Shin splints anyone?

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T4RH33L_80
T4RH33L_80 Posts: 18 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Who has been a recipient of this pain in the leg? What did you do to get better? What have you done to prevent a reoccurrence?

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  • mbaker566
    mbaker566 Posts: 11,233 Member
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    rest and ice has gotten rid of it.
    i got proper running shoes fitted by my local running store
  • emmies_123
    emmies_123 Posts: 513 Member
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    Rest it, ice it, try not to continue putting it under tension when resting (don't cross legs, etc).

    To avoid recurrence, honestly I just avoided higher-impact activities. I don't run, so that wasn't an issue so much for me. But for workout videos I avoid jumping jacks or other jumping movements, do the lower-intensity step mods instead. Anything where I can land wrong with pressure I avoided for a long time.

    Now, months after my second painful experience, I am finally starting to try to add jumping in. I still don't do all the movements at high intensity, but i tend to do every other set as a proper jump.
  • T4RH33L_80
    T4RH33L_80 Posts: 18 Member
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    emmies_123 wrote: »
    Rest it, ice it, try not to continue putting it under tension when resting (don't cross legs, etc).

    To avoid recurrence, honestly I just avoided higher-impact activities. I don't run, so that wasn't an issue so much for me. But for workout videos I avoid jumping jacks or other jumping movements, do the lower-intensity step mods instead. Anything where I can land wrong with pressure I avoided for a long time.

    Now, months after my second painful experience, I am finally starting to try to add jumping in. I still don't do all the movements at high intensity, but i tend to do every other set as a proper jump.

    Thanks for that advice. I don't run either. But, I do walk. A lot. I had shin splints last week and I rested/iced until the pain no longer occurred after taking a short stroll. I now wear a compression sleeve on that leg and I got some new walking shoes. I've also cut back on my walking. Instead of a 5-minute walk each hour I now get on a stationary bike for 5-minutes to cut down on the impact. But, last night during my evening walk, I started feeling something again on that leg. It wasn't quite like before, not painful. But, now I am wary.
  • emmies_123
    emmies_123 Posts: 513 Member
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    With your walking, how is your stride? How are you hitting the pavement? if you are forcing a faster walk than you are comfortable with you may be keeping your legs too stiff and the shock of impact is going up the shin. Found out after talking to a gym trainer that this is likely why the jumping workouts were hurting me, they watched me try a few different moves and i tended to try to go fast and was landing very stiff legged instead of softening knees.
  • springlering62
    springlering62 Posts: 7,640 Member
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    For me, it seems to be dehydration related. I do a lot of hot mat classes, often back to back, and would start getting them halfway through the second class, especially if it’s a Pilates class with lots of toe pointing. I make an effort to hydrate better before I go now, try to get at least half a 32 ounce jug down between classes, and stop frequently to drink during the second class.
  • nknis8556
    nknis8556 Posts: 26 Member
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    Choosing shoes with a good amount of cushioning in the heel did wonders for me when I had shin splints. Not much thought put into it, though...just followed a bioscience recommendation from a friend who ran cross country.
  • QoLmatters
    QoLmatters Posts: 708 Member
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    I am prone to shin splints but replacing shoes or insoles to give more support usually helps avoid it. A few years back my physio had me putting a tennis ball under my foot and moving it back and forward while sitting. Seemed to help with fixing them.
  • Deanner03
    Deanner03 Posts: 371 Member
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    Getting fitted for proper shoes eliminated it for me.
  • Cherimoose
    Cherimoose Posts: 5,209 Member
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    T4RH33L_80 wrote: »
    I now wear a compression sleeve on that leg and I got some new walking shoes.

    Oh, it's just one leg. It might be related to your walking mechanics. Check if your arch is flatter on that side, which can cause shin pain, especially along the inner half of the shin.
    Either way, switch to shoes no raised heels, like Vans, Altras, etc. Almost all other shoes have a raised heel, which increases strain on the shins when walking, due to increased "foot slap" after heel strike.
  • T4RH33L_80
    T4RH33L_80 Posts: 18 Member
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    emmies_123 wrote: »
    With your walking, how is your stride? How are you hitting the pavement? if you are forcing a faster walk than you are comfortable with you may be keeping your legs too stiff and the shock of impact is going up the shin. Found out after talking to a gym trainer that this is likely why the jumping workouts were hurting me, they watched me try a few different moves and i tended to try to go fast and was landing very stiff legged instead of softening knees.

    Yeah, I typically try to walk very fast. I need to go at a more leisurely pace.
  • nossmf
    nossmf Posts: 9,414 Member
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    Back in high school track I got shin splints to the point I could not walk, period. Submerging my legs into ice water helped me at least hobble around school, but it took my coach's advice to finally prevent the pain in the first place:

    1. Actual running shoes, not the basketball shoes I was using at the time
    2. Increasing potassium intake, especially in the form of a banana a day
    3. Increasing strength of muscles on front of lower leg by finishing all running workouts with first a hundred yards walking backwards, casually, then a hundred yards walking forwards on my heels with my toes raised into the air
  • Neightyre29
    Neightyre29 Posts: 47 Member
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    Really double check your form. When running I was overextending. I actually have a short stride and can't go that fast. When I finally ran within my limitations I no longer go foot or ankle pain and managed to avoid shin splints. OH BOY THEY SUCK DON'T THEY?! And yes, proper running shoes. I actually can't go back to normal crappy trainers anymore. Even just £40 pair with good shock absorption will CHANGE. YOUR. LIFE. gl!
  • TheAndyCook
    TheAndyCook Posts: 5 Member
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    A good shoe store and running shoes. Ultimately I switched from walking/running/treadmill to bicycle.
  • T4RH33L_80
    T4RH33L_80 Posts: 18 Member
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    TheAndyCook wrote: »
    A good shoe store and running shoes. Ultimately I switched from walking/running/treadmill to bicycle.

    Yeah, I've been augmenting my cardio with a stationary bike so that I'm not impacting my shins as much.
  • T4RH33L_80
    T4RH33L_80 Posts: 18 Member
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    TheAndyCook wrote: »
    A good shoe store and running shoes. Ultimately I switched from walking/running/treadmill to bicycle.

    I researched for a bit and found a pair of walking shoes that I love. I don't run. I know that I would probably be having more issues if I did.

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