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Shin Splints

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Av8or72Dan

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Does anyone know a way to stop/overcome shin splints? I have tried just to run through them but now my ankles and knees hurt as well. I purchased a new pair of shoes and padded inserts about 4 months ago but they have not helped much. Any help will be greatly appreciated. Thanks
 
Av8or72Dan said:
Does anyone know a way to stop/overcome shin splints? I have tried just to run through them but now my ankles and knees hurt as well. I purchased a new pair of shoes and padded inserts about 4 months ago but they have not helped much. Any help will be greatly appreciated. Thanks
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Well, first thing I'd do if it's giving your ankles/knees pain is going to see a doctor. It may at this point be severe enough to be a stress fracture. If you're completely against that, ice it every day for about 15 minutes, stretch it out, and don't run for about 2 weeks.

If you do a search on shin splints here on the forum, a lot of stuff has been posted previously, I think it's in the Marine Corps PFT section but I don't recall for sure.
 
I went to the doc after I had severely strained something on the bottom of my foot (arch ligament or muscle). She didn't say much except don't run.... no sh1t.
 
Check out the shins, legs, and more shins postings under UCMC OCS. There are many suggestions here that have been very helpful. You could also type shin splints into the search bar. Good luck.
 
Try stretching the muscles along the front of your shins. Many times, the tightening of these muscles causes shin-splint-like pains. It can be easily resolved with stretching. The two stretches that help the most are first just kneeling down so that you are sitting on the backs of your calves (shins and the tops of your feet on the floor). Second, from this position, place your hands on the floor in front of you and lift your knees off the ground (so you are balancing on your hands and the tops of your feet). Do this a few times while varying the angle of your feet. You can also do a third stretch in which you move from the second stretch to balancing on your hands and the tops of your toes. If you have a problem with the shin bones, this will obviously not help, but these stretches really worked for me.
 
Shin splints are sometimes manifested by tight calf muscles. So stretch your calves very good. Massage the area that is hurting with ice. Fill a water bottle with water and freeze it. You must take off running for two to five weeks.
 
You said you bought new shoes/inserts but are you sure they're the "right" shoes for the way you run?

I used to get shin splints (nothing as bad as you describe), but after I got a new set of shoes I was good to go. Find a place that sells nothing but running shoes, they'll give you better advice... if they really know their stuff they'll have you run around the store to pick the best shoes for you. Its worth the few extra bucks to not deal with the pain.
 
Here's a good stretch I was told to do when I was on the Track Team and got bad shin splints:

On your bed, face downward and stretch your toes over the edge of the bed/matress. Then, using your feet, pull your body towards the end of the bed/matress until your foot is paralell with the edge of the bed. Repeat over and over.

This, combined with a little toning down on the sprinting and a little less running did me wonders. In the time you're not running, do other aerobic exercises, if you can, swimming is a great total body workout that is definitely cardio/aerobic.
 
Av8or72Dan said:
I went to the doc after I had severely strained something on the bottom of my foot (arch ligament or muscle). She didn't say much except don't run.... no sh1t.
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Based only this and your initial post it seems likely that you have high arches and subsequently stretched the shin muscle (tibialis anterior) at a point just rearward of the pad of your big toe. I am surprised your doc didn't give you a metatarsal arch support.
 
i know this isn´t an option for everybody, but if i feel shin splints starting to bark at me i take a day off then do a slow distance run on the beach. soft sand, of course.
 
michaels601 said:
i know this isn´t an option for everybody, but if i feel shin splints starting to bark at me i take a day off then do a slow distance run on the beach. soft sand, of course.
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Yes. I tore some ligaments in my knee and I was unable to run for a while. The only time I've experienced shin splints was when I started running again on a hard surface. It didn't last long for me. It's that sudden shock (when your body is not used to running on that kind of surface) that does it. You see shin splints a lot in basic training schools. The "running on a softer surface" thing sounds right on. Also, you should probably try different shoes as well, maybe look for something that may absorb more shock/offers better support/is not a super-light race-model.
 
There is a book called The Runners Repair Manual that I found to be very helpful. It gives the main causes of shin splints and provides stretches and exercises to help prevent reocurrences. Also sheds some light on the "proper" way to run and the different injuries associated with different running styles. Definitely a great book for those non-runners (if there is such a thing in the Marine Corps) out there, and it helped me get my run from 24:00 down to 21:00. Additionally, it addresses any other running related pains that may come up. Good Luck-

*only costs $8.00...
 
Agree with what was said about finding the 'right' running shoes. Had shin splints for a long time until I went to an honest-to-goodness running store where they looked at the mechanics of how I run and told me I overpronate...

The term 'shin splints' means a lot of different things... here's an excellent reference from another website I'm a regular...

http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,5033,s6-78-79-0-6900,00.html

Your doc may, in fact, be right... there is such a thing as overtraining. You have to increase your mileage gradually-- most advise no more than 10% a week. Sudden increases are cause injury-- and the only way to recover is rest.
 
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