bothering me during the activity. Within 3 weeks I was pain free. I still tape, but not all the time. Yes, it's not cheap, but if you get the pro stuff it can last a week. (I usually will leave it on for 5 days, just due to my workout schedule.)

1holegrouper

#2 and #5.5 throw up red flags for me. You're talking orthotics without prescription, and in the middle of an injury might not be the best time to start lifting weights for it (leave the weights out of the equation and I worry far less).

I'd also move 8 up to just below 1. Paying attention to your form is free, and will help you improve in a lot of different ways - it's like getting new shoes but for your whole body.

Short term you may find the most relief with #3.

LOL, a heel lift is not an orthotic! If it was then any shoe would be considered an orthotic as they all have different heel levels. You obviously would not weight train if you were in so much pain you couldn't walk. But, if you can walk and your pain is only when you run then this exercise will speed your recovery. At least it has for me and for every runner I know who has had shin splints.

ninerbuff

Most people talk about stretching the calf muscles but shin splints hurt............ well on your shins! To stretch that area, put your heels on the edge of a step, then lower your toes down as far as you can and hold. 3 sets of 20 to 30 second holds to start.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

IronSmasher

Rest heals them.


A slow and methodical build up to running and refraining from running on hard ground avoids them.

meerkat70

Try to run on a mix of surfaces - not just roads (or worse, pavements). check your shoes, back off on your mileage and only increase slowly, don't overdo hill running, and stretch more than you think you need to after running. Your calves should be soft and supple at rest. If they're tight, you need to stretch more.

meerkat70

oh yeah, and foam rolling - shins and calves.

Salasel

Correct Bio mechanics and good shoes will help.