Help with flat feet and shin splints

bwatson74
bwatson74 Posts: 7 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hey guys hooe you czn help. I have flat feet. No arches and get extremely bad shin splints. Compression doesn't help. Anyone have ideas for shoes. Who makes best shoes for such support. I'm a new runner. and 245 pounds. I've heard brooks. Or Nike lunar glide. anyone else have opinions or help
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Replies

  • sunglasses_and_ocean_waves
    sunglasses_and_ocean_waves Posts: 2,757 Member
    you might want to go to a running store to get fitted properly.

    I can tell you the only thing that helped my splints was running a tennis ball along the arch of my foot so hard that it nearly made me cry. Best thing ever for SS.

    Good luck!
  • bwatson74
    bwatson74 Posts: 7 Member
    Explain tennis ball thing. And thanks.
  • Ni_kki
    Ni_kki Posts: 50 Member
    Second the comment about getting fitted! Get the shoes that work best for you, don't buy them for name or design.

    Tennis ball works well, so does a frozen water bottle. Stretch, Stretch, Stretch those calves! (this will help alleviate pain for both your shins and feet)

    Listen to your body though, shin splints suck, hurt mine 3 years ago, ended up with fractures because I kept pushing through the pain.. I was new runner, and I was overweight - of course it was going to hurt right? UGH poor life decision right there. The set back was huge!
  • bwatson74
    bwatson74 Posts: 7 Member
    Thanks u guys. Appreciate it
  • sunglasses_and_ocean_waves
    sunglasses_and_ocean_waves Posts: 2,757 Member
    I cant find a decent video on youtube right now, but you just stand on a tennis ball barefoot and rub your foot back and forth on the ball. It will hurt like hell. Then do the other foot. You can also rub your inner lower leg with the ball (or a foam roller I suppose). Do this before & after a run. Then do it while relaxing later. Just takes a few minutes.
  • sevsmom
    sevsmom Posts: 1,172 Member
    Stretch the calves and achilles!!! I was miserable in the shoes that were "sold" to me because of my flat feet. I just naturally roll to the outside. I have bunions that make it worse. Instead of fighting my current stride, I bought neutral shoes and have learned to make improvements in my stride and strengthen my core & legs. My legs are as happy as I can hope. When I start having pain in my legs, it's usually time to replace the shoes.
  • RaceB
    RaceB Posts: 18
    Definitely hit a running store with experienced folks. They will video your gait and help you pick the right show. Remember to bring a pair of used running shoes so they can also look at wear pattern. I second the tennis ball routine. To explain...you just roll it around underneath your foot...pushing fairly hard on it...and particularly at the arch.

    What I also do is, barefoot, press my two thumbs very hard into the center of my arch. This gives a bunch of relief to the arch, for me anyhow. Lastly, make sure you are running on soft surfaces and minimize the lift of your feet. I almost shuffle step when I run to minimize impact (that will help with the shin splints). Hope this helps. Best of Luck.
  • kishstl
    kishstl Posts: 40 Member
    I have flat and wide feet and tendency to get shin splints but even worse... plantar fascitis. New balance makes a great running shoe in wide widths and these are the best value in orthotics inserts that I have found. no issues at all in 5 years since beginning to use these. i put them in all of my shoes not just running. It will take a few weeks for your arch to get used to it but my arch has actually gotten slightly stronger and higher over the last several years of use.
    https://www.powersteps.com/product-pages/original
  • jenluvsushi
    jenluvsushi Posts: 933 Member
    Another option to try is running barefoot. Another is to do lots and lots of stretching/rolling out your shins with a rolling pin coupled with ice. It helped me tremendously. I had gotten fitted at a running shoe store where they watch you run and analyze your gate. Then I bought the high stability shoes they recommended. After that, I had the WORST shin splints of my life. Well, one day I ran to the end of my block, barefoot with my little girl and noticed that I wasn't in any pain afterwards like I normally would have been. Then I bought a pair of cheap minimalist shoes just to try them out and it was a miracle.....no shin splints! I'm not saying this will work for everyone, but it did for me. It also taught me to run correctly because I could actually feel where my foot would land on the concrete as opposed to the high stability shoe that the store recommended. Best of luck!
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    I suffered from heel spurs for years. My final cure was significant weight loss (90 pounds so far). Thick socks. Shoe inserts. There are Dr. Scholl's diagnostic machines in the pharmacy here. I used the machine to pick up an expensive insert. I experienced near immediate relief using the insert and I refused to go without for months (until I lost that weight).

    I stretched my heels when I got up in the morning and under my desk during the day.

