Shin Splints

plmkoijn
plmkoijn Posts: 15
in Fitness and Exercise
Does anyone suffer from shin splints? if so what are some good home remedies. I would love to run but I can't because when I do my shins kill me they hurt so bad. any advice will be greatly appreciated.

Replies

  • WhenOneEnds
    WhenOneEnds Posts: 4
    You have to rest. I suggest taking a week off the running, ice the shin maybe 2-3 times a day for 15 minutes and take an anti-inflammatory until the pain subsides. You might need to look into getting fitted shoes if you haven't already. What sort of terrain do you run on?

    Also make sure you do some thorough stretching before you run.

    Have a read through of this, it pretty much sums it up better: http://www.runnersworld.co.uk/beating-injury/shinsplints---how-to-beat-them/234.html
  • cjack19
    cjack19 Posts: 158 Member
    I used to get them but after getting new shoes, I don't anymore. I also do my running on trails which I think helps too. Not sure if that will work for you, but it did for me! Good luck!
  • stacw1987
    stacw1987 Posts: 206 Member
    i used to get them BIG time! I went and got new trainers fitted and they went totally. Never had them since! I personally think home remedies can only ease the pain but it wont get down to the root of the problem. I would suggest going to get new trainers fitted and always buy running shoes a size bigger!! That was a mistake I also made! Hope this helps :)
  • WoWkat
    WoWkat Posts: 48 Member
    Are you running in fancy running shoes (not so much expensive, but fancy cushioned shoes)?

    That might be the cause of your shin splints.

    I used to get them terribly, and was running in Nike Pegasus. Like, I could go on one run every other week, because every time I ran the shin splints would come back and I would have to wait a week and a half for them to go away. They have a gel heel pocket and all kinds of padding. When you have a highly padded shoe, your body will strike the ground harder when you run.

    I now alternate between Nike Lunarglide 3 (moderate bit of support, but no padding) and Nike Free (which has almost no support/padding) and have not had shin splints since. I've also stopped having a strange pain in me knee, and found that I can run farther than ever before.

    It sounds counterintuitive, but I would try a shoe with less support and fancy technology.

    Also, as someone who used to get shin splints after every run - make sure you're healed up before you run again. They just get exponentially worse if you don't let them get better.
  • misssiri
    misssiri Posts: 335 Member
    Make sure you have the right shoes and if that doesn't work, a gal I run with told me she had to get inserts because of her arches and that helped her shin splints. Many runners think stretching before (when your muscles are cold and tight) is not good (do a slow warmup instead) but you need to stretch after. If you have them now, rest. No sense in making it worse. Also, try to run on dirt or blacktop if possible. It's "softer" than sidewalk.
  • plmkoijn
    plmkoijn Posts: 15
    I am running on a treadmill right now but I have run outside on pavement, and on a soft track. It always hurts I will rest and when I start again I am fine for 2 runs then the third it start hurting again.
  • plmkoijn
    plmkoijn Posts: 15
    I have nike shocks. Bought them after I started getting shin splints thinking it would help but nope it did not hel at all. I will have to get my shoes fitted but where would I do that?

    Thanks everyone for your reply
  • lsill64
    lsill64 Posts: 3
    I'm far from a running expert - in fact I don't because I get shin splints or hurt my feet every time i try so I do the elliptical machine instead. However, after suffering for a long time with heel pain from plantar fasciitis my podiatrist told me if you are having any type of foot or knee problem the tread mill is actually worse than the street or concrete for exercising. Why? He says you tend to dig your heels in on the treadmill where you wouldn't as much on a regular surface and this is harder on the heel and knees, etc. I would think the shins too. I would see a professional though because I'm not one :-) PS - I had a really nice treadmill so I hated hearing that!
  • Runningnorth
    Runningnorth Posts: 38 Member
    Put a towel on the floor and place your foot at one end. Scrunch up your toes and try to gather the towel with your toes until you gather the entire towel up. Do this with each foot to strengthen your shins everyday. This will help over time. Good luck
  • zlauerMom
    zlauerMom Posts: 183 Member
    I have nike shocks. Bought them after I started getting shin splints thinking it would help but nope it did not hel at all. I will have to get my shoes fitted but where would I do that?

    Thanks everyone for your reply
    I would look for a running store in your area. A good store will examine the bottom of your current shoe and watch you walk and or run. They'll have you run on a treadmill in the store or just outside to see how the shoe looks when you run. There is no telling what kind of shoe will work without knowing more about your stride and footfall. Make sure you tell them you're having issues with shin splints.

    In one post mentions, "I'm fine for 2 runs, then the third it starts hurting again." Do you mean on the third day of running in a row, you start having the pain? Are you relatively new to running? If so, it sounds like you are doing too much too soon. Your shins are saying Woah! We are still recuperating from the last run! A body doesn't go from not running to running daily overnight. You'll have to build up to it. You could try running every other day and build your mileage up slowly.
  • Superman1983
    Superman1983 Posts: 3
    I used to get them all the time too. What I ended up figuring out is that I needed to stretch my calf muscles. They were so tight that it caused a muscle imbalance with my tibalis anterior (shin muscle). After a couple weeks of stretching my calves, I was good to go.

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