I run a lot; all we did in the USMC is run and I've kept it up since. I'd like to think my running technique is satisfactory - this is the first time I've ever had shin splints. I thought it was the shoes I've had for a little over three years, so I went out and bought some new ones. Didn't help the problem; after running a mile this morning I had to quit because my shins were on fire.

Any advice on how to deal with this annoyance? I love to run and would like to cure this problem. I run about 3x/week on MWF's, average about 3 miles each run, and stretch out before and after. What can I do while I'm out of commission (dammit) and how long should I stay out?

5/26/2006 11:32:01 AM

I've found its a problem that has never really gone away, I can stop doing anything for a long time, and as soon as I get back to the grind it isnt long before they come back. One of those things I have learned to live with and just deal with the pain I guess. Sucks I know.

5/26/2006 11:35:05 AM

i've always had them after running much more than a mile. sometimes i've been able to work through it and other times it's too much pain.

i can go on an elliptical for more than an hour at a similar pace and it never happens, so i use that more nowdays. just crank the resistance up.

[Edited on May 26, 2006 at 11:38 AM. Reason : *]

5/26/2006 11:38:21 AM

Take time off until they go away. You don't need to stretch out before running. Google shin splints.

5/26/2006 11:46:26 AM

i had the same problem for a while. I used to run a ton in HS and for the first few years I was at state, but then i had an ankle injury and I stopped for a about a year.. when i started back i get shin splints really bad. I went to a physical therapist, and he suggested a few things. New shoes was one, and he said that if I run a few times a week then I should be replacing my running shoes about every 6 months. He also said that if I'm getting shin splints, then I needs to reduce the distance and intensity at which I'm running, and take some time off to let the pain go away before starting to run again. He did also say that if I was running and they started to hurt, then to stop for the day..

just a few suggestions.

5/26/2006 12:21:50 PM

Make sure you stretch your calves really well. I always put my toes on a curb, my heel on the ground, and stretch my calf muscle out really well. It also works to stand with the balls of you feet on a stair and your heels hanging off, then do up-downs to stretch and strengthen. It works every time for me, if I forget to do that before running i get killer shin splints.

5/26/2006 12:52:08 PM

Don't wear your running shoes for anything other than running. Replace or retire approximately every 500 miles.

5/26/2006 1:28:31 PM

Thanks for the good advice, everyone; keep it coming. Would putting ice on my shins help any?

5/26/2006 1:33:06 PM

It helps the pain go away faster after you finish running, but other than that doesnt seem to help it from happening again.

5/26/2006 1:36:22 PM

i don't KNOW that this helps
but i stretch out my shins before i run and it makes them feel better
put the top of your foot on the ground and push into it to stretch out the top of your lower leg
hold the stretch for 15-30 seconds then switch

5/26/2006 2:58:56 PM

http://brentroad.com/message_topic.aspx?topic=409071

use search, that is my advice

5/26/2006 4:00:01 PM

^Good advice with more advice contained within.

LOCK THIS THREAD.

[Edited on May 26, 2006 at 4:17 PM. Reason : J. Slowsky]

5/26/2006 4:10:46 PM

i used to get them when i played ultimate.. from the changing directions and wearing cleats..

i also got them when running up/down hills..

i found that taping or wrapping the up before hand (keeping lower leg compressed) helps out a lot

5/26/2006 4:18:27 PM

strengthen them. shin splints occur because your muscle is tearing itself apart. stretching doesn't heal it, ice doesn't heal it. sit in your desk chair, heels on the ground, lift your toes upward 100 times. do that 3 times a day. within a week you'll be fine.
and when you run, if you can hear your toes slapping the ground ... well, don't do that.

leaning backwards when you run downhill causes your heels to hit first and your toes will slap down. that's really what causes it. quick changes of direction (soccer or ultimate) typically results in the same issue.

[Edited on May 26, 2006 at 10:19 PM. Reason : ]

5/26/2006 10:15:50 PM

I've only had shin splints once, thank goodness, but was taught a trick to help strengthen the delicate muscles that run along the bone.

