Shin splints, anyone had them?

So softball started back this week, and in preparation 2 months ago I started running/jogging on my lunch hour to condition my lungs ect. Nothing major starting out. Got up to about 2.5-3 miles per day. The last week or so, my damn shins have been killing me, but only when I excersize pretty hard. If I "speed walk" they don't hurt.



Sucks! I've iced them, put IcyHot on them, stretched extra long periods of time. Did toe points/calf raises and nothing seems to help. Anything else I could be doing?????? I don't care to rest during the days for a while, but I can't rest during a ball game. Softball is serious business!

 

I might add that I have a hole in the shoes that I did run in ( I run on an concrete "track" around the field. And on days that is had rained earlier, I wore my cleats, not metal cleats, but soft rubber spikes covering the entire bottom. I'm afraid that may be what did me in

 

i have NEVER been able to run a distance, even as a kid.

i can cycle for 2-3 hours no problem. i still stretch and do light calves workout everyday at the gym... still get splints if i run. shorts sprints like baseball aren't a problem though.

 

I would recommend working on landing midfoot to forefoot. In my experience, observations, shin-splints indicates heel striker.

So to heal stop landing on your heels.

Also, exercise some caution with over use. One thing is to land on your forefoot another is to push off your toes. Pushing off can also lead to shin splints.

Again, practice mid foot and lift your knee instead of reaching forward, elongating your stride and subjecting yourself to damage.

 

You may be on to something, I never even thought about cycling to keep my workouts going.

 

In my experience, running helps with cycling, not so much the other way around.

I cycle a lot. Cross training is good, goes a long way to mitigating over-use.

I don't recommend cycling to compensate for bad form. You are not too old of a dog to get rid of bad habits.

You never know when you may have to dawn a pair of running shoes and go for a long run.

 

True True. Will try out landing on the middle of my foot and see what happens!!

 

Been icing and using IcyHot at night. They only hurt when running. Like right now, they are fine and don't hurt at all

 

The best thing for shin splints is to stretch before you run and after too. Very important to do it after.

If I didn't stretch I was sure to get em til I found this thingamajigg. Took care of all my problems. I highly recommend you try one.

http://www.footsmart.com/P-FootSmart-SmartFlexx-Stretching-Device-10741.aspx

 

Flat feet caused mine, I discovered long after I first experienced them (37 years ago.) Good orthodics (arch supports) were my solution.

"Superfeet" insoles have been working for me for 10 years, or so.

Your results may vary.

 

New shoes (no holes!!!) and orthotic inserts. Shin splints are caused by impact; your running form and your shoes are beating up your legs.

 

Probably won't even need the inserts if you get a good pair of running shoes. Once I went to an actual running shoe store and got fitted with a decent pair of shoes, almost all of my leg/feet problems went away. I actually got to where I was enjoying running. Until I jacked up my knee

 

Stop running. 800 mg of ibuprophin 3 times a day.

While you're healing up, go to a running store. Not the local Foot Locker. If they sell football jerseys, you're in the wrong place. Tell the runners at the running store you have shin splints. They will sell you a pair of shoes for $150 that will fix it.

 

Yep on the shoes thing. Get a pair of shoes to "Run" in and that's it. Go to a store like RoadRunner sports, A snails pace, etc. and speak to someone there. They'll watch you run and help get a pair of shoes that are properly fit for your feet.

The key is not to wear these shoes to mow the grass, go to dinner, or hangout at the bar. You'd be surprised how fast daily use will break your shoes down. I have specific pairs of shoes for running and others for working in the garage,etc.

Good luck and hope they start to feel better. Splints are one of those things that until you've got them - you never really understand why people complain about them.

 

Most running injuries including shin splints are due to poor biomechanics and poor running form. Google chi running or pose running to get an idea how to run correctly and prevent running injuries. I run an average of 20 to 30 miles a week with no issues whatsoever but it takes a lot of work and concentration to get to a point where it becomes easy. To me running has almost become effortless and believe it or not, fun.

 

Take some time off, shin splints turn into stress fractures and then you are done for a few months. I learned this the hard way and orthotics to control over pronation, off the shelf might work, of you may need to see a podiatrist if you have a more extreme case. Ice often, 10 min, a few times a day helps. I would avoid OTC drugs unless you are in lots of pain, but some Ibuprofen a few times a day the first few days will help with inflamation.

Contrary to what others have stated, cycling is good and DOES help with running, but you have to actually ride hard, intervals with your HR in the zone that you would be when running. Riding slow, HR at 120bpm, for 3 hours isn't going to do anything but make you butt sore. Get that HR up in the 150+ zone and it will help your running.

Any time you have issues like this its due to poor biomechanics, poor form, wrong shoes and/or old shoes and weak muscles in the chain, usually glutes is where the issue lies, and everything below is connected. Also tight calves/hamstrings will cause shin splints as well. Do some yoga, stretch many times a day, work on shin mobility/strength exercises etc. Runners and Triathletes run into these issues often. Google is your friend, lots of things to try to prevent, treat etc.

Don't heed the advice, your in an air cast for 4-6 weeks and not running or doing much without pain for a few months.

 

Yep, get fitted for running shoes at a running store.

 

In the "worked for me" category, I had shin splints bad from running, and the doc explained it was tearing in the muscles on the front of the shin, caused by an imbalance between the calf muscle (big, extends foot downward) and the shin muscle (small, pulls foot up), so he prescribed rest, ice, NASD's, and stretching the back of the leg, and muscle development on the front of the leg by lifting weights with the foot--dumbbells, etc. And it worked. FWIW. Your results may vary.

 

I used to get them bad. Someone suggested the following and it worked.

Run uphill backwards. Seriously. Not all the time, but find something like a 50 yd stretch of ground sloping uphill, and do a few sets running backwards up the hill a couple of times a week. Worked for me.

 

Im kinda of curious with this subject as well. Ive never been a skinny, runner dude. But I did my fair share of running in high school for football. Can NEVER remember getting shin splints back then.

fast forward like 7 years, and Ive started running, as I actually kind of enjoy it (sometimes). Got a group of gym/workout buddies, and we go run a 3 mile paved path (Full of hot bitches) every tuesday night since like winter.

I got a new pair of asic gel enduro trail shoes, and had horrible shin splints for the first few weeks, then they seemed to lessen, and I think its a combo of breaking the shoes in, and also getting some nice insoles. I also thought that maybe the fact that it was more of a trail shoe had something to do with it, but I didnt care too much, because to me, they are comfortable, and I love them.

SO.. I took a few weeks off, because work was crazy, and just started running again a few weeks ago. Got a new pair of actual (asic gel) running shoes, and had horrible shin splints again. This week, they were not as bad, and I think its pretty much what linker said. I had to sort of re condition my leg muscles, and also break in the shoes, and I got insoles.