Hi Steel, me again
Since I’m also going through a shin-relieving effort right now, I’m gonna give this another go…
Do you run on your toes?(even when you do your warm ups and tempo?)
Because I’ve been running (even walking) on my toes since birth, causing very tight calves and shin splints every time I add up the intensity. Now I’m basically learning to run heel-toe, and the discomfort is slowly going away (it’s hard for me to run like that though ). Not necessarily when sprinting (I’m gonna use my toes there nomatter what), but before I couldn’t even warm up without pain, now it’s much better. And then I’ve been massaging my calves every day with a muscle loosening creme.
I know you’ve heard like a million suggestions on this thread, but just something to consider. But then again, if you do run correctly, this post was a complete waste :rolleyes:
When I sprint I’m on my toes, alwayys. Well, it’s been so long since I’ve sprinted I can’t tell if it’s just on the balls of my feet or even a lil further up. w/e
I’ve always ran heel-toe though (with shoes)…never heel-toe barefoot because it didnt seem right. I’ll be the first to admit I probably don’t have “the” best running form. I’ve only been trying to change the way my foot lands(with just regular running/walking anyways)…perhaps it goes deeper than that???
What cream you usin? I’ll give it a shot. I did deeeeepp massage adjacent to the bone on either side like a couple weeks ago, and that seemed to alleviate a lot of my pain, especially impact pain. That actually helped me, I’m surprised! I never tried really massaging the actual calf though, except I’ve rolled over it with a baseball though…only thing that did was get my calf sore. maybe i shoulda kept doin that…i dunno
no just tempo pace, i tried going to 75% of my 100PB for tempo but that feels like intensive tempo and is too much i definetely dont feel refreshed running that fast. I just go at a good stride pace keeping form.
Yeah for like 2 weeks a year ago(as part of rehab attempt)…actually I did a lot of my tempo barefoot when I didn’t have shin splints anyways, until I was tired of getting my feet dirty and just wore shoes for them.
When I run barefoot on grass it doesn’t hurt, or at least I barely feel pain.
Senri- so wait, is this your only form of running? Or are you actually doing a sprinting routine (on a track or grass…whatever) too?
The creme I use is Voltaren. Not really sure if they have it in the States, as I’m in Europe now, you can do a search on it. I basically asked for a massage creme for muscle relaxation and that’s what the pharmacist recommended.
Not sure if I would massage the actual shin… I understand how it makes sense to try to calm down the inflammation, but since the cause of shin splints is closely related to tight calves, loosening the calves will do (attacking the cause of the problem, and not the outcome, if you know what I mean…) In fact this past winter I went to a very good physio and that’s what he was trying to do: massage the heck out of my highly stressed calves… (and it worked). Now I’m just doing it on my own. (don’t be afraid to REALLY massage them… but of course be careful! My physio almost had me fall off the table when he was working on it…)
Not sure about barefoot running! When I run barefoot my calves get even tighter…(because it’s like running with spikes on, ya know? not using the heels). But then this might just be personal…
Tada. Tempo on grass barefoot was fine for me, it wasn’t until I started using the indoor track with basketball shoes that I developed minor shin splints this past week. Back to grass on Monday.
You want to run? Barefoot on grass. It seems to work for everyone - including you!
Yeah, I guess I don’t have anything to lose by trying the massage =P
Stef, do you wear orthotics or promote them? I wish I didn’t have to wear them, I feel faster and better without them, but I feel like I’m crutched to them now. I’m holding up great today without them somehow, actually got another new pair of shoes too lol.
I have the same experience with the barefoot grass runs…the calves get extremely pumped up and tight. I dunno if “getting used to it” would only make me better in the end…
no this is my tempo days i would do this. You know after reviewing my track diaries, i noticed which should be obvious that i have been training 6 days of the week. sixth day being tempo on a saturday. Heh
No I didn’t need a prescription for Voltaren, but for some reason in the US they’re a bit stricter about this stuff and you MIGHT, you’ll have to find out. Look for over the counter muscle massaging cremes, I don’t see why you’d logically need a prescription.
Orthotics: Well, before I started correcting my running and massaging ,I went to a pelmatologist 3 weeks ago to measure my feet for orthotics, because I hoped they would make things better. Now I’m still waiting for the new orthotics to come in, but to be honest, if I’m doing fine w/out them, I’m not gonna try and get used to them, because then I’ll be locked into them, the same way you feel. But since I’ll already have gotten them, I might TRY them and see if there is ANY difference, if not, I’m not gonna let my body get used to them for no reason… Hmmm, if you are feeling better w/out them, I would presonally ease off of them (slowly of course).
About running on grass: If your calves are getting extremely pumped up and you have shin splints, that is not a good thing, because you’re only adding to the imbalance of “tight calves/weak shins”. I would personally try to keep the calves as loose as possible, it’s up to you to choose what kind of running does that for you. For me, tempo on grass with nice comfortable sneakers is ideal (considering I go heel-toe).
