Xavion

For some reason, my shins will hurt me after a occasional run. I don't why this happens sometimes and not others. I make sure to stretch and stuff, but the pain seems to be in the bone. Am i not getting enough calcium or something in diet? I just don't get why this happens sometimes and not ALL the time. Maybe i'm running wrong or something. Can you guys help me out with some objective perspective?

Siege

This is known as shin splints.

What is happening as you are running is that the muscle is slowly coming loose from the bone. As such, the bone is getting miniscule fractures (nothing to be shitting your pants over, but it does add up)

This usually happens from improper running technique, or just running too long.

There was a warm up exercise that I was taught was supposed to help shin splints. But it's sort of hard to explain. Imagine a forward lunge (as if you were stretching your calf). Now "bounce" on the forward leg. Sort of forward and back movement. I don't know how effective that exercise is, as I hardly use it.

Oh, one last thing. If you have bad shin splints, stop running. If you keep running, the shin splints will turn into serious fractures.

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SiN

shin splints suck.
i used to get them from walking (i walk fast.. )..

amazingly, i never had a problem while running tho.

i think the 2 most important things when running are
1. good shoes. shoes for you, your gait, etc. it really is personal, and really requires a bit of research etc.
2. being *aware* of your impact. shin splints, for me at least, but likely for most people, come from hitting the pavement too hard. so, while running, be aware of your impact, try to keep things 'springy' ... and if they start to hurt, stop running, just walk and stop and massage for a bit if you need to. start running again when/if you feel like the pain's gone. ..


definitely a prevention thing, because it is true that, once you've got em, you've just got to chill and let em heal. and that sucks

good luck.

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Xavion

Thanks for the input guys...i really do appreciate you taking the time to help me out.

One more thing though...Sin said that the way my feet impact the ground might have something to do with my shin splints. Well..i've noticed that i tend to lean forward when i run, and land on the balls of my feet. You think that may be why i'm having the spints. I mean, what IS proper running technique and ettiqette? I always thought that the way you ran was personal and that there wasn't necesarily a right or wrong way to do it.

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snowy

Wrong.

I had to be coached how to run--I'm pigeon-toed and so one of my legs flops out in a weird way. I had to be taught to remember to pull that leg straight through instead of letting it behave naturally.

If you have a friend who has run cross country or track, ask them to help you improve your form. They will have a lot of input as I'm sure they've had their form critiqued enough to pass on some criticism of their own...or check with a personal trainer if possible.

Running in a correct form is extremely important in preventing injury. You can damage your knees in addition to your current shin splint problem. Personally, I just stick with using an elliptical trainer: this way, I can keep my form in check automatically without thinking about it, and I get a lower-impact workout than running (the elliptical is easier on your joints).

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Sultana

Something that helped me tremendously with the shin splints I developed while doing competetive Irish Step dance was keeping Sorbothane inserts in my shoes. They're amazing, and kept me dancing at least a year to 1.5 years longer than I could have without them. I couldn't even practice, much less perform. Incredibly painful, I could barely walk afterwards.

You can get them at Footlocker stores, and they're not gel inserts so you can trim them to fit your shoes.

But I do agree with snowy that you should look into a bit of training, prevention is 1000 times better than cure (although there's less money to be made ;P).

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Charlatan

Do a search on the TFP for shin splints.

I had this problem a while back and I received some good advice from the TFP.

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hossified

you can buy supports that go around your shin....kind of like a shin band, and they will help

Rodney

Get advice on running technique, as everyone's recommended, from a trainer or someone who knows. But above all else, get shoes (or a combination of shoes and pads) which offer great support. Or you will suffer, no matter how good your form. _Never_ cheap out on shoes, ever. Bad shoes can lead to shin splints, back problems, general wear and tear on your joints and skeletal system, and more. Great shoes will help keep you injury-free, so you can continue to run and exercise into your 40s, 50s, 60s, and beyond.

Dragonknight

Running on your toes is great for sprints, but if your doing it for along time your giong to cause your shins to hurt even more. Running on your toes works the muscle covering the front of your shin causing the shin splint. If your going to do distance running try to go heal toe.

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Pip

Some shoe stores have a running lab where they film you while you run on a treadmill, to see exactly what you do with your feet. It's worth checking out.

roofles

As a valet I developed HORRIBLE shin splints. They can be insanely painful if you keep running with them. Short of stopping what you are doing until you are completely healed up, here is what saved me from alot of pain.

1) Lengthen your deceleration times when stopping from full speed. Your legs take enourmous amounts of force under abrupt deceleration.

2) Stretch your calves. Do this before and during activity every so often. It has the added benefit of relieving sore feet somehow if you are on them for long hours. Learn to feel when your calves are "tight" if you can't already.

3) Wear thicker socks or two of your normal socks IF your shoes can accomodate it properly. I somehow was never comfy with insoles though other valets swore by them.

4) Consciously try to land a little softer when you run. I found that landing on my heels and rolling to the front of the foot was the smoothest at speed for me.

5) Walk and run with your feet pointed straight ahead. This one is HUGE. Part of shin splints is an issue with repetitive impact and part is uneven muscle tightness causing bowing of your shins (PAIN). An older valet mentioned to me that this was the first thing his football coach made him work on in HS. Sometimes old knowledge is good, you know?

6) Take a small ibuprofen dose and/or ice shins at night. Sometimes things won't heal when they are all inflamed it seems.

