Insanity and Shin Splints

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deannamalik
deannamalik Posts: 16
in Fitness and Exercise
So I am in my third week of my Insanity Challenge and I think I may have developed a shin splint problem. It is excruciating, hard to even walk into another room. Is there any way to treat it and can I still safely continue my workout??? HELP!!!

P.S. I am a little over 200 lbs and 5'7'', I dont know if my weight and jumping up and down doing these intense workouts could be the cause of it or is it more common even in fit people?

Replies

  • grimendale
    grimendale Posts: 2,153 Member
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    I would probably recommend taking a break to let the muscles heal, then work on strengthening the long muscles in your legs before you try again. It is typically cause by overworking the muscle running along the shin bone. The below link gives a good explanation of what causes shin splints and how to prevent them.

    http://injuryfix.com/archives/shin-splints.php
  • deannamalik
    deannamalik Posts: 16
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    thank you! I will read it
  • oc1timoco
    oc1timoco Posts: 272 Member
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    Better take a break.
  • No_Finish_Line
    No_Finish_Line Posts: 3,661 Member
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    i would say its technically safe to continue even with the painful shin splints.

    it didn't get you out of football practice anyway.

    i got them in highschool during my first double sessions. I just iced it and delt with it and it eventually went away and I assume my muscles gets stronger. but i was 14 so...

    I could be wrong, but i think its basically a monster case of DOMS in one area. In other words, severe, but not uncommon muscle soreness due to exercise, and hence technically not an injury.

    I don't understand why this is a chronic thing even amoung runners. I would have thought thier muscles would strengthen, but it could be the case where they tried to push through, didn't take time off, and it turned into a chronic 'injury' kind of thing.

    so probably best bet would be to take some time off and maybe do some calf raises. Raising your toes up to your shins, basically digging your heals into the ground (the opposite of a calf raise) will engage the weak muscle in question. Probably the best way to strengthen the area would be to put it under a simialir but less intense stimulis, maybe jogging.
  • burbacka1132
    burbacka1132 Posts: 19 Member
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    I would take a break.

    I did Insanity for 2 weeks before developing right knee pain. I loved the workouts, but since it was very high-impact (at least, for me) I decided I'd rather not take a chance with my knees. They're the only ones I've got!

    If you give yourself a break, let the shin splints get better, then start up again and see how it goes. If you get pains again, it might be time to try a different workout.
  • jeepyj93
    jeepyj93 Posts: 392 Member
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    Take a break stretch and check that your shoes haven't given up on you.
  • BlueBombers
    BlueBombers Posts: 4,065 Member
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    Take a break for sure.

    I used to get them a lot when I started running, I found that icing my shins (about 20 mins) before and after helped A LOT.
  • fattymcbuttrpants
    fattymcbuttrpants Posts: 42 Member
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    Looks like you have a boyfriend... get him to massage your legs! ;)

    I just had a shin splint problem too. I needed to get new shoes ... may be a nice excuse to buy some?
  • contingencyplan
    contingencyplan Posts: 3,639 Member
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    Sounds like Insanity is not a program you should be doing given your issues with shin splints. If you're prone to them, you should be doing a low impact program, NOT Insanity.
  • tracking2lose
    tracking2lose Posts: 2 Member
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    I got shin splints from my shoes also (when running, not insanity)... new shoes instantly solved it for me!
  • erinm2629
    erinm2629 Posts: 69 Member
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    i found in the first week of insanity that either my calves hurt so bad i could not go up the stairs or my shins hurt so bad i could not go down them but eventually they got used to the workouts and everything is all good now. Maybe you need to do the recovery week early and focus on cardio recovery for a week and let the muscles rest.
  • acec00p
    acec00p Posts: 61 Member
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    Ice helps plus I got fitted with a good pair of Brooks sneakers
  • beancurdie
    beancurdie Posts: 85 Member
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    Lots of great advice here. Check your shoes, ice (20 mins on, 20 mins off every 3 hrs or so), stretch. The best stretch for me to sit down and write the alphabet (upper and lower!) with my leg lifted and toes pointed so my ankle and calf are doing most of the work.

    One other thing to consider is the floor. Laminate over concrete is way less forgiving than carpet with a thick pad and a wooden sub-floor. If you are working out on a hard surface, consider investing in interlocking foam squares so there is a bit more give underneath you.
  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
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    Shin splints for runners are usually from pounding down on your heels rather than landing midfoot or having unsupportive shoes. Not sure how any of that plays into Insanity having never seen or done it. You can exercise to strengthen your sin muscles by standing on a step with just your toes and the ball of your foot on the step and raising yourself up and down. If you sit at a desk a lot, put your feet flat on the floor and raise your toes up and down, that stretches the same muscle. Shin splints are just a serious muscle ache from over use and weakness.
  • LisaD1025
    LisaD1025 Posts: 74 Member
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    Shin splints are caused either by swelling of the muscles and connective tissues between the bone and the fascia, or by stress fractures to the bones in the lower leg. Either way, "working through them" is a really bad idea, at least at the intensity that you were exercising when they started. Don't stop exercising all together -- you need to keep moving to prevent your muscles from completely tightening up, thus shortening the length of the injured muscles further, but you do need to take it down a notch for a few days. Ice and light massage will help with the pain, and Aleve will do wonders. I would HIGHLY consider compression sleeves for your calves -- they help hold the muscles to the bone and prevent the muscles from tearing away from where they're supposed to be and help prevent swelling that causes the pain when the muscles swell up between the bone and fascia.

    In the meantime, take a serious look at your shoes!! It's worth the investment to put $150-$200 into pair of good shoes that will help prevent injury in the future.

    Finally -- I do the Insanity workouts barefoot. I've tried FOUR different pairs of shoes, it's the only way I can get through a workout without shin splints and foot cramps. If you do them in your own home, you could try it....

    Good luck.
  • No_Finish_Line
    No_Finish_Line Posts: 3,661 Member
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    Sounds like Insanity is not a program you should be doing given your issues with shin splints. If you're prone to them, you should be doing a low impact program, NOT Insanity.

    not everyone is ready to accept their short commings so easily
    i found in the first week of insanity that either my calves hurt so bad i could not go up the stairs or my shins hurt so bad i could not go down them but eventually they got used to the workouts and everything is all good now. Maybe you need to do the recovery week early and focus on cardio recovery for a week and let the muscles rest.

    see what i mean?
  • dylisla
    dylisla Posts: 8 Member
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    I suffer from shin splints with high impact exercise. 30 day shred left me in agony! Apparently they often occur when you suddenly increase the frequency or intensity of exercise. Treatment is usually Rest, elevation and ice. I was prescribed calf strengthening exercises by the physio.

    I am on week 9 of T25 which has a moderator doing low impact so you can build up to high impact if needed. I have had no pain doing this program, I followed the moderator for a few weeks and now do all the high impact moves. So far I have lost 13 inches so it has been effective for me even with the moderating. I may even do insanity next as I feel I have built up to high impact and fingers crossed that will protect my shins.

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