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Shin Splints?? Off Topic! Sorry!
- Thread starter Bigsherm
- Start date
SmooThy5464
New member
stretch them i play football and i get them all the time just stretch on the sidelines and ice them as well as walking backwards helps me calm them down be4 i go back in to kill them again
StoneColdGold
New member
stretching, ice and anti-inflammatories are the first step. honestly though, you really have to just run through the pain until it goes away. i had awful shin splints when i started training before my current season. took about 3 weeks of pounding on them before they went away.
you can also get some ART treatments:
www.activerelease.com
you can also get some ART treatments:
www.activerelease.com
mr.homework
New member
Rollerblading
Hey bro. I get shin splints very bad also. The problem is that there is no exercises with weights to work that muscle at the shin. I have found that if I go rollerblading for a couple of days in a row, it really works that muscle HARD! I no longer have shin splints.
Hey bro. I get shin splints very bad also. The problem is that there is no exercises with weights to work that muscle at the shin. I have found that if I go rollerblading for a couple of days in a row, it really works that muscle HARD! I no longer have shin splints.
shin splints are really a non-specific term...IF there area you are referring to is the front of your shin, specifically it is called medial tibial stress syndrome (MTSS)...the anterior tibialis muscle attached there, and you either get a tendonitis type picuture, or just enough swelling in the muscle tissue (from overexertion, or not letting the muscle recover, or repetitive stress...i.e. running)....it also could be a stress fracture from the stress on the muscle tearing away (microscopically) at the attachment to the bone.
The most common is a tendonitis / sweeling of the muscle in what is called the "anterior compartment" of you lower leg....there are four compartments....dividing the muscles with connective tissue.
Anyway, here's the skinny....you likely need new shoes...if you tend to wear down the outside edge of you shoes faster than the inside edge (look at all your shoes from behind, you'll see)...then you need to get some shoes that don't 'overcorrect' that...go to a local running shop where the guys know what they are talking about and can get you the right shoe.
Nike, I think it was, came out with shoes specific for pronators(described as above), supinators, and those who walk flat on their feet. Not sure if they still make them that way or not. If you tend to walk on the outside edge of you foot, and the shoes forces you to run/walk more flat footed, it stretches that muscle and tendon too much and you get 'shin splints'.
Anyway, this post has gotten way too long.....rest, anti-inflammatories will be key for a while....sometimes you are better in a few days if you get the right shoe, other times we are talking months. I used to do triathlons, got some new shoes, and developed 'shin splints'....cut down my distance to only 2 miles/day.....had to take days off....anyway, once I figured out what it was, I got the right shoes, had to change brands....took off a week, and was back up to running 5-8 miles/day. Never had that problem again.
Get the right shoes. Go to a running store where they watch how you walk barefoot and match you to a brand of shoe. Not sure what to tell you about game day vs practice...not sure if you guys have to wear a certain shoe.
sorry this was so long, hope it helps. Another alternative is to have inserts made for your feet with high arch support to put in your shoes so your stance is not overcorrected.
The most common is a tendonitis / sweeling of the muscle in what is called the "anterior compartment" of you lower leg....there are four compartments....dividing the muscles with connective tissue.
Anyway, here's the skinny....you likely need new shoes...if you tend to wear down the outside edge of you shoes faster than the inside edge (look at all your shoes from behind, you'll see)...then you need to get some shoes that don't 'overcorrect' that...go to a local running shop where the guys know what they are talking about and can get you the right shoe.
Nike, I think it was, came out with shoes specific for pronators(described as above), supinators, and those who walk flat on their feet. Not sure if they still make them that way or not. If you tend to walk on the outside edge of you foot, and the shoes forces you to run/walk more flat footed, it stretches that muscle and tendon too much and you get 'shin splints'.
Anyway, this post has gotten way too long.....rest, anti-inflammatories will be key for a while....sometimes you are better in a few days if you get the right shoe, other times we are talking months. I used to do triathlons, got some new shoes, and developed 'shin splints'....cut down my distance to only 2 miles/day.....had to take days off....anyway, once I figured out what it was, I got the right shoes, had to change brands....took off a week, and was back up to running 5-8 miles/day. Never had that problem again.
