Shin Splints; HELP

[Kheaslim]

I'm fairly new into running (3 months of running 3-4x/week, 1-3 miles), and I seem to be very prone to shin splints.

Is there much you can do? From what I have read, icing and resting is about it.

Also, when I run slower it seems worse than if I'm running fairly fast. Slow being 9kph faster being 12-13kph.

I'd have no issue with just resting them, but I'm heading to Texas for Firefighting academy and I know we will be running about 2 miles each day, and testing my 1.5 mile each week.

Any help or advice is greatly appreciated

[Baxter]

I used to get them terrible, turned out it was my shoes. I went and bought some really nice new balance cross trainers, and it fully solved them.

[splashover]

I used to get them terrible, turned out it was my shoes. I went and bought some really nice new balance cross trainers, and it fully solved them.

Yup! Proper shoes can make a big difference. Go to the running room and have them look at how you walk and get you a running shoe that matches your stride.

Also, remember the RICE method. Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation. Get yourself a foam roller. They can hurt like crazy (especially at first) but help to relax the muscles and get you recovered. Other than that, you gotta live with them until they go away, which they should eventually.

Good luck!

[MrWren]

Make sure your stretching too! I used to get shin splints alot then i made sure i stretched after every time i ran and they slowly started going away.

[tburn123]

I found that doing a lot of leg training in the gym (focussing on the calves) really helped me with my horrible shin splints. When your at home do a couple sets of one leg calf raises on the stairs whenever you walk by them. Really focus on going down slow and exploding up in sets of 15-20 per leg and only using finger tips to help keep balance... sounds kinda lame but it really helped.

my 2 cents.

T.

[PFD023]

are you a heel striker or do you land midfoot or on the balls of your feet?
strengthening your calves and modifying your stride may be in your future.....vague answer but it's too complicated to resolve in a post......research POSE method of running.....

[mutts252]

The terrain on which you run can also make a huge difference.

Examples:
- Running on dirt is better than asphalt, which is better than concrete (ie sidewalks)... the harder the surface, the higher your chance of shin splints
- Running down hills is a huge cause of shin splints

I used to run on campus, which amounted to a large loop up and down a fairly steep hill, on the sidewalks (concrete). I had a HUGE problem with shin splints. Simply changing my route so that I wasn't going downhill on concrete as much made a major difference for me.

[PFD023]

http://video.competitor.com/2011/02/videos-marquee/med-tent-shin-splints/

[kpmoloney]

I had shin splints pretty bad awhile ago from training.

What worked for me was rest and doing the exercises the physio guy said to do. He said do the motion you do when you're tapping your toe, but bring your toes up as far as you can on each 'rep'. That strengthens the muscle in the front of your shin. That's where my splints were, you should talk to a physio guy and get some exercises for your own case.

Probably the most important thing though was going into a new balance store and getting shoes that correct ankle roll. They'll have you run on a treadmill and find out if your stride needs correcting.

Good luck.

[marcel10]

try stretching your calves (front and back) hold the stretch for a couple seconds and release then go further, hold and release repeat a bunch of times. (this is PNF stretching) way more effective and better for pre workout..

Also try and stretch your quads and hamstrings.. something else above the calf is probably tight and effecting the shins and calves. I know it was already mentioned above but definitely look at your stride .. avoid heel strike and land with your feet more under your hips.

Lastly if you really want to help yourself out more for recovery after a run, go out and get your self a lacrosse ball and roll out your calves and sore muscles. its a cheap yet effective massage and way to break up scar tissue and aid in recovery.

Hope this helps a little as shin splints and running in discomfort are a bitch..

[onsite]

Here is an informative article i wrote a couple years ago for my massage therapy clinic in markham, some of the information has become a bit dated ie lactic acid, but the general info should help you out.
Probably the best thing you could do, is to skip getting medical advice from a general forum, and go see a medical proffesional that would focus on sports injuries. A sports medicine doctor has extra training in dealing with the assesment of these injuries, then getting into see an advanced sports physio or massage therapist/ Active Release Techniques provider. As many have mentioned having a basic gate assessment done by a quality running store to see if you are pronating, and matching you up with the proper shoe for you biomechanics is very helpfull.
If you are in the Greater Toronto Area let me know and i may be able to reffer you to someone close by.

Staying injury free this year means knowing the signs and symptoms, and how to treat the problem quickly.

