Help!!! Shin splints!!!

OUCH!

1.start with a new pair of shoes
have you been in your shoes longer than 500 miles?
try getting fitted shoes from a running store. ex. cincinnati. bob ronkers running spot

2.ICE..(freeze a paper cup and tear off top a quarter of an inch..massage your shins.

3. Calf and Foot stretches

From my understanding......doing too much too fast. And, yes, they can hurt like Billie-O.

One exercise I've seen (and tried) is walking on your heels while barefoot. 30 seconds on, 30 off for a few minutes. Supposed to strengthen the connection between tendon and bone in your shins.

Give running a break while they heal. Start slow.

1horsetown

Lots of good information.

http://health.yahoo.net/channel/shin-splints.html

I was able to work my way into it. Walking actually seemed to do me in worse than jogging. Weird.

I have had a lot of trouble with shin splints. Making sure you have good shoes is very important. I would recommend going to a place where they will actually analyze your stride and fit you with running shoes. Also, don't increase your training too fast. I have trouble with just one side because I have one leg longer than the other. I actually bought one of the Zensah Calf Sleeve and it has made a huge difference. I haven't had shin splints since I got it. If you continue having problems you may consider that option.

Have to throw in for the shoes as well. Just keep in mind, they probably will be a bit more expensive, but well worth the price. I'm 5'8'', 225, but I have just completed my second half marathon and the Broad Street 10 Miler. Couldn't have done any of these without proper shoes!

But now that you have them, ice and rest will help tremendously. Do not try to come back to quick. I had them beginning of this year and switched to water jogging and other cardio means until they healed.

Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome, i.e shin splints happen when a lot of force is put on the shin bone. Running/jogging downhill a lot can contribute to them.
Its extremely important to stop when you have shin splints. They will only get worse. Even pro athletes have to take a break. I've had them a lot and mine were really painful, and made it hard to even get off the treadmill. Even walking hurt. I don't do anything serious, usually just jog 3 or 4 miles a couple times a week.
Also, if you are on a treadmill make sure its at least a 0.5 incline, because otherwise its slightly downhill.
I've heard duck-walking helps. Walk on your heal with your legs slightly out in front of you and your toes up.

Shin Splints are caused by a variety of reasons. Bad form, poor or worn out footwear, running on hard or uneven surfaces or excessive usage.

How old are your shoes? Anything with over 300 miles should be pitched. Running involves wear out and stop supporting your foot properly.

Are they the right shoes? Everyone walks, or runs differently. Don't go with cheap shoes either. You inflict a great deal of impact, bargain basement shoes don't hold up. Go to a professional running shop (Running Room, Fleet Feet etc) and have them assess your Gait. The will tell you which shoes are appropriate for you and why (do you pronate, do you suppinate or are you neutral, do you need Motion Control, Stability, or Neutral shoes) You may pay a little extra for shoes, but thats better than a lot of extra pain and the eventual quitting of running.

Moving right along, How much are you running? and how fast did you get there? Shin Splints are often called an overusage injury. Usually comes from people doing to much too soon. You should never increase your mileage by no more than 10% per week. If you do 10 miles this week, you should only do 11 next week, 12.1 the week after.

For treatment, Take a dixie cup, fill it with water and freeze it. Four times a day, take it and massage your shins where it hurts for 15 minutes at a time. Also dig your thumbs in and massage the area. If it hurts alot... congrats, you are doing it right. Deep tissue massage is very helpful in helping to heal the shin splint. You could also look into a foam roller or "the stick" for massaging the area.

Prevention -> Cut back your running until the shin splints are gone and try to run on softer level surfaces. I would suggest using an elliptical for the next week or finding some other cardio while they heal up.

When you are ready to start running again, do some warm ups for about 5 minutes to make sure your muscles are properly warmed up (jumping jacks, walking etc), then do some dynamic stretching. When you are ready to run, be prepared to listen to your body. Don't ignore it. Ignoring it could lead to worse shin splints, stress fractures or compression syndrome.

When you finish your workout, it is very important to do static stretching. This helps the muscles heal and retain their elasticity after a workout. It keeps them from tightening up.

Finally, it doesn't hurt after the workout, after the stretching to do a simple course of R.I.C.E. Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation.

