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Coping with shin splints?
- Thread starter finneran
- Start date
RICE! (Rest, ice, compression, and elevation.) The go-to treatment for any injury.
For prevention and longer term treatment, make sure that you're shoes are sturdy and supporting. Some people even require additional arches, whether they're off the shelf or custom made, but that's something you'd need to ask a specialist about.
Also, if you go running, try to stick to trails rather than pavement. The hard heel-pounding against a non-give surface sends all that stress up your legs.
For prevention and longer term treatment, make sure that you're shoes are sturdy and supporting. Some people even require additional arches, whether they're off the shelf or custom made, but that's something you'd need to ask a specialist about.
Also, if you go running, try to stick to trails rather than pavement. The hard heel-pounding against a non-give surface sends all that stress up your legs.
jram rules!
If you must run, maybe you are young and on a team or soemthing, use sleeves on your shins.
Once you have healed a good exercise is toe raises. You use a lil chicky hand dumbell on the top of your foot and do lil sets of ten. You WILL feel it, so don't do too many!
The reason you get them is just liek Jram said, is usually bad shoes. Work on your form. Mid foot strike. Go to a Fit-2-Run place and get yourself analyzed.
If you must run, maybe you are young and on a team or soemthing, use sleeves on your shins.
Once you have healed a good exercise is toe raises. You use a lil chicky hand dumbell on the top of your foot and do lil sets of ten. You WILL feel it, so don't do too many!
The reason you get them is just liek Jram said, is usually bad shoes. Work on your form. Mid foot strike. Go to a Fit-2-Run place and get yourself analyzed.
I am absolutely not disputing the advice given above - I agree with toe raises and RICE as it happens, but... lots of people, especially beginning runners, think they have shin splints when in fact the muscles that raise the foot are just sore. Massage or better yet, a foam roller will help immediate and short term pain.
jram rules!
If you must run, maybe you are young and on a team or soemthing, use sleeves on your shins.
Once you have healed a good exercise is toe raises. You use a lil chicky hand dumbell on the top of your foot and do lil sets of ten. You WILL feel it, so don't do too many!
The reason you get them is just liek Jram said, is usually bad shoes. Work on your form. Mid foot strike. Go to a Fit-2-Run place and get yourself analyzed.
i agree, you are right
There are lots of ways to get rid of shin splints. I would like to share some tips those you can follow in home. If you follow those tips with proper care you can overcome them quickly. Read on to find proven techniques to reduce and eliminate them. I would like to discuss in details so that it would become easy to follow:
• Shin splints are caused by high impact on your heels, such as hurdling, running, long-jumping, triple-jumping, pole-vaulting, and jump roping. Other factors can also add to them, like old shoes, running surface, excessive training, and running form. They are the main reasons of shin splints.
• If you have been running in your shoes for over 3 months, you should consider replacing them. Running shoes take stress off your legs by cushioning every step you take. A good pair of shoes that fits well can help a lot.
• Try to find softer surfaces to run on such as a grassy park or a dirt trail. Running on pavement creates extra stress on your legs. Don't switch back and forth from hard to soft during the same run.
• If your shin splints have gotten to a point where they hurt even when you're not training, then you need to take at least a couple days off, maybe a week or two.
• Don't run longer than your shins can take. Pay attention to how your shins feel and when you can sense pain stop running and go home. Some days this may happen after you've only run a mile; other days you'll last much longer. Eventually your shins will get stronger and you'll be able to run as long as you'd like. When your shins need rest, just try another activity like biking or swimming. That way you can still stay in shape while not hurting your shins. This is most important.
• Are you over weighted. Then lose your weight. Lots of adults in their 20's begin to gain weight and don't realize that this is why their shins and knees can't take as much pounding as they used to. Your eating habits have finally caught your metabolism and it's time to start eating less. If you eat less and continue running, you are bound to lose some weight.
• Tap your feet up and down while you're sitting down. When you're in bed, move your toes back and forth. Exercises such as these help build the muscles around your shins which will support your shins more while you're running.
• There are couples of exercise of shin splints. Practice those before running or jogging. There are 3 toe exercises and 3 ankle exercises. Jog lightly, on your toes with your toes pointed forward for 25 paces. Then turn your toes in (pigeon toed) and jog, still on your toes for 25 paces. Now turn your toes out and jog on your toes for 25 paces. Now land lightly on your heels with your toes pointed up. First straight forward. Then pointing up and inward, then up and outward. After about 2 weeks, your shin splints should minimize or disappear.
• Tight calf muscles can contribute towards many lower leg injuries including shin splints. Try stretching the calf muscles, ensuring you target both Gastrocnemius and Soleus, several times a day. Hold each stretch for 20-30 seconds and repeat 2-3 times.
• Sports massages are fantastic for treating many sporting injuries. They are especially useful for loosening the calf muscles and breaking down any scar tissue.
Those are just simple tips from my past experience but if your pain would not heal as your expectation then it’s time to make an appointment with your doc.
• Shin splints are caused by high impact on your heels, such as hurdling, running, long-jumping, triple-jumping, pole-vaulting, and jump roping. Other factors can also add to them, like old shoes, running surface, excessive training, and running form. They are the main reasons of shin splints.
• If you have been running in your shoes for over 3 months, you should consider replacing them. Running shoes take stress off your legs by cushioning every step you take. A good pair of shoes that fits well can help a lot.
• Try to find softer surfaces to run on such as a grassy park or a dirt trail. Running on pavement creates extra stress on your legs. Don't switch back and forth from hard to soft during the same run.
• If your shin splints have gotten to a point where they hurt even when you're not training, then you need to take at least a couple days off, maybe a week or two.
• Don't run longer than your shins can take. Pay attention to how your shins feel and when you can sense pain stop running and go home. Some days this may happen after you've only run a mile; other days you'll last much longer. Eventually your shins will get stronger and you'll be able to run as long as you'd like. When your shins need rest, just try another activity like biking or swimming. That way you can still stay in shape while not hurting your shins. This is most important.
• Are you over weighted. Then lose your weight. Lots of adults in their 20's begin to gain weight and don't realize that this is why their shins and knees can't take as much pounding as they used to. Your eating habits have finally caught your metabolism and it's time to start eating less. If you eat less and continue running, you are bound to lose some weight.
• Tap your feet up and down while you're sitting down. When you're in bed, move your toes back and forth. Exercises such as these help build the muscles around your shins which will support your shins more while you're running.
• There are couples of exercise of shin splints. Practice those before running or jogging. There are 3 toe exercises and 3 ankle exercises. Jog lightly, on your toes with your toes pointed forward for 25 paces. Then turn your toes in (pigeon toed) and jog, still on your toes for 25 paces. Now turn your toes out and jog on your toes for 25 paces. Now land lightly on your heels with your toes pointed up. First straight forward. Then pointing up and inward, then up and outward. After about 2 weeks, your shin splints should minimize or disappear.
• Tight calf muscles can contribute towards many lower leg injuries including shin splints. Try stretching the calf muscles, ensuring you target both Gastrocnemius and Soleus, several times a day. Hold each stretch for 20-30 seconds and repeat 2-3 times.
• Sports massages are fantastic for treating many sporting injuries. They are especially useful for loosening the calf muscles and breaking down any scar tissue.
Those are just simple tips from my past experience but if your pain would not heal as your expectation then it’s time to make an appointment with your doc.