The snow and ice is finally gone, and spring is in the air. This is a great time of year of the year to be a runner, considering that you don’t have to wear eight layers of clothing to brave the cold! Everywhere you look, people are hitting the trails and side streets tying to work off those extra few pounds we seem to put on in the off season. You’re generally just starting to run again on a regular basis, or you’re starting to increase your mileage preparing for one of the many spring races. Unfortunately, this is when athletes get the most injuries.

Most running injuries last only a few weeks and in many cases are preventable. The following lists the top 5 running injuries seen at “Balanced Living Massage Therapy and Wellness Centre”, and is intended to give you a basic understanding of what causes the injury and possible treatments available.

Achilles Tendonitis
The Achilles tendon attaches the calf muscles to your heel. With increased strain or irritation the fibers can become inflamed, and painful. A tight or fatigued muscle can predispose you to this. General treatment may include decreasing the activity level, anti-inflammatories and ice to decrease swelling, beginning a regimented stretching program, massage and/or physiotherapy, and addressing improper foot mechanics with new shoes and/or orthotics.

Illiotibal Band (ITB) Syndrome
The IT band is a long band of fascia and muscle spanning from the pelvis to the outside of the knee. 3 main factors can contribute to causing pain and inflammation: over-pronation (when the foot rolls in excessively), supination ( when the foot rolls out), and lack of flexibility in the muscles attaching onto the IT band (Gluteus maximus and Tensor fascia latea). Depending on cause, treatment can include stretching and strengthening programs with special attention to hip strengthening, ultrasound, ice, massage therapy, and orthotics to address improper foot mechanics.

Plantar Fasciitis
The planter fascia runs from your heel forward to the base of your toes. When a strain is placed on the fascia, pain is felt in the front of the heel, where small tearing may be taking place. Pain may be most pronounced with getting out of bed in the morning. Treatment may include orthotics to decrease strain on the plantar fascia, massage therapy to break down and realign scar tissue, taping to support the longitudinal arch, stretching of the fascia, strengthening of the intrinsic foot muscles, and anti-inflammatories.

Shin Splints
A catch all phrase used by the public for lower leg and shin pain. This can actually be one of several different conditions.

1. Compartment syndrome: Where an increase in pressure in certain muscles can cause extreme pain and decreases in circulation to the leg
2. Tendonitis/Periostitis: Abnormal strain placed on the muscles. Tendons and on the covering around the bone that the tendon is attached to.
3. Stress fractures: When exposed to increased strain and fatigue, minute fractures may result in the bones of the lower leg

Symptoms may include an aching /throbbing pain that you may or may not be able to run through, and can become worse after the activity. Pain is generally felt along the inside of the shins and may radiate out. Treatment is dependent on the individual pathology but generally includes proper shoe selection, orthotics, physiotherapy, ultrasound, massage therapy, cross-training, rest, ice compression, elevation (RICE).

Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS)
This is more a symptom than an actual pathology, but it’s the one condition that all runners will be hit with eventually. It’s that aching, throbbing pain you get as your finishing that long run or that you feel for up to 3 days after a very strenuous workout. There’s no definitive answer as to the cause, treatment or prevention, yet it’s believed to be caused by a build up of lactic acid, metabolites and micro tearing in muscles and tendons throughout the body. To decrease the chance of this, ensure you slowly increase workout intensity and duration. Getting a massage can help to increase blood flow through the muscles thereby flushing out the lactic acid and increasing nutrients traveling to the muscles. Hot baths with Epsom salts have also been found to be useful.

Prevention is better than a cure: the five prevention “pillars” are:
1. Regular stretching of “runner’s muscles” (calves, hamstrings, quads, glutes, lumbar spine).
2. Adequate strength base in runners muscles-achievable only with appropriate resistance training.
3. Fresh shoes (maximum of 450 to 500 miles per pair) specific to your foot type .
4. Gradual increase in mileage (10% increase per week is a conservative start with at least 1-2 running rest days per week)
Seek medical care with in 10 days of onset of any ache or pain not resolving with mileage reduction, ice, stretching, and anti inflammatories.


Other things to keep in mind:

· Excessive weight is generally associated with beginner athletes, the more weight on top of repetitive stress the faster an injury will occur, weight loss should be encouraged through proper nutrition and less stressful cross training activities.
· Environment: Running on concrete or other hard surfaces invites injury’s. Running on roads or paths that are cambered can cause undue stress on the lower leg structures such as the knee and ankle.

Good luck- enjoy the miles