Stef, would you say that “tight calves” which cause shin splints could also refer to the very upper part of the calf that connects to the hamstring? I swear that muscle has to be extremely tight on me, because everytime I stretch it out I feel so much looser, like when you bend over to try and touch your toes…afterloosening up that muscle a bit I can go down I’d say 4-5 more inches(so i can palm the ground), but it STILL feels like I have a lot more loosening up to do with that muscle even with all that added ROM. and thats being done after stretching the hamstrings, back, and glutes anyways!
I always had a feeling my problem with muscle tightness was lower down, because thats where my pain is, but i dunno???
Absolutely!! I’ve actually been advised in the past (good source )not only to stretch my calves well to relieve my shin pain, but also my hamstrings! And it does make sense, considering how well the “touch toes” stretch feels afterwards.
Another one I think loosens up a lot: lie on back, left leg straight out on ground, and pull right leg towards your head while keeping it straight (hamstring stretch) while also facing heel upwards towards the sky (calf stretch). So you hit both hammie and calf.
I have a suspicion (and you probably mentioned it already??), that you have severely lacked stretching in the past!! Resulting to shin splints as bad as they are now and for as long as you’ve had them… . Do you think that’s the case?
Personally, I’m pretty sure mine are mostly caused by tightness, one of the reasons being that every time I’ve been for a massage or seen a physio, they tell me I need “work”. (on my calves and hamstrings mostly).
Oh: I also recommend not to neglect stretching your whole body as well, and not only where the problem is felt, because overall body composition can affect muscles anywhere…
Yeahh I gotta loosen up that muscle big time then!!
Hmm that stretch sounds good…maybe if I used a towel or somethin to pull my toes to my shin I could help make that stretch more effective
You’re absolutely right. I never stretched…ever! It
s like, even though I loosened up some muscle groups extremely(such as my hamstrings)…I feel like I have a lot of work to do still, such as with my glutes, quads, and calves. You know, I was researching and you cant reallyu “stretch” the quads much with conventional methods aapparently, because the hamstrings get in the way. That’s where I think rolling them on somethin like a baseball can come into play for that.
For glutes,I usually lay on my back and try to bring my ankle to my chin, while the other leg is at 90degrees (foot on floor).
Another variation of it is this: http://z.about.com/d/exercise/1/0/r/b/hipflex.jpg
Did tempo runs today on grass, but wore shoes. No pain really…some “aching” pain, but not really any impact pain. Did this for recovery from my working out yesterday.
There’s no speed work. I’m just doing tempo whenever I feel like it, and I happened to feel like it again. Not gonna lie, I wore shoes again. See, listen to this everyone, because I’m definitely on to something, I KNOW IT. I’m trying to piece it together, because something is working big time right now!!!
Let’s see what I changed recently:
-I removed the orthotics
-Started hardcore stretching the upper calves
-Started running on grass
-Got new shoes (they’re puma trail runners, very low heel and offer no over-pronation support as opposed to the last 6 pairs of shoes ive owned.
took some ibuprofen (not much, 400mg…I remember back when I took 1800mg I felt 4x worse than I do now anyways)
-moist heat therapy
I Also don’t think I overpronate when I run on grass anyways. Maybe I don’t overpronate when I run anyways?? I know its hard to tell when you’re analyzing yourself while you’re running, but it didn’t really look like it to me.
I’m still some distance away from being fully better…maybe this is just a lucky stretch, but I feel so much better. Barely any impact pain on the grass runs today…didnt really notice any…and not much “achy” pain today either…but it is noticeable.
YOU KNOW…EVERYTIME I MAKE THESE POSTS I ALWAYS GET WORSE. PLEASEEEEE DONT GET WORSE AGAIN PLEAASEEEE =(
So far they’re varying slightly, but seeming to remain constant in pain. Okay good.
Is it possible that I’m lacking something in my diet, and that’s causing problem? I doubt I get nearly enough potassium or Vitamin K for starters!! Way too much sodium, not nearly enough water. I’m probably unbalanced in my diet as well as my strength and flexibility too lol. just a complete messup hahah
I’m just surprised Ive gone a few days without orthotics so well. I also realized just now how I’m probably only somewhat flat footed, not “Severely” flat footed like I’ve been told. I can stick the prong part of a fork under my arch until about the middle of my foot. I also leave “normal” wet foot prints, though I’ll admit my arch is pretty low. But I mean, just because I have been diagnosed with flat feet doesnt mean I necessarily over-pronate when I run, right???
And yet ANOTHER random thought, my tibia isn’t (for the most part…depending upon force applied obviously) tender anymore to the push into(knock on wood)…but I still somewhat have impact pain and achy pain. I wonder if this means anything at all???
). Not necessarily when sprinting (I’m gonna use my toes there nomatter what), but before I couldn’t even warm up without pain, now it’s much better. And then I’ve been massaging my calves every day with a muscle loosening creme.
)not only to stretch my calves well to relieve my shin pain, but also my hamstrings! And it does make sense, considering how well the “touch toes” stretch feels afterwards.