shin splints

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seeled
seeled Posts: 93
in Fitness and Exercise
A couple of months ago I went running on the road. Every since I have had problems with my shins. They had gotten a little better. Again, I went running on the road, not as far and in better shoes, and again my shins are hurting.... worse that before! Any ideas besides aspirin, ice, rest and taping, which I already do all of. I do not like the idea of not being able to run or walk!!

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  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
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    Shin splints are usually caused by bad form or bad shoes or both. Make sure that you land midfoot, not pounding down on your heels. You should be fitted for a good pair of shoes at a store that specializes in running shoes so they can assess your gait and pronation to fit you with a shoe that will cushion your feet. If you Google Chi running you can see good form that places less strain on your muscles and joints.
  • tjprinzi
    tjprinzi Posts: 5
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    I agree with the good shoes comment.

    Also, after doing anything where you start to feel the pain in the shins, do foot flexing stretches. Lift one leg slightly off the floor. Flex the foot up, then point the toes out. Does this 8 times. Then rotate the foot 8 times counterclockwise, then 8 times clockwise. Do the same routine with the other foot. I've found that provides a lot of relief.
  • marshallkk2012
    marshallkk2012 Posts: 3
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    My shin splints went away when I stretched my calf muscles A LOT. I used a foam roller about 6 inches in diameter and rolled my calf across it. After a few times of doing that, the shin splints got a lot better.
  • pinkraynedropjacki
    pinkraynedropjacki Posts: 3,027 Member
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    Run on grass. I did that till I ran mine out. Took about 2 months but I did it.
  • haroon_awan
    haroon_awan Posts: 1,208 Member
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    These videos might be helpful:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1lv1jrr46Y
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20WCLxXfMG8

    Also, I've had this problem. I strained both ankles/achilles mid-October 2011. My left achilles was much more damaged than my right. It was due to a combination of over running, running too fast and running on a treadmill too often.

    The good news is that you will recover.

    The bad news is that it will take more than a month to heal. I went to the doctor and he said take 2 weeks off and stop running completely and do swimming or cross training instead as they are non-impact. I was running a about 3 miles 2 times a week after I got injured because I didn't want to lose fitness in any way. But that was the worst thing I could do, and you running is the worst thing you can do.

    You need to stop running now before it gets worse. Trust me when I say this. I'm only 20 and I've been there and I've done that, and let me tell you, it £$^&ing sucks being injured and knowing the only thing you can do is rest your ankle.

    I ran once in November for about 2 miles and knew I had to stop. To be fair, I also injured both shin bones, both knees and my groin at the time, so it was a lot worse (I couldn't run across the road without being in pain!). I ran twice in December (2 and 3 miles, respectively) just to see how I would do. It was much better but not 100%.

    I only fully recovered 3 weeks ago.

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