7) Finally if you can, run on something softer. Asphalt is much softer than cement. Ask any jogger.

Hopefully these will help you get rid of the shin splints. I had them bad and had no option of not running. TORTURE I tell you! As always, rest is best. These will take time to work, 3 weeks or so if you are beating your legs up regularly and brutally Curious to see how they work for someone else.

JustJess

Obviously, yes, get some advice. Some of the higher-end retail places actually have podiatrists on site to advise their customers.

Check out the mag Runner's World - they do a really nice breakdown of the newest shoes that are the best for x,y,z types of runners (how are your arches, where do you land the hardest, etc). That will give you a starting point on what type of shoe you need. Bring your old sneakers with you to the store - you'll be able to tell a lot of what you're doing just by the wear on the tread.

For instance: I have collapsed arches and I tend to drag my heels a bit so that the back of my sneakers wear down quickly. Plus I have weak ankles. So I bought a pair (Saucony is a reliable brand) that had extra ankle support and plenty of heel cushioning, plus the inside was designed for low arches (lots of sneakers come with really high arches and that kills my feet).

I used to have shin splints... yep, they suck alright. Go fix it with someone who knows!

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BigBen

You also recieve a big "Thumbs Up" from an army guy who has walked a fair distance in boots. Sorbothane insoles saved my feet, ankles, knees, hips and back. They were 40 bucks when I bought them back in '95...

Go to a running store and make sure you are wearing the proper footwear, not some off-the-shelf Walmart running shoe. Money spent on proper equipment is never wasted.

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The_Jazz

I spent several years as a competitive runner, so I know a little bit about shin splints. I'd say most of the advice above is right on the money. Definitely make sure that you're wearing 1) the right shoes and 2) shoes that aren't dead. All running/athletic shoes have a finite life. Back in the day, I could get 700 miles out of a pair of NB1500's, but that was only 7-9 weeks even with rotation. If you have the right shoes, but they're old, invest in a new pair. Inserts are a way of adding life to the shoe (generally) or correcting issues like pronation (rolling your foot too far inwards) or supination (rolling your foot outwards at all).

Ibuprofen before and ice after your runs is pretty helpful, too. I'd just take one Advil (or whatever) about half an hour beforehand. It will also help with any swelling. As far as icing goes, the easiest way to ice that area is to get some small paper cups, fill them halfway with water and freeze. When needed, peel the paper back to expose a cylider of ice and rub on your shins. It will help immensely.

As far as trying to change your running style, this might be more dangerous than you think. By changing your gait, you can put more stress on mucles and connective tissue that isn't ready and/or able to handle the change. That can be painful and career-ending. If you think that you have some sort of hitch in your stride that's causing problems, my suggestion is a little counter-intuitive - run more. The body is pretty good at self-regulation and generally finds the most efficient way of doing things. If you have major problems with your stride that are causing pain, I'd see an orthopedist and get help there, but any minor problems like the ones you described will probably iron themselves out over time.

Definitely stretch before and after. This is probably the best thing that you can do to prevent any injury.

Finally, definitely try to find a softer place to run. Concrete is the worst surface (other than ice) that you can run on, although asphalt is a little better. Dirt or gravel roads are great, but grass is the absolute best, and it's what your body was designed to run on anyway. To paraphrase one of my favorite running books, "you pound around Asphalt American long enough and a piece of grizzle is going to snap. That's when you become a pedestrian."

Kalibah

Stretch your calves ( against a wall or stand on a stair and let your heels hang off of it) and do dorsiflexion ( raise toe up) to strengthen your tibalius.


Wrap a towel around the handle of an empty water bucket. Sit on a table or other surface high enough to prevent the feet from touching the floor. Place the bucket handle over the front part of one shoe. Slowly raise the front of the foot by flexing the ankle, then slowly extend the foot by pointing the toe. Repeat 10 times, then rest for a few seconds. Do 2 more sets of 10. To increase resistance, add water to the bucket—but not so much that the exercise is painful.

Carno

I know people have already said this before, but you cannot emphasize this enough: MAKE SURE YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TYPE OF SHOES FOR YOUR FEET.

If you run a lot, you can *seriously* jack up your feet permanently if you keep running on bad shoes. You have to go to a serious running store, not just Foot Locker or some place in the mall.

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hilbert25

Just to emphasize a couple of points as a current competitive runner:

Shin splints will not kill you, they might not get better and hurt a lot, but as long as it is just shin splints, they will not likely cause permanent damage. Other more serious conditions can be diagnosed as shin splints, however, so one needs to be careful.

Changing your gait can cause permanent damage, either consciously or unconsciously due to pain causing you to run wierd.

The pain should go away after a short amount of time of running if it truly is shin splints.

Wear good shoes at a store where they have you run to see your gait. If you really land on the balls of your foot, a "toe dancer" as one store employee put it to me, then buying any of the motion control or stability shoes will not only not help, but hurt you a lot. Forefoot strikers do not by default have shin splints, Landing on your heel might in fact be worse, since in my case my natural tendency is to land on my heel, which puts a huge shock up my bones to my knees, and then slap my forefoot down, which stresses the foot.

Run on soft materials: gravel, dirt, grass, or even a rubber track if you have to. Stay away from concrete and even asphalt if possible.

Ice with a dixie cup, 10 to 15 minutes max, rubbing the ice up and down your shins.

Do some of the aforementioned stretches.