Shin "splint" advice

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I went rollerblading last night for the first time in over a year. OMG! My shins were on fire! I had totally committed to doing 30 mins, but could barely stand 15 mins. So disappointed. I used to roller blade 4 or 5 times a week before. I spent the rest of the night with ice packs on my legs. Any suggestions on how to prevent this?

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  • nickscutie
    nickscutie Posts: 303 Member
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    try stretching before you go. you can look up good stretching exercises for runners online, i am sure it would apply to rollerblading too.
  • poustotah
    poustotah Posts: 1,121 Member
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    In addition to stretching, find some ways to increase your potassium too. That helps a lot.
  • RisRis85
    RisRis85 Posts: 28
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    I am a runner, but used to suffer from severe shin splints. And it all has to do with the arch in your shoes, or in your case your blades. I would suggest putting in an arch support if you have a high arch, it will literally take the pain away in a day. I swear by it. I used to wear Nikes, and I can anymore, not enough arch support. Once you make the switch, find out which kind of arch you have, it will get better, and fast!
    Have a good one, hope this helps. :)
  • zakkthebear
    zakkthebear Posts: 52 Member
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    there are lots of muscles that go into ice skating and rollerblading mimics this. if you "used" to do this, those muscles that were use to the exercise and effort are no longer used to it. take it slow, work your way back to it. this is especially important if your were stationary for a while or haven't worked out (really worked out) in a while
  • OneBryteSmile
    OneBryteSmile Posts: 808 Member
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    I do these stretches before and after my runs - http://foothealth.about.com/od/exercisefeet/ss/ShinSplintExerc.htm.

    I also do lots of slow and controlled toe tapping when I'm just sitting around.
  • missy_1975
    missy_1975 Posts: 244 Member
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    Ditch the ice (only use ice when you want to stop bleeding, ie a bad cut) and apply apple cider vinegar (do a patch test 1st to ensure you aren't sensitive). Apply ACV to a cloth and lay it on the inflamed area, wrap in cling film/saran wrap and leave on for a few hours. Wash off. Best anti-inflamatory out there! Also bathing in epsom salts speeds up the removal of lactic acid from the muscles = less aching.
  • Hnfjw
    Hnfjw Posts: 6
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    I found that I was getting pain in my shins from the treadmill/walking at golf

    I switched to the elipticle and found I could do that pain free for an hour.

    If you want to excercise I would suggest try an elipticle machine, it worked for me.

    I'm hoping once I lose more weight I can expand to other activities.
  • ninaisaac
    ninaisaac Posts: 11 Member
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    Thanks. All great suggestions. Think I'll try stretching a little more next time & def look into buying some arches.