I would also recommend that you get moving as soon after your workout as possible...(after the R.I.C.E) Go for a walk, stretch the legs and keep moving. It helps to get blood flowing thru the strained areas and speeds up healing.

Good Luck!

Oddly enough I'm having the same problem. Till I picked up the phone and called a local running store that offered gait analysis. I went in this afternoon after work and found out that my posterior shin splints were the result of an over pronation in my gait. My foot was rolling inward and could be corrected by a better pair of motion stabilizing running shoes.

Additionally, he told me that at around 3 to 4 weeks (where I am at now), many runners will start having issues with shin splints even if they didn't have them before (like myself). Many times this has to do with the enlargement of the calf muscles from the work out causing the stretching of the fascia (a sheath of fiberous tissue surrounding the muscles). Many times the calves will develope faster then the fascia and what you are feeling is the streching against your tibia.

By no means is this information a subsitute for medical advice. However, if you are running frequently and experiancing this, your best bet is to have a gait analysis performed to see if you are having any issues with pronation and if your gait could be corrected with new running shows or othotics. If it is not you gait, and you are at that one month mark, take it a little easier and definately make sure you stretch before and after your run. Also, cold compresses work wonders ) Best of Luck!!

Have you looked into the c25k program.. when i started running last fall i was about ready to quit between the chin splints and hurting so bad,,, i started this program and i was able to do it right.... it's called couch to 5k c25k.. there ap downloads available it has you run /walk in segments so that you build up your endurance over 8 weeks. there are a bunch of threads on here of people doing the program what week they are in and so forth, i had allready been running a while when i started the program but i still started at the beginning and used it to rehab from the injuries i had caused my legs by trying to overdo it. check it out it may be the answer your looking for.. good luck.

increase gradually, increase no more than .10 miles per week.

Hmm... 0.10 miles is only 528 feet -- less than 200 yards! Although this errs on the side of caution (which can be a good thing, if you're having problems), the number I've always seen is 10 *percent* -- that is, increase your mileage by no more than 10% each week...!


Diva -- one other thing to keep in mind is that shin splints are caused by the stress of the pounding your lower legs take when you run. It's manageable, but believe it or not, your bones need to get in shape to handle this, just as much as your muscles do! In fact, your muscles will begin to adapt to it quicker than your bones do (I think I've read that it takes a couple of months for your bones to adapt and strengthen!). A couple of thoughts: when you run, are you a "heel striker"? (That is, do you plant your heel at each step and then roll your foot forward?) Also, when you run, do you thump the ground pretty hard? (In other words, do you run lightly, or do you hear your feet thumping the ground?) Both of these can aggravate shin splints, but you can correct these by paying attention to what you're doing and focusing on not thumping so hard!

Good luck!!!

(Oh -- and the "writing the alphabet with your toes" thing is a good exercise, too! don't save it for just your post-run cool-down, though! Do it a few times each day, maybe while you're sitting at your desk: it'll help strengthen muscles and aid in the fight against shin splints!!!)

Painful shin splints while trying to run today

Too much, too soon.

Walk more, jog slower.
No, slower than that.
No, really, even slower than that.
Walk intermittently during your Jogging.
Walk early, walk often

Build up time on your feet.
Train by Minutes not Miles.

I find Body Adaptation occurs about every three weeks, and not a Linear progression.

Rest is good.
Slow walking until you get relief is Good Training.

www.RunInjuryFree.com
"training" tab
"half maration" tab
Link to "conditioning program"

I'm a big fan of the Gymboss and Galloway training principles.

Or switch to trainin by Heart Rate and Time (not distance or "perceived effort")
http://www.markallenonline.com/maoArticles.aspx?AID=2


Rest now :flowerforyou:

I hope you feel better soon.

Owie !!

If you experience shin splints STOP whatever you are doing to aggravate it. :sad:

You need to strengthen those teeny muscles.

Some things to try:

-point your toes under your desk and trace out the alphabet with each foot 3 times. (hurts don't it?)

-lift your foot to the beat of songs under your desk. (feel that little muscle working?)

-if you can reach your toes: while sitting, push against the tops of your feet and try to push your hands back using your feet. (this will target those teeny muscles really well)



I developed shin splints from running in high school gym class... Luckily my gym teacher took me aside & gave me these great exercises. :flowerforyou: