Shin Splints
34
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402 days
cherelli posted 9 weeks ago.
I know when i first got orthotics I was told to wear them in very gradually, just around the house, then walking small distances, longer distances and waiting a few weeks or more before even smaller runs as it takes the legs/body a while to get used to the adjustment/new action. Did you get the sneakers from a running specialist store? This often helps. Also, i remember when at uni I suffered with shin splints, I switched sneaker brands (I try to stick with running specific shoes now) and they gradually went away. Some of my pain was also due to giving up swimming a year earlier and taking on higher impact sports so the doc recommended I go back to swimming/kicking in the pool once or twice a week to flex my feet ankles and stretch out the shins...also some self-massage (some deep) over the most painful points can help (hurts like crazy for 24hrs then seems to ease up - I used to do this at squash tournaments after my first matches and by day 3 they were great, no shin pain)...but that's just my experience. Maybe go back to the orthotics person and let them know the problem, ask if they can refine the orthotic to fit the shoe properly and help with the shin splints. Cheers
101
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164 days
groovyjen posted 9 weeks ago.
What sort of surface are you running on? Pavement? Trails? Is it pretty even? I used to get bad shin splints running on uneven ground.
I think I can, I think I can, I think I can...
24
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132 days
Landyachtz posted 9 weeks ago.
I used The Stick a lot when I first started running, it's great for shin splints.
41
Member
68 days
mtbke15 posted 9 weeks ago.
I get horrible shin splints as well and I found taping them has really helped. My shin splints can either be really bad when start running then go away or they don't bother me at all when I tape them. I am sure you have read that R.I.C.E is the best action but sometimes that does not always work.
Some of the best advice I have heard was to run through the shin splints. I know easier said than done but that seems to be the best course of action. If they are hurting when I start running I tend to take it easier on for the first few miles to let my shins stretch out.
"What counts in training is what you do once the pain sets in." John Short, South African Coach
301
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159 days
jonovision_man posted 9 weeks ago.
Socket wrote:
orthotic-ish inserts for her bad arches
Orthotic-ish?
I toyed around with inserts from drug stores and such, but in the end actual orthotics from an actual podiatrist made a *huge* difference... if you have a health plan or insurance or whatever you Americans use, then I'd go that route.
jono
1190
Member
338 days
TriSooner posted 9 weeks ago.
Socket wrote:
Me too, so probably time will heal all wounds. And I've never heard of a runner getting over shinsplints only to have them come back years later. I think they are like chicken pox: You never get them again.
I know when I started running that my shins would kill me and that went away with time . . .
541
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546 days
Socket posted 9 weeks ago.
Got the shoes and inserts from a running specialist store a couple blocks from the house ( LINK ). Her old sneakers were from high school (just about a decade old). She was looking at The Stick at the running store and thought it might be useful with how tight her legs get, but gave it a pass to see how she does with the new shoes. We'll try taking out the inserts for a few days and see where it goes from there, the stick will be next after that.
I'd totally go the 'real' orthotic route for her, if we had insurance. We both just changed jobs and our plans won't kick in for another month at least and who knows what they'll cover.
301
Member
159 days
jonovision_man posted 9 weeks ago.
Yeah, I'm self-employed, had the same problem, no insurance and podiatry isn't covered by health care in Canada. It was a choice between not running and swallowing the cost, so I swallowed it and now run pain-free. My issue was ITBS though, not shin splits, but in general a lot of those niggling pains vanished with the orthotics (cause was bad over-pronation).
Good luck with it, hope she gets running healthy soon! Maybe some calf stretching would help?
jono
I know this topic comes up often enough, but I figure I might as well put this out there:
My fiance is just starting to run. We're going the run/walk/run route. Just got new sneakers and orthotic-ish inserts for her bad arches which have helped tremendously. Unfortunately after about a mile or so, she starts getting pains in her shins about an inch or so to the outside of the shin-bone from ankle almost to knee (both legs). It gets pretty bad and is really a pain in the rear to stretch out: shoes off and pulling the foot pointed down and slightly to the inside and that only helps some.
I know when I started running that my shins would kill me and that went away with time, but is there anything I can do for her now to help mitigate this?