    For shin splints, get properly fitted.
    issaonline.edu/blog/index.cfm/2012/10/1/Could-Your-Shoes-Be-Giving-You-Shin-Splints-
    I also over-pronate and my Asics runner has been excellent.
    Here's an example:
    http://ca.shop.runningroom.com/men/gel-foundation-8-mens.html

    http://d2z2begrigh9ji.cloudfront.net/media/RightShoes/therightshoe-en.pdf
  • kishstl
    kishstl Posts: 40 Member
    ditto on the stretching also
  • Victoriamrs
    Victoriamrs Posts: 99 Member
    Since I started walking as a form of exercise my feet are in constant pain. I have fallen arches and the shoes I was using were not supporting me at all. I went to a local sports store and had gait analysis done and discovered I was over pronouncing on my feet which meant I needed a stability trainer for walking and running. I would highly recommend you do this. Asics are meant to be one of the best brands out there but they can be expensive. Not sure where you are based but this is a store in Ireland that specialise in these type of trainers. I went to them as opposed to a local trainers store as they were selling me the wrong products and were also misinforming me, bottom line if I listened to them I would cause more damage to my feet. Tennis ball was also recommended to me.

    Good luck!

    http://www.runways.ie/store/

    http://store.nike.com/ie/en_gb/pw/stability-running-shoes/a0lZbrkZ8yz?ref=https://www.google.ie/

    http://www.groupon.co.uk/deals/special/gg-groupon-goods-global-gmb-h-5-9516/38139261
  • Curtruns
    Curtruns Posts: 510 Member
    some good books for you to read

    Runner's World The Runner's Body

    Runner's World Complete Book of Running
  • lishie_rebooted
    lishie_rebooted Posts: 2,973 Member
    Victoriamrs wrote: »
    Since I started walking as a form of exercise my feet are in constant pain. I have fallen arches and the shoes I was using were not supporting me at all. I went to a local sports store and had gait analysis done and discovered I was over pronouncing on my feet which meant I needed a stability trainer for walking and running. I would highly recommend you do this. Asics are meant to be one of the best brands out there but they can be expensive. Not sure where you are based but this is a store in Ireland that specialise in these type of trainers. I went to them as opposed to a local trainers store as they were selling me the wrong products and were also misinforming me, bottom line if I listened to them I would cause more damage to my feet. Tennis ball was also recommended to me.

    Good luck!

    http://www.runways.ie/store/

    http://store.nike.com/ie/en_gb/pw/stability-running-shoes/a0lZbrkZ8yz?ref=https://www.google.ie/

    http://www.groupon.co.uk/deals/special/gg-groupon-goods-global-gmb-h-5-9516/38139261

    *overpronating

    Asics are good but not for everyone.
    I was originally fit in the Asics GT-3000 which is a stability shoe with extra support in it. You can only get it at specialty shops.
    I was re-fit for Saucony Guide 7s. The Asics GT-2000s are in the same stability class as the Sauconys so I took them for a demo run when Asics visited my local shop. So much pain and discomfort.

    Your mileage will definitely vary.

    Downward dog helps me stretch my calves and you can do it anywhere
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    Downward dog! Yes! My yoga postures have made me so much more mobile. The downward facing dog helps me get out of the pool without putting weight on my bad knee.
  • socalkay
    socalkay Posts: 746 Member
    I've always suffered shin splints and decided years ago there are other ways to get cardio exercise besides running.
  • asdowe13
    asdowe13 Posts: 1,951 Member
    shin splits and why they can happen

    improper fitting shoes
    not enough water
    not enough stretching
    running too fast, too soon i.e. slow down ( you should be running at a pace you can carry on a conversation - unless doing sprints or HIIT)
  • sunglasses_and_ocean_waves
    sunglasses_and_ocean_waves Posts: 2,757 Member
    adowe wrote: »
    shin splits and why they can happen

    improper fitting shoes
    not enough water
    not enough stretching
    running too fast, too soon i.e. slow down ( you should be running at a pace you can carry on a conversation - unless doing sprints or HIIT)

    Not entirely. I don't get shin splints unless I run a certain indoor track. Any other surface is no problem.
  • FitnessTrainer69
    FitnessTrainer69 Posts: 283 Member
    OP, I've had both and have been able to get rid of them in a timely manner. First off, no one here should recommend a certain shoe. You should go to a store like runners world and let them watch you run and recommend a certain shoe. Doesn't mean it'll be the perfect one but its better then any one of us could recommend. I could tell you what works for me but the likeliness of us having the same exact platform is probably slim. Once you have the injury the best thing is to use heat and cold when your able. You need to strengthen the area back up but very slowly. Stay away from steady state cardio or anything that aggravates the area. What worked for me was to completely start over using a treadmill. I had to completely stop running for at least 5-6 months. On the treadmill I had to start walking for 5mins and slowly increase the angles and speed. If the area started hurting I would stop immediately and try again every other day. I did the same thing until I was able to run for 2-3minutes and use the same speed and angle. But I wouldn't push it until pain. Eventually between stretching and alternating my cardio training the problem has gone away for the time being. Just be careful to not aggravate the injured areas once healed because you'll have to do the entire process over.
  • asdowe13
    asdowe13 Posts: 1,951 Member
    sunglasses_and_ocean_waves wrote: »
    adowe wrote: »
    shin splits and why they can happen

    improper fitting shoes
    not enough water
    not enough stretching
    running too fast, too soon i.e. slow down ( you should be running at a pace you can carry on a conversation - unless doing sprints or HIIT)

    Not entirely. I don't get shin splints unless I run a certain indoor track. Any other surface is no problem.

    Probably inadequate running shoes for that specific track.

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