Find a rail or some other structure that has a support bar running parallel to the ground, a few inches off the ground. Most I've found are just the size to squeeze your foot into. Place your foot under the bar, and press your instep up into the wood. You should feel a stretch all the way down your shin. Hold 15 sec. Do this 15-20 times a day/each foot. I was told that over time this will increase the strength of those muscles as well as decreasing the occurrance of shin splints.

5/27/2006 8:10:13 AM

Didn't read all the other posts but when i was a trainer in high school, some of the track kids would use athletic tape and run it vertically up their shins on both sides and then wrap around the shins with stretchy, athletic soft wraps

don't know if it actually worked, but i guess mentally it made them feel better

good luck!

5/27/2006 9:55:45 AM

Shin splints are usually caused because the tibialis anterior (the muscle on the front of your shin) is weaker than your calf muscle.

To strengthen the tibialis anterior, you can do the toe lift excercises that have already been mentioned. For better results, you can go to the gym and put a weight between your toes and do 10 reps or so. It will probably hurt, since that muscle is already overworked.

The way you do this is to sit on a bench the long way, put your heels on the edge of the bench. Put a dumbell between your feet, however much weight you can do - usually a lot, 25 lb or more. Then use your toes to lift and lower the dumbell.

here I drew a picture in Paint to make it more clear



of course there are other causes of shin splints, but this is the most common one and these exercises are the easiest way to remedy it

5/27/2006 10:25:28 AM

^what she said.
also, what kind shoes did you get ? I used to get shin splits but with the combination of exercise and my new shoes (Nike Shox) I stopped getting them.

5/27/2006 10:34:46 AM

I used to get shin splints from running on pavement. Running on grass/dirt/etc made the shin splints go away.

5/27/2006 10:37:15 AM

i used to/still do get them when running on dried out summer heated ground in my soccer shoes...


no fucking support in those things.

[Edited on May 27, 2006 at 7:07 PM. Reason : 1]

5/27/2006 7:06:41 PM

when i was running track in high school, i discovered that an ice pack was a good way to treat the symptoms, but stretching and doing the toe-lift thingies was a good way to treat teh cause

running in spikes still makes my shins hurt, though

5/28/2006 3:58:10 AM

I never had shin splints until I started having to walk on campus.

5/28/2006 6:17:47 AM

Quote :

"what kind shoes did you get ? "

I'm usually a Nike man when it comes to performance shoes, but I decided to switch it up and buy some Asics instead. I got some with extra arc support because my feet are as flat as a board. I'm going to take it easy this week on the running and find other means to satisfy my cardiovascular needs.

Nerdchick, thanks for the picture.

5/28/2006 1:45:41 PM

bttt

2/16/2007 4:40:11 PM

I used to get this every once in a while, but with the training I've been doing for the Navy lately, I haven't gotten them at all. I've been swimming long distances with some fairly long, heavy fins, which does wonders for strengthening your calves and ankles. Something to try if you swim at all.

2/16/2007 7:13:16 PM

i used to get them really bad when i was running a lot in middle school, saw a podiatrist, got some custom made orthotics, and my feet and legs have been fine ever since

2/16/2007 7:15:31 PM

calcium pills


I had never had shin splints and then all of a sudden got them. I couldnt stop running, so i continued and just dealt with it(some days better than others). I dont think mine were as bad as yours, just one shin. I think i actually got them from running on gravel then on the road and then back on gravel. I think i might of landed wrong on the gravel once. It took forever, but they finally went away. My work then took me out of state, and i just ran on the sidewalk/rd whatever. That was over a year ago, and they havent come back.


[Edited on February 16, 2007 at 7:37 PM. Reason : w]

2/16/2007 7:30:48 PM

First time I ever got shin splints (never got them from lacrosse or anything else predictable) was running around on the freaking bricks on campus. I've been drinking a lot more milk the past year though and haven't noticed a problem.

