My shins hurt

Supertabi

I asked my doctor and she only gave me something vague about being unfit.

I am 26 years old (female) and fairly new to exercising, I am currently 64 kgs (141 lbs). I got a bike and have been going for about 40 minutes for 5-6 days a week (have done this for nearly three weeks). I haven't had any problems with the bike. I get sore but it's normal sore from using muscles I haven't used before in different ways than I was used to.

But today I started doing some aerobics. I warmed up, stretched and began, a few minutes later I get this dull ache on my shins. It's not particularly painful but it's very uncomfortable and makes me feel like my bones are going to snap if I continue. The fact that it doesn't happen with my bike makes me think it has to do with impact.

Today's issue reminded me that I have gotten that kind of pain every time I have tried exercising before, because I usually tried to jog (sometimes outside, sometimes treadmill).

I am not going to stop exercising because I have the bike and a lot of motivation, but I would like to know if anyone knows what this is, or have experienced it. Thanks!

imchicbad

Yes. I hate the treadmill. For this exact reason. But elliptical is just fine. I recommend sigvaris compression athletic sleeves and performance socks. I use them on my tired and achy legs. Also better training shoes. Problem solved.

jellybeanhed313

I get very achey shins too when I do anything with impact. I heard it was from your calves being stronger than your shins and until you strenghten that muscle, it may continue to happen. I haven't really found a solution, but it seems to happen less than when I started exercising.

thebigcb

I would guess that its Shin Splints

Trying kneeing on the ground, flatening your feet behind you, and putting your weight down on top on them

THis should stretch them

Lottiehill29

It's Shin Splints that you're suffering from.
Sometimes it can be caused from a particular exercise that you're doing.
If you try an alternative exercise that will be kinder on your shins such as swimming or yoga it should help to ease some of the pain.
I tend to get it really bad if I do alot of cycling, fast paced walking or running. So I stick to short bursts of cardio such as aerobics or slow paced walking and do alot of weight training alongside this.

Yoga is really good for your muscles and flexibility so will probably help if you want to try it.

If you want to carry on using the treadmill or jogging, try and reduce it to every fortnight and gradually reintroduce it.

There are compression bandages you can get for your legs but I've never tried these.

Hope that helps.

MorganLeighRN

1) You need to get better shoes. Go to a profession running store and have them fit you for shoes.

2) You need to strengthen the muscles in your legs, basically you need to push through the pain. Advil and ice works wonders! My husband bought me a vibrating back massager that I use on my calves and on the insides of my shins. That helps also.

Mokey41

It's a combination of weak shin muscles and pounding down on your heels. If you run try landing midfoot not on your heels. Having properly fitted running shoe will provide some cushioning. Do your stretching AFTER your workout, not before. Before a workout all you want to do is warm up your muscles, not stretch them. Jumping jacks, walking, jogging in place are good ways to do a warm up.

To strengthen those muscles you can stand with your toes on the edge of a step and lift yourself up and own. Another exercise is to sit with your feet flat on the floor and just lift your toes up as high as you can and back down again. That one is easy to do while sitting at a desk.

MsChrissyAnn

It could be your shoes! When I started running my shins hurt so bad I could hardly walk! But then I got new running shoes and it's been smooth sailing since.

Check it -> http://www.runnersworld.com/shoeadvisor

Supertabi

Thank you! Shin Splints now I have a term!

I admit I haven't been using the best shoes. I will try looking into that.

If I can push through the pain, I will do it. It's not that painful, it's the weird feeling that I may break something if I keep going. But if there's no risk of this happening, then I can push through.

reggie2run

bump

jeffrodgers1

Sounds a little like Shin Splints. Now the advice I'll give you is the advice of a runner who suffered with shin splints for years and my advice is geared more towards running. Some commonality though...

Shin splints are usually a result of too much, too soon, bad footwear, a mechanical defect in your stride or a combination of the above.

First consideration is that you may have just progressed too quickly into the activity in which case back off the exercise in question to a more manageable place. Build gradually. Rome wasn't built in a day, neither was the human body. Yet some people believe they can be endurance athletes within hours of commencing an activity.

Bad Footwear. I'd rather run barefoot than run in dead or broken down shoes (and yes sometimes I do run barefoot as it is very helpful in developing muscles that aren't normally used when shod.) Most modern shoes are designed with a purpose in mind and have a limited durability. Court shoes allow for more lateral movement and support of the foot, running shoes are designed to move forward etc. Make sure you are using the correct type of shoe for the sport. Also it is important to note that everyone is slightly different... some need Stability shoes, some need neutral shoes and some need motion control shoes. It is important to get your gait analyzed to best determine the right type of shoe for you. You won't find this at a Walmart or Target store... Go to a reputable store where people are trained (Running Room, Fleet Feet, RoadRunner etc...alternately a Sports MD or Physiotherapist can do a more comprehensive gait analysis)

Also important to note that over time shoes break down and stop supporting your foot properly. The magic number for quality running shoes is about 500 miles. For cheaper shoes its significantly less. (You usually get what you pay for)

A professional gait analysis will also tell you if you have any mechanical flaws in the way you run. It could be excessive overpronation or suppination. It could also be a muscle imbalance or weakness that can be addressed via physio or a specific exercise. In my case... I was able to work thru my shin splints via a series of daily exercises.