Get the right shoes. Go to a running store where they watch how you walk barefoot and match you to a brand of shoe. Not sure what to tell you about game day vs practice...not sure if you guys have to wear a certain shoe.
sorry this was so long, hope it helps. Another alternative is to have inserts made for your feet with high arch support to put in your shoes so your stance is not overcorrected.
monkeyballs
New member
Bro, I've fought through shin splints for as long as I've been a competitive athlete. I've tried it all...orthotics, R.I.C.E., Vioxx, and even the occasional cortisone inj. Nothing has helped me to any significant degree (the cortisone helped briefly).
The only cure is rest. If you don't have that luxury...learn to deal with it as best as you can, and try to forget about it.
I do suggest that you try all the aforementioned options though...maybe you'll be luckier than me.
The only cure is rest. If you don't have that luxury...learn to deal with it as best as you can, and try to forget about it.
I do suggest that you try all the aforementioned options though...maybe you'll be luckier than me.
supertech69
New member
If it truly is a shin splint & not simply muscle pain, you are crazy if you try to "run" it off. You are going to cause more damage. I used to get these when I was in the military, it was like RedTide said, a combination of the way I run & my shoes getting worn down. Besides, when they are bad shin splints, I just about guarantee you will not be able to just run through it without being in some serious pain.
Nogloveslars-Chargeback
New member
I also have had severe shin splints from running after gaining weight over the years. I went and had orthodics made. They did wonders for me. Before this I tried all kinds of stretching and exersising for the problem but nothing worked. Orthodics were the answer for me.
I had them and the Dr. gave me these exercises -
Put a weight on your toes while sitting tall chair. I used a chain to hang a 5lb weight.
Then you lift your foot up and down - imagine standing up and down on your tiptoes.
I also walk backwards during my warm-up and cool down and do a lot of hard and long calf stretches (I don’t know if these really help but it takes longer for the pain to come on if I do this right before I run).
Some shin splints are actually small cracks in the bone - you should make sure you let these heal.
I run on a treadmill, but I kept getting advice to run on soft surfaces like grass -
Put a weight on your toes while sitting tall chair. I used a chain to hang a 5lb weight.
Then you lift your foot up and down - imagine standing up and down on your tiptoes.
I also walk backwards during my warm-up and cool down and do a lot of hard and long calf stretches (I don’t know if these really help but it takes longer for the pain to come on if I do this right before I run).
Some shin splints are actually small cracks in the bone - you should make sure you let these heal.
I run on a treadmill, but I kept getting advice to run on soft surfaces like grass -
bbforlife
New member
Also many times shin splints are caused by the calf muscles being more dominate than your shin muscles. And exsercise that is commenly done is to use your toes in lifting small objects such as marbles , small blocks shit like that. lift them up and try to put them in a bowl or somethin. do that for about 10 minutes a day. sounds boring but it truly works. give it a try and see what happends
StoneColdGold
New member
Seth said:
not true. this would be a stress fracture. there is a very simply way to tell which one you are dealing with: take a tuning fork and smack it on somthing so that it vibrates. hold the vibrating fork against your shin. if you feel an intense searing pain coursing through your entire lower leg, congratulations, you have stress fractures. if not, the problem is soft-tissue based. in this case, i say again... run through the pain. i deal with shin splints evertime i start back into serious running after a layoff. while some things may help the pain, nothing but time and continued training really makes the problem go away.
mrbungle74
New member
I ran track all through high school doing high jump and triple jump, needless to say my legs took quite some pounding and I had shin splints from hell. I just had to live through it... however, one season, rather than just jumping straight into the usual training, I did a lot of light conditioning before the season and gradually increased the intensity. That season my splints weren't much of a problem at all.
IMO, the only way to get rid of them is to take a break, then gradually ease into your training. Don't just go from being sedentary to all of a sudden punishing your legs. That's my take anyway.
