Im suffering from shins splints now on/off for about 2years. Sometimes its very bad I have pain walking.
I have changed footwear, made sure i run on grass or the track. Tried resting for a week or two but once i start training again, increasing the load gradual, it always comes back.
I have also read that calcium ascorbate supplements can cure this, been taking them for 3 weeks now but still in pain.
I do not know the technical name of the area but it is the inside of my legs just above the ankles, pain rising for about 4-5 inches.
I beg of anyone who can help…please help…injuries suck big style, its really getting me down!! I still go swimming and to the gym for upper body but my passion is running.
I try to do some warm up exercises like walking on balls of feet, rotating ankles to the letters of the alphabet, general lower leg strecthes, any you can recommend?
Get off your feet and into the pool. They will rarely go away without significant reduction in training volume or going easy on your legs-surface wise-for a time. Do your speed work on smooth, level grass field and reduce volume. Replace tempo with stationary bike and/or pool workouts that roughly equate to same type of output/requirements.
Yes that stuff is good but a skilled massage therapist can take shin splints away in a matter of minutes. Even in the worst case scenerio. They will pop them out from under the shin!
First off Rich, how old are you? 24? If so, looks like you may have started track recently b/c almost all runners experience this at the start of their running careers, I did! Thats not to say that you can’t get it later in yer career, theoretically, but its rare.
The area in question anatomically you wanted to know is Tibialis Anterior (TA) area. There are a few other ankle flexor muscles that are involved but the TA is the always the primary muscle affected.
I keep saying this over and over to everyone I know with peripheral injuries, pioneer mentioned it also, go to the pool. Hydrotherapy does wonders to not only the injured area but it also helps keep you conditioned during the course of your injury, which like alot of injusries, may put you of of commission for a little while.
When I was injured with shin probs I would ice it like a mad man, 20 min ice 20 min off x 3 everynight. I would also use a therapeutic rubber band to strengthen the area in question. The reason being is b/c the TA hasn’t developed fully yet and is being overworked. The same idea of using the Dynamic Axial Resistance Device. Good Luck & keep us posted.
Sorry man, haven’t personal experience of any one therapist up there, but I know people who have been to a Celena Doolan (I think it is) in Belfast, and there area a few in Dundonald - Heather Dunlop I think is another one … but I can’t tell you how good they are, maybe someone else might be able to help …
I´ve never used the dard device, but you could try this “poor man” version: siting on bench, with your entire legs resting on it, hold a dumbell between your feet, and “curl it” with them. that should strengthen you Tibialis Anterior.
But for me, what works best is ice and rest (yeah, i know it sucks!)
I have heard that most shin pain comes from having tight calf muscles. So it may be worth investing a bit of time stretching out the upper and lower calves regularly, and see if it makes a difference.
One of the guys i train with gets chronic shin pain and he has found that stretching his calves does alleviate the pain. As a result he’s found that the volume of training (he’s a 400 guy) he’s able to do has increased the more he stretches his calves.
Thoughts anyone??
For tibialis anterior, we use a pulley. While sitting on bench with leg fully extended and flat on the bench, a strap is placed around your foot, with the cable going straight off of that, the ankle is then flexed, and relaxted, this should help to hypertrophy the TA
I am 39 years old. I started running track about two years ago. The shin splints were almost unbearable at first. Through constant, sometimes reduced training, I have worked up a tolerance to the pain. I can now workout at a high intensity three times a week. The post workout pain is still very apparent, but subsides in 48 hours.
Ice immediately after workout will help. Lose all extra weight. I was 215lbs when I started and I am now at 192 lbs. My optimum should be around 180 lbs.
It’s my experience that shin splints can occur for years and it is for those who persevere and develop the necessary lower leg muscles who will win! That’s why there are only eight lanes and thousands of seats!!!
Indeed, it seems the only real solution is time, in my case it has taken care of itself. Each preparatory phase I go through I get them less, another thing is that one even unconsciously has adapted to prevent them, the way you step, the way you land when you do jumps and plyo, I think it all has a great effect, your footwear, the surfaces you do everything on, from the warmup to the track work to the jumps, the sum of little details seems to make all the difference between shin splints killing you and no affecting you until your body adapts/strengthens enough to take the track volume.
I have suffered from severe, severe shin splints, and some of the best methods I have come to implement are: Calcium Magnesium supplementation, stretching ( sitting on your heels…ankles in, ankles out), icing immediatly after sessions, massage therapy ( you can also do it yourself by running the knuckles of your fingers up the inside of your shin…Ouch) , drink plenty of water, proper footwear, and a little R & R.
