Shin Splints! Help!

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derpina88
derpina88 Posts: 36 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I love walking and jogging. I was doing it for hours a day for a while.... It makes me feel great. Unfortunately I think I pushed myself too far too fast and I now have shin splints. It is extremely painful. A struggle just to walk around the house.

Has anyone else had this problem? What did you do? How long did it take to heal? If you haven't had them do you have any suggestions on anything i can do to stay fit? Unfortunately I don't have access to a pool, and don't have a car.

Please help!

Replies

  • DopeItUp
    DopeItUp Posts: 18,771 Member
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    You just pushed it a bit too much, no biggie. 2-3 days you'll be fine most likely.
  • ilovedeadlifts
    ilovedeadlifts Posts: 2,923 Member
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    lol at username.




    ice
    anti-inflammatories
    rest

    usually in that order. if I cant fix it with ice or ibuprofen, I would have to take a day or two off.
  • warnott
    warnott Posts: 20
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    anytime i've really started running i get shin splints - i'm a pretty all-or-nothing sort of person, so i either don't run at all or run too much without building up to it. you have to look at the variables you can control when it comes to adding to what you're already doing - volume (distance), frequency (how often), and intensity (speed). if i increase any more than one of those at a time i get shin splints.

    the other thing, more as a preventative measure, is that you can strengthen the muscle in front of the shin, the tibialis anterior, to ward off shin splints in the first place. basically, doing toe raises throughout the day. it sounds lame but it can help.
  • ahelgers10
    ahelgers10 Posts: 376 Member
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    I use to get them when I danced. Draw the letters of the alphabet with your foot. It looks a little silly but it really helps. The best thing you can do to help prevent them is make sure to replace your tennis shoes frequently. I hope they feel better soon, they are not fun.
  • ZiezieO
    ZiezieO Posts: 228 Member
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    Bananas can really help if you have them right after, I don't know why, but my mom always gave me bananas and lots of water when I pushed myself too hard.
  • derpina88
    derpina88 Posts: 36 Member
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    Thank you all for your suggestions! I'm going to start working out my shins I guess! And just stay seated for the next day or two... It's going to drive me crazy! :)
  • GhostPack
    GhostPack Posts: 197 Member
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    the other thing, more as a preventative measure, is that you can strengthen the muscle in front of the shin, the tibialis anterior, to ward off shin splints in the first place. basically, doing toe raises throughout the day. it sounds lame but it can help.
    I also would walk around on my heels, toes pointed up. I did this at home when nobody was around but my dog, my dog looked at me funny. It helps though
  • megalin9
    megalin9 Posts: 771 Member
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    I used to get them playing softball. They were paralyzing! The only thing that helped me was 1) rest, 2) ice, and 3) inserts. I got some Dr. Scholl's for both my tennis shoes and my cleats, and I haven't had shin splints since. Last time was 2 years ago. Good luck!
  • rachelrb85
    rachelrb85 Posts: 579 Member
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    I used to get them playing softball. They were paralyzing! The only thing that helped me was 1) rest, 2) ice, and 3) inserts. I got some Dr. Scholl's for both my tennis shoes and my cleats, and I haven't had shin splints since. Last time was 2 years ago. Good luck!

    What kind of Dr. Scholl's inserts did you get?

    I always get shin splints when I try to run/jog. I had them a long time ago when I used to play soccer, too.
    I used to play softball too :)
  • JamesGGAnderson
    JamesGGAnderson Posts: 13 Member
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    STOP running immediately, ice, stretch your calves. Once they don't hurt any more, take another few days of not running. Then whatever your running volume per week was prior to getting shin splints, half it, and spread that new volume over as many runs as possible during the week. Slowly build up adding no more than 10% per week. 10% is the absolute MAX.
  • Cappicorn
    Cappicorn Posts: 83 Member
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    A friend sent me this link to an article to help prevent shin splints when I was running 3 times a week.. TOTALLY WORKED, they don't bother me at all anymore. Just walking on your heels every now and then--it's like night and day.

    http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http://triathlon.competitor.com/2011/02/training/how-to-prevent-shin-splints_19447&h=uAQFFUiRQAQHbZTXwFvtZDGpGVTn2fVO3RA6r55pJXjhIjg

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