IMO, the only way to get rid of them is to take a break, then gradually ease into your training. Don't just go from being sedentary to all of a sudden punishing your legs. That's my take anyway.
depends where you are located........but in general, avoid any chain store or major shoe store (like sports authority or just for feet) where they just hire people to pay by the hour. If you look around into running groups, clubs in your area, they shoud be able to tell you a good local running store. There may be a internet site with some local stuff.....or see if there is a "hash hound harrier" running group....drinkers with a running problem.....it's a national thing but tends to be pretty intense runners and there are small groups all over teh country in tons of towns and cities.....do a google search for it, and see if you can find a forum) You really want a professional runner who sells shoes and knows which brands to try. For me personally, I can't wear anything by NIKE, they force me to pronate my feet and generally don't have as much arch supprt as I need.
The brand I like the best...and this is simply from personal experience of what fits my feet and the way I walk (I am always standing on the outside edges of my feet) is Saucony (for running). My other sneakers are Adidas for very day usage, though I don't really do anything of significane but walk in them, though they do semm to let me walk 'naturally'. Have no fear to try on tons of shoes at the shoe store. Pay real close attention to the way you walk and you will notice every step starts at the rear outside edge of your foot and the pressure moves forward on that lateral edge. When you wear a shoe that is correct for you, it will not force you to do anything but what is natural.
It used to be thought that you needed to get shoes to correct that and flatten it out, but it is completely the opposite, you need shoes that fit your walk and complment your stride, not correct it.
When you get to a shoe store, look for something with alot of arch support....any general sporting goods store likely won't know what you mean and will just try to make a sale.
Another thing to look into is superfeet. go to superfeet.com and look for locations that sell superfeet. You'll want the green ones. They cup the heal, and give high arch support at the same time. They can be fairly costly ($50), but certainly cheaper than a custom-made insert ($4-500 to get a foot mold made...but then afterward to make custom insert from that mold is only $30-50). Really the inserts are better if you are getting what is called plantar fasciitis...essentially a tendonitis on the bottom of your foot. But they can help if you are a supinator. And they tend to be somld only at high-end shoe stores...running shoe sport stores type of thing.
Often times, outdoor stores, like REI has very knowledgeable people that can sell you shoes....or can tell you a good local running store where you can really have a guru sell you shoes that are right for you.
In particular (I seem completely unable to write a quick answer about this) for you, I would lay off any running or sprinting until you can get the pain down...doing that will just prolong the situation. I would take Ibuprofen around the clock for a week (800mg every six hours...with food and water) I usually use Alleve, since it is the same medicine but dosed two times a day
(though I think approx 400mg twice/day is sufficient...maybe 600mg/twice a day for a week, then cut down to what the bottle says on the back. You'll get pain releif (likely not complete) and anti-inflammatory from that. Get Icy hot or Flexall and massage it right onto the area that hurts....and you'll be able to localize right to the area that is inflamed. That stuff usually has a salicylate in it....another anti-inflammatory.....(aspirin is acetylSALICYLIC acid)...you don't need to rub it all over your body, but it can help with the pain and inflammation as well. That helped me jsut get through the day. Smelled like menthol though.
Ice the area several times a day...I used to massage with ice cubes since it was such a localized area. In general for any sprain or inflammation, ice atleast 3x/day for atleast 30 minutes a day until the pain and swelling is resolved...there's evidence to say that works...none of this 20 minutes on /off crap, or heat for 1 day, then ice afterwards...people make up all sorts of ways....there's clinical evidence to back what I am telling you.
Get some good shoes that match the way you walk. If you try on enough, you'll feel the difference remarkably when you wear a pronating shoe vs a supinating shoe. If you seem to heal up in a few days to a week (if you are fortunate), get back slowly into the running. You'll gain more confidence....but trust me on this,if you were wearing the shoes that caused this before, you were probably pounding your muscles needlesslly...you'll feel more in shape and recover faster once you get the right shoes. Laying off a week or two you will get it back quicker than you think, so don't rush back into things and you could potentially get back for the entire season of football. I had no idea things like this could make such a huge training impact until it happened to me....I felt like a new person within a week or two of resting and then starting up again with the right shoes.