2/16/2007 10:30:11 PM

shin splints took me out of my final season of winter track and half of spring track in high school. i got orthotics and finished out the season strong. haven't had an injury since getting the orthotics in 4 years!

2/16/2007 11:44:03 PM

Run backwards to build the muscles in the front of your leg

after running ALWAYS RICE
rest, ice, compression, elevation

I have battled them my entire life, comes from running with my toes curled up

2/17/2007 12:24:36 AM

Go to The Athlete's Foot in Cameron Village and ask them about it if you haven't already. They know a lot about running, and one big possibility is that you are in the wrong type of shoe.
There are cushioned shoes, stability shoes, and motion control shoes.
If you haven't been properly fit into a shoe get them to look at your gait. One big thing could be that you are just in the wrong shoe overall.

-ryan

2/19/2007 12:27:26 PM

I KNOW THE WEATHER IS SHITTY RIGHT NOW BUT ANOTHER THING YOU CAN DO IS TRY TO RUN ON SOFT GROUND AS OPPOSED TO PAVEMENT OR TREADMILLS.....YOU WILL BE SURPRISED AT THE DIFFERENCE IT MAKES

2/19/2007 12:34:33 PM

Treadmills always seem to cushion my running a little bit. My knees don't seem to suffer as much as when I try to run on asphalt.

2/19/2007 12:39:27 PM

ive been told it comes from running on different types of surfaces, but some of the strengthening techiniques mentioned do help with that

2/19/2007 2:24:13 PM

I used to work in a shoe store, and this is basically all good advice. I just started running within the past couple months, and I would recommend Asics shoes to anyone. They are simply the best for arch support. I've heard Saucony makes a good running shoe. Nike sucks for running, basically. If you want a flashy, overpriced shoe with a bubble in it that's gonna pop or a shock that will tear off, buy Nikes. If you want a shoe for running that's quality, buy Asics.

And, like someone mentioned earlier, change your shoes every 500 miles or so.

2/19/2007 4:44:10 PM

New Balance 4 Life.

2/19/2007 5:01:43 PM

taping my foot and ankle at a 90 degree angle helped, as well and icing down my shins.

2/19/2007 5:26:50 PM

My feet are all kinds of fucked up.

My plan was to run for 20 min while my chicken was cooking (roommate was watching it for me). Not 10 min into the run the part of my leg right above where it joins to the foot was on fire. It felt like that muscle was cramping up. Maybe I had my shoes on too tight, but I never had this happen before. It seems like every time I begin to run again a new problem occurs.

I bought some new running shoes; some Nikes called "AirEqualon+". Here's an image:

I bought these because I am signed up for PE 107 (Run Conditioning) and needed something that would cure my shin splint problem since my grade depended on them developing. Lo and behold, randomryan, the guys at Athlete's Foot in CV recommended these to me. I ran in them since the beginning of the semester and hadn't had this shit happen to me that happened tonight.

Hopefully this problem isn't because of the shoes; my feet have been out of commission for a while and maybe they weren't used to the hard asphalt I was running on this afternoon. I'm gonna try running again in the Asics I bought over the summer:


I'm not giving up!

2/19/2007 10:23:23 PM

some people believe shin splints dont exist

same with asthma

2/19/2007 10:33:06 PM

Tell that to the intense pain in my lower legs.

2/20/2007 8:18:13 AM

People learn to WRAP you ankles!!! If you do this then you will prevent your shin splints. Serious its not that hard to tap/wrap your own foot wil ace wrap. If you need to learn how look online it will show you. DO NOtT buy a ankle brace and think that will solve your problem.

2/20/2007 8:36:47 AM

Anytime I've gotten a pain/injury from running, it never really went away until I stopped running...The last time was for tendinitis (after changing shoes actually) and I had to stop for about a month. I've never really had a problem with shin splints, but I've heard that the toe curls help prevent them. Whether they help them go away is a different question. As far as shoes go, I like Asics a lot, but it really depends on the shape of your foot and how you run. If the Nike's were working for you before, I wouldn't see any reason to change at this point.

2/20/2007 8:39:38 AM