Shin Splints

I got my shin splints when I was a new runner trying to get to higher distances. I'd get them almost every time I'd run after about 3 miles. Ibuprofen for me worked ust fine, but I was hoping to try to prevent them as opposed to just treat them. What finally worked for me was just going into a running store and getting fitted for good shoes. I haven't had them since :-)

Make sure you're not heel striking while you're running. That's the biggest culprit for shin splints from what I've found.

i used to get pain like that on occasion, mostly starting as calves cramping up, then aching down the outer edge of my lower leg to my ankle, then feet would get numb. iIt was eventually diagnosed as peroneal tendonitis. Are your calves really tight? How is your range of motion in your ankles? I find that if i stretch really well, and use a foam roller or lacrosse ball on the tight spots, it stops the cramping and numbness. rest, stretching, ice, and voltaren gel helped mine. I also take my laces out of the top most holes so my ankles have a bit more room. If you can, check out the book becoming a supple leopard book.... very helpful for me

Shin splints feel like the shin bone is being stabbed or splintering. Its typically in the inner front of your leg like on the bone. It's an intense sharp, acute pain. If it's in your calves it may be splint related but it could just be a muscle cramp. Rest cures splits. The more aggravated, the longer it takes to heal, in my experience. Better running shoes and working on your running form (how your feet hit the ground with each step) will help prevent them. But they happen to everyone at some point.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_hCfnuSdmk8

These stretches have worked well for me.

I started walking/jogging 8-10 miles a week the beginning of the year. I had very bad pain in the beginning. I got fitted for shoes that gave some relief but found that my memory foam shoes (not the ones I got fitted for) on a giving surface (gravel/dirt or "rubber" indoor track) worked best.
Good luck!

hncary wrote: »

I'm pretty sure I have shin splints. Any advice from those who have had them? How long did you have to rest before getting back into your workout routine? And is there anything a doctor can do for them aside from pain meds or will they pretty much just tell me to rest? We just moved and I'm looking for a new doctor, but I will go to an urgent care if I really need to in the meantime.

If you're running, go get fitted for food running shoes. If you're doing any other kind of exercise, go get fitted for good exercise shoes. Here, we have Fleet Feet, Heart and Sole, and Dick's Sporting Goods.

Also, be sure to stretch before and after workouts.

If the pain in your shins are so bad you need to go to urgent care, then I would wonder if something else is going on.

marmaladepixie wrote: »

i used to get pain like that on occasion, mostly starting as calves cramping up, then aching down the outer edge of my lower leg to my ankle, then feet would get numb. iIt was eventually diagnosed as peroneal tendonitis. Are your calves really tight? How is your range of motion in your ankles? I find that if i stretch really well, and use a foam roller or lacrosse ball on the tight spots, it stops the cramping and numbness. rest, stretching, ice, and voltaren gel helped mine. I also take my laces out of the top most holes so my ankles have a bit more room. If you can, check out the book becoming a supple leopard book.... very helpful for me

There you go.

Stretching is very important, as is warming up and cooling down.

@hncary, if you have a mat and foam roller at the gym, or if you can buy one from a sporting store, try rolling your calves and hamstrings before and after working out. Here's what I'm talking about:

I find with shin splints, I can't take part in any other exercises that involve putting too much pressure on the leg/s that are inflamed. Jumping, skipping, ski jumps etc are all out of the question, as is any exercise that puts too much pressure on the inside of my leg (sometimes lunges, depending on where the pain is really) so I stick to push ups, sit ups and walking (as long as the shins aren't too sore). They are a nightmare! The only way I get rid of them is to have physio, rest for about a week and then start running from scratch again .. start at 1km etc and build up slowly. I recently made the mistake of upping mileage too fast, from 2km to 4km and have since had it flare up in one leg again. Grrr.. My own fault for not going slow But we all love running so... Ice, foam roller/massage and a compression sleeve during the day help with recovery.