I jsut reread the post.....don't try to run through them...like I said, shin splint are non-specific...everyone thinks they have them, but it really sounds like you have medial tibial stress syndrome....likely from your shoes. "Running though them" tends to work only if you get the anterior tibialis type of 'shin splints'....which if you are lucky enough to be able to train through them, it resolves becuse your muscle is now capable of handling the work and doesn't get so inflammed.
Some people suggest writing the alphabet with your big toes in the air.....it will exercise the anterior tib and stretch the tendons and muscles as well. I could never keep that up with any regularity. There may be some truth to your gastrocs being more toned/stronger than your anterior muscle groups...
Hope this helps you so you can get back to football.
The brand I like the best...and this is simply from personal experience of what fits my feet and the way I walk (I am always standing on the outside edges of my feet) is Saucony (for running). My other sneakers are Adidas for very day usage, though I don't really do anything of significane but walk in them, though they do semm to let me walk 'naturally'. Have no fear to try on tons of shoes at the shoe store. Pay real close attention to the way you walk and you will notice every step starts at the rear outside edge of your foot and the pressure moves forward on that lateral edge. When you wear a shoe that is correct for you, it will not force you to do anything but what is natural.
It used to be thought that you needed to get shoes to correct that and flatten it out, but it is completely the opposite, you need shoes that fit your walk and complment your stride, not correct it.
When you get to a shoe store, look for something with alot of arch support....any general sporting goods store likely won't know what you mean and will just try to make a sale.
Another thing to look into is superfeet. go to superfeet.com and look for locations that sell superfeet. You'll want the green ones. They cup the heal, and give high arch support at the same time. They can be fairly costly ($50), but certainly cheaper than a custom-made insert ($4-500 to get a foot mold made...but then afterward to make custom insert from that mold is only $30-50). Really the inserts are better if you are getting what is called plantar fasciitis...essentially a tendonitis on the bottom of your foot. But they can help if you are a supinator. And they tend to be somld only at high-end shoe stores...running shoe sport stores type of thing.
Often times, outdoor stores, like REI has very knowledgeable people that can sell you shoes....or can tell you a good local running store where you can really have a guru sell you shoes that are right for you.
In particular (I seem completely unable to write a quick answer about this) for you, I would lay off any running or sprinting until you can get the pain down...doing that will just prolong the situation. I would take Ibuprofen around the clock for a week (800mg every six hours...with food and water) I usually use Alleve, since it is the same medicine but dosed two times a day
(though I think approx 400mg twice/day is sufficient...maybe 600mg/twice a day for a week, then cut down to what the bottle says on the back. You'll get pain releif (likely not complete) and anti-inflammatory from that. Get Icy hot or Flexall and massage it right onto the area that hurts....and you'll be able to localize right to the area that is inflamed. That stuff usually has a salicylate in it....another anti-inflammatory.....(aspirin is acetylSALICYLIC acid)...you don't need to rub it all over your body, but it can help with the pain and inflammation as well. That helped me jsut get through the day. Smelled like menthol though.
Ice the area several times a day...I used to massage with ice cubes since it was such a localized area. In general for any sprain or inflammation, ice atleast 3x/day for atleast 30 minutes a day until the pain and swelling is resolved...there's evidence to say that works...none of this 20 minutes on /off crap, or heat for 1 day, then ice afterwards...people make up all sorts of ways....there's clinical evidence to back what I am telling you.
Get some good shoes that match the way you walk. If you try on enough, you'll feel the difference remarkably when you wear a pronating shoe vs a supinating shoe. If you seem to heal up in a few days to a week (if you are fortunate), get back slowly into the running. You'll gain more confidence....but trust me on this,if you were wearing the shoes that caused this before, you were probably pounding your muscles needlesslly...you'll feel more in shape and recover faster once you get the right shoes. Laying off a week or two you will get it back quicker than you think, so don't rush back into things and you could potentially get back for the entire season of football. I had no idea things like this could make such a huge training impact until it happened to me....I felt like a new person within a week or two of resting and then starting up again with the right shoes.