Here are a few of exercises that may help;

1. Single leg calf raises (start with 10 each leg 4x daily)
2. Make "fists" with your toes and walk on your heels for 30 paces 4x daily.
3. Get a bucket of those little army men (or marbles) Spill them on the floor and practice picking them up with your toes.
4. Surgical tubing exercises to strengthen the ankle.
5. Stand barefoot on one foot and balance for as long as you can. Try to lengthen the duration each time.
6. Use your toes to write the alphabet in the air (no pencil required).

I hope these help you out. Good Luck!

ncahill77

Pushing through the pain is good if you have good footwear and technique since it's usually just the muscle weakness but if you have bad shoes it won't help as the pain will continue, I did exactly that and a month later I was still having issues, I finally went to get fitted and found out I had bought shoes for a supinating foot when mine was a neutral gait, the next run was completely pain free.

SoDamnHungry

Agreed. It's shin splints. Take it easy until they feel better, and stretch appropriately. Shins that are sore because you're new at exercising and didn't stretch properly aren't a good reason to completely eliminate an exercise. If it continues long term, then it's probably something besides shin splints.

crobl

Like others said - this sounds like shin splints. Shin splints come on for a variety of reasons, the most common are:

- Poor footwear/arch support
- Muscle strength/flexibility imbalance between calves/tibialis anterior (shin muscle)
- Change in surface (going from cement, to grass, to gym floor, etc...)
- Sudden increase in activity

The best thing to do, is first to identify the cause of your problem. That way you can address the issue. To control your symptoms work on stretching and icing. An ice massage is very effective with shin splints. Just fill a paper cup with water and freeze it - rip away the paper to expose the ice and voila - ice massage! Go with the direction of the muscle fibers applying moderate pressure. The reason this works, is that while you stretch, you stretch muscle, but in doing a massage, you help to release the connective tissue that surrounds the muscle. NSAID's will help control pain/inflammation. There are also taping techniques using Kinesiotape or traditional athletic tape as well as compression sleeves that can help reduce discomfort during activity.

To a certain extent - I agree with what others said about working through the pain. But I emphasize "to a certain extent". The true medical term for shin splints - is actually Tibial Stress Syndrome. Shin splints is just kinda a catchall term that people (doctors and general population alike) use for shin pain. Tibial stress syndrome involves periostitis ( an irritation of where the tibialis anterior muscle attaches to the shin). If continually left untreated, this can lead to tibial stress fractures and has the potential to predispose someone to exertional compartment syndrome.

Obviously that last paragraph is worse case senarios combined with a bit of an anatomy lesson - but the point is - don't ignore the pain. Pain is your body's way of saying, "something's wrong!"

Seminolegirl97

Are you exercising at home? I find that if I am exercising at home (on carpet), my shins hurt, so I do not wear sneakers or I wear very flat sneakers. It works for me to be barefoot.

AmandaLY17

Go see a physiotherapist. I started a running program and had what I thought was shin splints. So I pushed on thinking that it was something you just had to get through. After 3 weeks I could barely even walk any time. It turns out I had post-tib tendonitis. I took a week of near bedrest and then started walking only, rather than any running, and after 3 mths I still couldnt run. Its been 8 mths and just starting out again it finally seems to be ok, but its been a long road. Anywho, point of the story is things shouldnt be painful-and I dont mean you shouldnt feel sore or tired or like you worked out-but pain signifies something is wrong and it should be properly addressed

jeffrodgers1

Pushing thru a little pain is acceptable. If the pain lasts more the 3-4 days...or is a sharp pain. I'd recommend seeing a physiotherapist or sports md (Note that there is a difference between a Doctor and a Sports Doctor...)

Pain is your bodies early detection system and should not be ignored. Pain means something is wrong. I ignored it last spring and ran two marathons and a 10 K in 28 days... I ended up with a serious stress fracture that sidelined my running last summer for 4 months. I am only now back to doing a 20 Km run every weekend.

fishgutzy

Ditto on Shin splints. Back in the early 80's I was forced to go to an aerobics class for being fat. (USAF)
Right away I developed really bad shin splints. It hurt to walk for days.
Once I recovered, I found that I had to take a double dose of Tylenol at least an hour before the class to get through it.

jeffrodgers1

Quick Word on NSAIDS (and then I'll shut up) - NSAIDS aka Runner's Beans.... If you think about it... what does it tell you when you need to mask the pain to do an activity? NSAIDS only conceal the pain, they don't solve the problem. They just make it easy to get more seriously injured. If you are in that much pain that you require a pain killer... maybe you should listen to your body and rest?

crobl

Quick Word on NSAIDS (and then I'll shut up) - NSAIDS aka Runner's Beans.... If you think about it... what does it tell you when you need to mask the pain to do an activity? NSAIDS only conceal the pain, they don't solve the problem. They just make it easy to get more seriously injured. If you are in that much pain that you require a pain killer... maybe you should listen to your body and rest?

NSAID's don't just mask pain - they're also used to control inflammation.

jeffrodgers1

Quick Word on NSAIDS (and then I'll shut up) - NSAIDS aka Runner's Beans.... If you think about it... what does it tell you when you need to mask the pain to do an activity? NSAIDS only conceal the pain, they don't solve the problem. They just make it easy to get more seriously injured. If you are in that much pain that you require a pain killer... maybe you should listen to your body and rest?

NSAID's don't just mask pain - they're also used to control inflammation.

My point is that when people take them BEFORE they go do an activity, they are leading themselves down a dangerous path. They attempt to conceal the pain and inevitably do further damage.

While I agree that they can control inflammation, it is something that is best left for AFTER an activity and not before.

Rest is a far more effective and safe approach.