SHIN SPLINTS!! Ahhhhh

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  • SuzanneRogers
    SuzanneRogers Posts: 250 Member
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    Be careful with shin splints, stop if the pain continues. I thought I had shin splints from running but I woke up and couldn't walk I was in so much pain, I had 3 stress fracture in one shin and 1 in the other shin. I had to wear a boot for 8 weeks and 2 years later I still have issues with it. So if you feel pain then don't push through it stretch, walk, ice, compression and advil for a few days, stick to strength training and not high impact until pain goes away.

    great job on 3 miles. I ran my first 5K last fall after a year of recovery. You will do great.
  • Discoveri
    Discoveri Posts: 435 Member
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    Check out this exercise if you get a chance: http://gizmodo.com/5902699/banish-shin-splints-forever-with-one-magical-exercise
  • SuzanneRogers
    SuzanneRogers Posts: 250 Member
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    See you can run on school track, those are easier on the shins.
  • runzalot81
    runzalot81 Posts: 782 Member
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    First, welcome to the running club!

    Second, ice your achy shin.

    Third, invest in some compression socks or sleeves. I just bought my first pair of sleeves and they ROCK.

    Fourth, don't be afraid to take some time off running and cross train. You will NOT lose your running goodness after two weeks. Commit to cross cardio like elliptical, stairs, swim, BIKE (very good), and good ol' walking (I know I know but trust me). And lift weights, heavy or light. All of it will help strengthen your shins and other stuff. After one week off, ease back into it and don't run for more than 3 to 5 minutes at a time. Your patience will save you.

    I've had shin splints a few times myself. I was soooo afraid of taking time off, staring a half marathon in the face. And then soooo grateful when I finally learned that it's okay especially if I continue to workout in other ways.... I even cried once when the chiropractor told me to take time off.

    Friend me if you need more positive morale and support!
  • runzalot81
    runzalot81 Posts: 782 Member
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    Be careful with shin splints, stop if the pain continues. I thought I had shin splints from running but I woke up and couldn't walk I was in so much pain, I had 3 stress fracture in one shin and 1 in the other shin. I had to wear a boot for 8 weeks and 2 years later I still have issues with it. So if you feel pain then don't push through it stretch, walk, ice, compression and advil for a few days, stick to strength training and not high impact until pain goes away.

    great job on 3 miles. I ran my first 5K last fall after a year of recovery. You will do great.

    Yes! Thanks for sharing! Shin splints can lead to stress fractures so it is important to take of them and not just push through.
  • Lisdol
    Lisdol Posts: 22 Member
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    Check out this exercise if you get a chance: http://gizmodo.com/5902699/banish-shin-splints-forever-with-one-magical-exercise

    I will be doing that magical exercise for sure!
  • wolfgate
    wolfgate Posts: 321 Member
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    sarafil has some really good points.

    First, I assume by shin splints you mean pain and tightness in the muscle on the outer front side of the bone, and not a painful spot directly on the bone. If so...

    The name shin "splints" is for a reason. Usually something is causing that muscle to work harder stabilizing something in your stride - just as a splint would do. Which is why sarafil's form comments were excellent. You've been running long enough at a specific level that simple newness to running shouldn't be the issue anymore. There are several things that could be happening.

    You could be overstriding. if so, pull your landing back under your center of gravity and work to get cadence to 180

    You could be hitting the ground too hard with your foot. How much noise do you hear when your foot hits? Really should be only a soft sound. If this might be the issue, work on landing more lightly (related to the next point as well) and making sure you are landing under your center of gravity.

    You could be pointing your toes to the sky on every step. This will definitely work the shin too hard. Whenever I (rarely) get shin splits, it's inevitably because I got sloppy in this area. Focus on keeping your foot and shin relaxed as you swing the foot forward. Relax should almost be a mantra.

    And of course, as others have pointed out, it could be calf tightness. Work on that in general.

    You likely heel strike, and that is OK, but if so it should be a subtle strike over much of the heel and not one where your heel is driving into the ground with your toes clearly pointing skyward. A proper heel strike looks very close to a mid-foot landing. And, you'll note the pointers above would lead to that as well.
  • lexnaj
    lexnaj Posts: 6 Member
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    This is what my trainer said. When you wake up sit on the edge of your bed and take a towel and hold it with both hands placing the ball of your foot in the middle of the towel. Pull gently on the towel to that your foot flexes toward you and you feel a pull in your foot and calf. Do both legs.

    Stand on a curb so that the balls of your feet are on the curb. Lower and then raise yourself so you are stretching all the muscles in your calves.

    Wear compression socks for a while. Also ice helps. If you continue to feel pain than I would consult a doctor and check your levels. It could be a pottasium issue.
  • Lisdol
    Lisdol Posts: 22 Member
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    First, welcome to the running club!

    Second, ice your achy shin.

    Third, invest in some compression socks or sleeves. I just bought my first pair of sleeves and they ROCK.