I jsut reread the post.....don't try to run through them...like I said, shin splint are non-specific...everyone thinks they have them, but it really sounds like you have medial tibial stress syndrome....likely from your shoes. "Running though them" tends to work only if you get the anterior tibialis type of 'shin splints'....which if you are lucky enough to be able to train through them, it resolves becuse your muscle is now capable of handling the work and doesn't get so inflammed.
Some people suggest writing the alphabet with your big toes in the air.....it will exercise the anterior tib and stretch the tendons and muscles as well. I could never keep that up with any regularity. There may be some truth to your gastrocs being more toned/stronger than your anterior muscle groups...
Hope this helps you so you can get back to football.
those posts were way to long for me to read through!
so If this is reiterated I am sorry. The tibial pain is often caused by muscle imbalance between the Gastroc and the Tibial muscle. The gastroc overpowers the Tibial and tears it slightly. Try this, Stand on a step going down stairs with only your heals touching lower your toes as far as you can then lift them and hold at the top. Do as many as you can for 2-3 sets. It will burn like hell but it will strengthen those tibial muscles. Be sure to streatch your calves a lot too.
Peace, Quad
so If this is reiterated I am sorry. The tibial pain is often caused by muscle imbalance between the Gastroc and the Tibial muscle. The gastroc overpowers the Tibial and tears it slightly. Try this, Stand on a step going down stairs with only your heals touching lower your toes as far as you can then lift them and hold at the top. Do as many as you can for 2-3 sets. It will burn like hell but it will strengthen those tibial muscles. Be sure to streatch your calves a lot too.Peace, Quad
RedTide and quad, Thank you guys soo much for the help. This has been a huge issue with me lately and it is really setting me back!! I went to a padiatrist(sp?) today and i have some serious inflamming down there and it is soon to be stress fractures. He gave me some arch supports to try. I will ice it a bunch and take celabrex and vioxx to help the inflamming. That is funny what u said about the saucony and adidas. B/C i just bought a pair of each, saucony for running and adidas for day. I am just like you and cannot wear nike to run in. If im just chillen i will wear them. Thanks so much for the help guys!!
Thought I'd add a stretch that seems to help me:
Stand facing away from a wall about a foot away. Lean back resting your back and butt against the wall (sort of like a wall squat). Your legs should be just a little more than a 90 degree with your knees. Now LIFT your toes as high as you can.. leaving your heels on the ground. HOLD this position for 20-30 seconds. Do this for 3 or 4 sets. Make sure to not let your toes touch the ground... keep them up as high as you can. Also this works best barefoot.
This really stresses the tibialis. Seems to always help me.
Redtide: I have _really_ flat feet. Do you think New Balance is a good pick? My feet are fairly wide, and most Nikes still hurt my shins.
I just got back into running/sprinting. So I'm trying to prevent any shin problems before they start.
I actually had anterior compartment syndrome back in HS. I had surgery, where they released the fascia in both legs. It cured it, but I was forewarned that problems return years after the surgery.
Pject
Stand facing away from a wall about a foot away. Lean back resting your back and butt against the wall (sort of like a wall squat). Your legs should be just a little more than a 90 degree with your knees. Now LIFT your toes as high as you can.. leaving your heels on the ground. HOLD this position for 20-30 seconds. Do this for 3 or 4 sets. Make sure to not let your toes touch the ground... keep them up as high as you can. Also this works best barefoot.
This really stresses the tibialis. Seems to always help me.
Redtide: I have _really_ flat feet. Do you think New Balance is a good pick? My feet are fairly wide, and most Nikes still hurt my shins.
I just got back into running/sprinting. So I'm trying to prevent any shin problems before they start.
I actually had anterior compartment syndrome back in HS. I had surgery, where they released the fascia in both legs. It cured it, but I was forewarned that problems return years after the surgery.
Pject
Last edited:
Quadsweep got it right-REST,RECOVER, then WORK YOUR ANTIOR TIBS(THE FRONT MUSLCES IN YOUR SHIN. I've had them so bad that I almost gave up soccer. I started doing ant tibs exercises and have not them since. All those special shoes will help but only till you correct the real problem-MUSCLE IMBALANCE. NEVER TRY TO "WORK THOUGH AN INJURY"...EVER.
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