Shin splints advice needed

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newrunner
Posts: 2
Joined: Mon Oct 24, 2011 4:52 pm

Shin splints advice needed

Post by newrunner »

I just started running about two months ago. A couple of weeks ago I started having pain in my right shin. A friend told me that it could be shin splints. Does anyone have advice on the best way to treat the pain? Is it OK to keep running or do I need to stop running entirely? Are there any exercises that I should be doing that would be helpful?
chan2890
Posts: 1
Joined: Mon Oct 24, 2011 11:10 pm

Re: Shin splints advice needed

Post by chan2890 »

you need a good pair of runners that "FIT" your running style. I use to have the same issue, went to the running room and got fitted with a pair of runners (stability) and have never gotten shin splits again, its been 5 years and worn out a few pairs but not again do i get shin splits. Just got a pair of Brooks Adrenaline GTS 10, its also a stability shoe.

Unfortunately, you might have to take some time off running until the pain subsides.
newrunner
Posts: 2
Joined: Mon Oct 24, 2011 4:52 pm

Re: Shin splints advice needed

Post by newrunner »

Thanks. I will try a new pair of shoes and rest for a while. Did you also try any exercises or did rest and better shoes solve your problem?
drexell
Posts: 1
Joined: Sat Nov 12, 2011 3:31 am

Re: Shin splints advice needed

Post by drexell »

Too much mileage too fast can also cause your pain..
Ra1dan
Posts: 1
Joined: Mon Nov 14, 2011 10:37 am

Re: Shin splints advice needed

Post by Ra1dan »

I've had shin splints REALLY bad since April this year. I've just started running again recently with no pain. According to my physio the two main causes are: 1. incorrect footwear and 2. too much too soon.

I would highly recommend going to a specialist running store and getting fitted properly by a specialist running shoe saleperson. If you are starting out take note that EVERYONE had to start from zero at the start. If you build up the intensity of your runs too quickly, I believe, your muscles grow and adapt quicker than your the bones around your calves. That is, your bone (specifically the sheath that protects the shin bone) needs to adapt and strengthen to the new stress. If your muscles are growing faster than than your bones are adapting, you get micro-cracks in the bone around that shin area due to the stress in that weak area. You could also see it this way, fatigued muscles lose their ability to absorb the shock which is then taken up by the bones which are then unduly stressed and weakened.

Try to always stretch your calves properly before training.
Reduce your intensity of training for a while.
Train on a different surface like grass.
Those balancy things, like the half ball, at the gym do a great job at strengthening your calves. Anything that makes you balance using your calf muscles seemed to have worked well for me.
These are some of the exercises I did in rehabiltation:

http://foothealth.about.com/od/exercise ... xerc_9.htm.

Do NOT run through pain even if it's mild.
Rather reduce to a run /walk exercise programme with more stretching and strengthening exercises and rebuild your training from here.
If you do already experience pain, ice in a plastic bag for about 20-30 mins a day helps.Those ice/heat packs tend to lose their intensity fairly quickly.

All of the above got me through my agony. I hope this helps you. With that said, I am not a specialist and you should see one as a precautionary measure if you're not sure.

Good luck.
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