Legs, shins, and more legs...

[motiv8r]

Olympian, I think you may have misunderstood what I was trying to say, or I may not have been clear. First of all, as far as the space question goes, the reason the astronauts' bones wasn't absorbing calcium was that they weren't putting stress on the bones (no gravity) and thus the bones began to lose density, while at the same time not pulling calcium out of the blood because they weren't under any stress and had no need to repair. To some extent it's a moot point because we're talking about planet earth here. It is true that your body can absorb only a certain amount of calcium at a time--according to most studies anywhere from 300-500 mg every meal, and the rest will be excreted.

The question of calcium supplements came up here in reference to someone who has shin splints or stress fractures. In this case their body is going to have a greater demand for calcium due to the stress placed on the bone. If you ever get a bone scan, what they do is inject you with a mildly radioactive isotope of calcium in order to see where it goes, because if you have a stress fracture or other point of weakness, it is going to concentrate there. In other words, putting excessive stress on your skeleton (ie the bones in your lower leg) is going to increase your demand for calcium. I agree with Olympian 100% in that the average person has little need for calcium supplements. However, someone who is putting a lot of stress on their lower legs by running, kicking the muay thai bag, whatever, is going to benefit by upping their calcium intake, whether by eating more dairy products or taking supplements. That's all I meant--sorry if there was any confusion.

By the way, I have gotten stress fractures in my lower legs before, and the doctor had me supplementing my normal diet with 500 mg of calcium pills at every meal. And it worked.

Moto

 

[olympianchc]

motiv8r...gottcha, that makes sense

 

[snow85]

okay, guys-- obviously if you have stress fractures, which you all know are cracks in your bones, then calcium WILL help you. those of you who have had stress fractures also know that taking supplements isn’t what heals you. there’s more involved, like ice, anti-inflammatories, rest, and slow return to exercise. but in a healthy person, taking calcium will not build bone mass the way that lifting weights builds muscle mass.)

shin splints:
'shin splints', are totally different from stress fractures. your muscle fascia separates from your bone, and sometimes, the muscle separates from the fascia. (fascia = membrane, basically, that is around your muscles.) it's a muscular/connective tissue problem-- not a 'bone' one. this also occurs all the way around your tibia, so what you think might be a calf cramp, may actually be a ‘shin splint’.


stress fracture:
increased activity -> muscle fatigue/bone deformation (bone not bouncing back properly when subjected to increased force/torque, or caused by abnormal stress to an otherwise healthy bone) -> this deformation, (is microscopic), causes a compression of blood vessels that supply O2 to the bone. why? because your bone isn’t springing back to where it belongs -> signals the beginning of new bone growth-> bone is in weakened state, but you’re still paying homage to nike, the god of victory, as you try to get your 1.5 time down -> more O2 restriction, as body tries to heal damaged blood vessels in bone, but can’t because you’re still running -> leads to pain -> secondary injury is damage to adjacent tissue. this is cyclical, and eventually causes an actual fracture in the bone.

the reason that shin splints and stress fractures are brought on by increased activity is because in the first couple of weeks, your muscular and aerobic capacities are improving at a rapid rate. this results in a stronger pull on the bones, but they are in a weakened state, as they are still trying to lay down new bone, and ‘catch up’. (weight-bearing exercise does increase bone density.)

by the way, in 2002, 64% of all stress fractures in the military occurred during the first 7 days of training.

without getting into more complex explanations of each, calcium will help you if you’re deficient. if you’re not, you probably get enough from what you already eat and drink, unless you’re a junk food whore.

 

[feddoc]

Here is something else to think about.....

Why not attack the root cause of shin splints??? Could be hydration issues (potassium and sodium are key here) but you need to be careful about adding too much calcium...it may lead to kidney stones. (on edit what I am trying to point out is that muscle cramps are often the cause of mineral imbalance. If you are able to minimize the risk from cramps then you can be one step closer to ensuring a proper diagnosis)

IN order to determint the root cause of many shin splints you should understand the muscles involved and where they interact with the foot.

The tibialis anterior is lies along the shinbone (tibia). What some folks dont understand is that it has end points right around the knee (on the outside), runs along the shinbone, crosses over the ankle, then under the foot and terminates very near the rearward portion of pad of your big toe. IF you have high arches (or perhaps run on your toes a lot) over-stretching of this muscle may occur towards rear portion of the pad of your big toe. IF this happens too frequently or too severely, you will pull the muscle. Unfortunately, the pain is more likely to be felt along the tibia.

Your best bet is to:

1. Stretch a lot; pull your big toe towards you against whatever muscle generated resistance (made by your toes) you feel necessary before running (to include calf stretches as well).

2. Keep well hydrated, paying close attention to sodium and potassium. A banana and some gatorade will take care of this nicely.