    Fourth, don't be afraid to take some time off running and cross train. You will NOT lose your running goodness after two weeks. Commit to cross cardio like elliptical, stairs, swim, BIKE (very good), and good ol' walking (I know I know but trust me). And lift weights, heavy or light. All of it will help strengthen your shins and other stuff. After one week off, ease back into it and don't run for more than 3 to 5 minutes at a time. Your patience will save you.

    I've had shin splints a few times myself. I was soooo afraid of taking time off, staring a half marathon in the face. And then soooo grateful when I finally learned that it's okay especially if I continue to workout in other ways.... I even cried once when the chiropractor told me to take time off.

    Friend me if you need more positive morale and support!

    Thanks! I went home yesterday and cried to my boyfriend after running on the treadmill and feeling the shin splints coming back... you would've thought I was training for the olympics!! It's good to know I won't mess my progress up too badly if I take a week or two off and do other stuff.. that was my main concern.
  • Lisdol
    Lisdol Posts: 22 Member
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    lexnaj - I will definitely be doing those stretches! Thanks

    wolfgate - I wear headphones when I run so I can't really hear how hard I'm hitting the ground but I will definitely be more conscious of my form and relax.
  • arw4
    arw4 Posts: 51 Member
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    If you have to take some time off, you could always cross train. Swimming, biking, the elliptical, and other machines can help you stay in shape while reducing the stress on your body.
  • nickscutie
    nickscutie Posts: 303 Member
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    Just be careful. I ran through shin splits and ended up with a stress fracture, from Jan- July of this year no running (or anything) at all. (not to mention the terrible walking cast for 6 weeks and endless physical therapy). Now I can only do 1-2 runs/week, if I am lucky, without having pain, and have to stick to the torturous elliptical for additional cardio.

    My advice would be to stretch/warm up dynamically before you run, stretch statically after you run, compression wraps and braces are good for stabilization while running and afterwards, eat plenty of calcium and Vitamin D to keep your bones strong, keep focus on strength training to keep those muscles strong that will take a pounding each time you run, and when in doubt, rest don't run. You can cross train and still keep up your endurance.

    Also, post runs I would take some anti-inflammatory (aleve, motrin), and ice your calve.

    Last point on endurance: After 6 months of little to no real physical activity my endurance is bouncing back quite nicely. So I would not worry about that.

    I have learned that it is better to forgo a few runs than sustain an injury that could affect your long term ability to run.

    That is just advice from my experience, of course, I am not even close to an expert.
  • nickscutie
    nickscutie Posts: 303 Member
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    oh and also, beware of the employees who fit you at the running stores.

    I did get fitted (with treadmill video taping and fancy software and everything) for brand new shoes about 2 months before my stress fracture.

    Fast forward a few months later and my physical therapist told me she never would have put me in the shoes they recommended for me.

    Just saying...
  • Lisdol
    Lisdol Posts: 22 Member
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    Very good advice... all this talk of long term damages scares me so I think I might take a little time off from running or run a lot less for awhile and do other activities.
  • Sassy922
    Sassy922 Posts: 399 Member
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    I had the worst "shin splints" in HS, and the school trainer always told me it was because of the switch from conditioning on the track to the running in cleats on the field. He made it sound like there was no relief from it and to stretch and invest in Mineral Ice, which I did. And the relief was minimal.

    BUT when I started the workout routine at my gym, I hired a trainer (who happened to be a former classmate and a semi pro soccer player) and he told me that the real trainers told him they were either one from stress fractures or lack of muscle build. The more weights I incorporated in my workout routine, the less my shins hurt while running.

    So, first I suggest going to a doctor and getting it checked out. Make sure you are fracture free.
    Then continue stretching and icing.
    But most importantly work those weights and build that supporting muscle.
  • Sassy922
    Sassy922 Posts: 399 Member
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    oh and also, beware of the employees who fit you at the running stores.

    I did get fitted (with treadmill video taping and fancy software and everything) for brand new shoes about 2 months before my stress fracture.

    Fast forward a few months later and my physical therapist told me she never would have put me in the shoes they recommended for me.

    Just saying...

    Yes! I agree with this! Get fitted by a doctor or a physical therapist!
  • Lisdol
    Lisdol Posts: 22 Member
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    I had the worst "shin splints" in HS, and the school trainer always told me it was because of the switch from conditioning on the track to the running in cleats on the field. He made it sound like there was no relief from it and to stretch and invest in Mineral Ice, which I did. And the relief was minimal.

    BUT when I started the workout routine at my gym, I hired a trainer (who happened to be a former classmate and a semi pro soccer player) and he told me that the real trainers told him they were either one from stress fractures or lack of muscle build. The more weights I incorporated in my workout routine, the less my shins hurt while running.

    So, first I suggest going to a doctor and getting it checked out. Make sure you are fracture free.
    Then continue stretching and icing.
    But most importantly work those weights and build that supporting muscle.

    Good call, I do need to incorporate weights into my routine! I know weights and cardio will get you the best results anyways, I just got lost in the zone with my cardio lol

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