shin splints

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Wonsdering if that is what is going on with my legs...When walking about 5-6 inches above my ankle bone on the outside of my leg HURTS like hell...it gets little better when I slow my pace down...I have heard to try and walk them out, and then I have heard to not exercise on pavement while that is happening! Is it my shoes?? My ankle socks?? HELP!!

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  • kwagganin
    kwagganin Posts: 34
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    I started walking recently and by calves get really crampy. I push through it and it goes away after awhile. It gets real bad when I walk on wobbly tarmac. Try to walk it off, if its still bothering, try other shoes and see if it goes away.
  • fraggles1805
    fraggles1805 Posts: 33 Member
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    I had shin splints when first joined my gym. Found some exercises were fine but others were agony. My trainer said 90% of the time caused by footwear. Went to specialist sports shoes shop and they analyze how you walk/run using a treadmill with camera and a pressure pad. They showed me straight away what was causing the shin splints on my old trainers, bought new ones (which weren't expensive) and never had a problem since. Hope that helps.
  • skydiveD30571
    skydiveD30571 Posts: 281 Member
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    My trainer said 90% of the time caused by footwear.

    This.

    I had awful shin splints too. Got some new running shoes, nothing fancy just regular running shoes, and the pain started to go away right then. After about a week I was pain-free.
  • CLFrancois
    CLFrancois Posts: 472 Member
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    I 2nd and 3rd the shoes. I have extremely high arches and if i do not have proper shoes with support PLUS the nifty inserts that are custom made for my feet, I can feel it right away when I try to run. I like to push it by stepping up the incline (trying to get some booty) and that is even worse if I don't have the right shoes. I don't know if pushing through it is right, but I do too.
    Do you have a Road Runner shop around?
    If I were you, I would just pick up the phone and call around. Find a shop that fits your walk/run. You don't have to buy there. Just listen to what they say.
  • Init_to_winit
    Init_to_winit Posts: 258 Member
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    I agree that shoes are really important but for me new shoes wasn't in the budget quite yet. I learned that your shins take longer to warm up than the rest of your legs. So what I would do is before my run either in the car driving to my running spot or at home before I would be on my way to run, I would sit down and tap my feet A LOT and stretch the front of my leg out by keeping my heel down and lifting my toe way up or by stepping one foot back and putting my toes on the floor and kind of pulling my leg forward to stretch. Hard to explain without illustrations. This alone helped my shin splints out so much!
  • ChristieNJFitnessAddict
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    This happened to me and I had to go to Sports Authority and get calf support for every time I jogged, did an aerobics class or played softball. It helped me so much. I don't even use them anymore. Big importance is having a good quality pair of shoes. Poor quality can hurt you as well.
  • Fitburd
    Fitburd Posts: 92 Member
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    Insoles that support your arches can help as can stretching before and after plenty. I had shin splints and had to experiment (saw a biomechanics dr) the pain moved to my knees for a significant period of time and I still have a few issues with my IT band and tendons, but I'm able to run now even though I'm still hauling a lot of weight.

    I hope you find the solution to your problem
  • sperocras
    sperocras Posts: 60 Member
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    You should also try streching your calves after working out, because that pain can also be caused by tight muscles in your calves. Look at the last exercise listed here: http://www.girlshealth.gov/fitness/exercise/stretching.cfm

    I had shin splints the first time I walked on the treadmill - I pushed through it and afterwards spent a good twenty minutes alternating stretching one calf and the other. The next time I walked on the treadmill, I had no shin splint pain at all.

    Edited in a failed attempt to make the link work.
  • Jonesan6
    Jonesan6 Posts: 2
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    Some people get them and some don't. The dreadful shin splints!!! Try walking on a softer surface not concrete. Try icing them too. Ice directly on the skin for about 20 min. Don't fret, the burning goes away in about 7min : ) It works! I suffered from shin splints and I did the whole shoe thing. The shoe store put me on a treadmill and video taped my walk/run and, it didn't work. However, it did help with plantar fascitis.
  • sevsmom
    sevsmom Posts: 1,172 Member
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    Ditto footwear & stretching. If you have both handled, you need to see a doc and find out if something else is going on.
  • sundaywishes
    sundaywishes Posts: 246 Member
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    I would also say footwear is the culprit. I needed a new pair of sneakers badly (I was using my Chucks because my "workout" sneakers got lost, how I don't know, and I still can't find them) and couldn't afford them. The Chucks were giving me shin splints before I could even make it halfway down the block with my dog. But yesterday I was able to get a new pair of "sneakers"--the Vibram FiveFingers Classic. Now, I just need to let you know, I tried these on simply--and only--because I wanted to know what all the fuss was about, I wanted to know how "odd" they felt, I wanted to be able to tell all the people who wore them, "Yeah, I tried them, and I still think you're just going along with a stupid fad, like those 'toning' sneakers." But once I put them on and walked around, it was over. I now belong to a club that I do not *want* to belong to, but I do. It really is amazing how much they changed things for me, and yeah that sounds cliché or whatever, but it's true and I'm being honest. I *love* these "sneakers" the way I *love* my sky-high lacey stilettos. Except these are WAAAAAAYYYY more comfortable than my stilettos lol.


    Just for the record, my fiancé hated them. Absolutely HATED them. He couldn't walk right in them, his knees were bowing together. He tried on a different style than mine (not sure what they were, but they had a velcro part that went over the top of the foot). He also has flat feet (actual flat feet, his feet had to be broken when he was little). I have no idea if was specifically the style he tried on and/or the flat feet played a part in his hatred, or maybe it was a combo of both. All I know is that they are not for him. But for me, they are worth their weight in gold (thankfully they're very light!) So, just a suggestion, you may like one of the many brands and styles of these foot gloves/skeleton shoes/whatever the hell you want to call them. I also lucked out and was able to get a pair for $50, and they were black and gray--not as ugly as most I've seen out there.


    TL;DR – my money is on bad footwear.
  • Ingridriddle
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    Thank you everyone! I am going tomorrow to the Running store to have them check my feet and see what I may need. I just bought a new Nike tennis shoes and at the time thought that they might not be high enough on my arch. (Should have listened to myself) They work out fine in my classes at the gym, but speed walking/jogging not so much! Seriously thought I was going to have to call my hubby to come and get me 2 miles out today! LOL I did read on line today that if you take a small ball (golf ball size) and roll the bottom of your foot on it (arch area) that it will relieve some of the pain in the calf, and then it also said to roll your calves on the foam rollers...Tried the little ball and it helped a bit! :-)