3. Get a metarsal arch support from your friendly orthopod. Or just pick one up at a sporting goods store. It is meant to be placed just to the rear of the pad of your big toe....gives the tibialis anterior something to rest against.

4. See a doc just to make sure.

 

[RivrGuide]

Some advice from a triathlete with lots of shinsplints -

A) there are a hundred types of shinsplints and a million types of cures but...
most of what has been posted is advice on how to 'cure' them. Good stuff, no doubt.
B) here's a thought, stop causing them. How?

1 - Get into new shoes every three months - if you are activly training the sole foam breaks down that fast - it sucks, i know.
2 - Get some good insoles - Superfeet brand (neon green) are the best I have found, they are not orthotics, instead they drastically reduce the shock that occurs when big guys run ( the root cause of 'shinsplints' is impact, period - followed by over/pronation)
3 - Learn how to run: basically - heel to toe - smaller strides faster are better than longer strides slower - point your toes STRAIGHT ahead and keep them there (do not point them in or away from you) - stand upright, don't lean forward
4 - Go to a good running store (most likely not in a mall) - you will know it is a good running store because they will have a treadmill with a vid cam and monitor hooked up AND they will analyze your stride for free and fit you into a shoe accordingly. Buy the shoes they pick out for you -

One of my candidates (w/splints) ran a PFT @ 27:00+ 2 mos ago, followed this advice and now is running a considerably lower 23:00 with Srs coming up in July, he will be ready.

Out.

 

[JTD]

First of all,
when you get to OCS you're not going to be able to ask every little question about every little thing, suck it up and just go. OCS sucks, TBS isn't much better and that's the way it is in the Marine Corps. Your shins are gonna hurt, your pride is gonna hurt, everything is gonna hurt. There is no lessening it. The point is can you deal with it, or not. Anyway thanks for the laugh after a rough day.

 

[scotty008]

Thank you for the constructive (?) reply. I think that the point of the initial question is geared more towards getting ready physically for OCS. Better to be in the best possible shape prior to getting there so you're able to perform at your max. Nobody ever stated that its supposed to be painless or easy, and I don't think that the person who would do so belongs at Quantico. Personally, I would rather report with confidence that I've done everything possible to ensure my legs hold up for 10 weeks. I think that a great number of people benefited from the responses given and will be better suited to kick ass as a result. Despite this, I'm glad we could give you a laugh.

-Additionally, isn't the purpose of this forum to ask the 'little things' so that you won't have to ask at OCS?

Thanks again to everyone that has helped with this and other posted questions. For many of us here, this is our best source for gouge from people who have experienced OCS firsthand. It helps A LOT. Hopefully the fact that I asked a question about preventing shin splints doesnt mean I wont get jets...What are the chances again???

 

[mat]

scotty8 , Rivrguide was right on I did all of the above to fix mine. I also used motrin and ice for about 2 weeks. Only thing I'd add is the #1 priority would be to goto a running store ponny up the money and have them get you some shoes that are correct for your body. I had shin splints for about two years, got the correct shoes and they actually headed while I continued to run with shin splints.

 

[GVSURob]

Here's a link on how to prevent shin splints

 

[mat]

something else I forgot, never ever run on concrete if you prone to shin splints or other legs problems. Rubber tracks are probably best (many high schools will have them). Asphualt roads are much better than concrete.

 

[HueyCobra8151]

Does anyone have any good info (like that link just posted for shin splints) on knee care as well?

I have looked around google and runnersworld and haven't really found anything on just general knee health.

A few months ago I *think* I had ITB Syndrome, it went away when I started doing ITB stretches, but now my knees just feel weak and ache sometimes, and I got a funky bump just above my right kneecap...

 

[KBayDog]

It's called "aging."

Aches and pains are God's way of messing with NCOs and officers. He knows we have to be all "Ductus Exemplo" and stuff, so He gives us all these fun aches and pains to test our bearing in front of our men.

It hits you like a ton of bricks when you turn 25. On that birthday, you begin your downward spiral. You'll see.

 

[HueyCobra8151]

Naw, I am invincible!

I was at least hoping this stuff could wait until after mecep prep and OCS before showing up.

This bump has me paranoid as hell.

 

[KBayDog]

After Prep, when you report to your unit, get it checked out. You don't want to be down the semester before OCS.

OR, better yet, if you can last until after OCS, get it checked out then. You'll have plenty of time prior to commissioning to heal.

 

[squeeze]

It hits you like a ton of bricks when you turn 25. On that birthday, you begin your downward spiral. You'll see.

you ain't kidding

getting ready for a PFT now is about 10x more painful than it was just a couple years ago. thank god for being able to do pullups. ugh...

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