General Fitness & Nutrition: Shin Splints....

Ok so here's the deal Im brand new to this whole running thing. Ive alway been athletic just never a distance runner or lets face it a runner at all.....I am a paramedic in my county and I have recently been given the opportunity to go to tactical school and become a part of the SWAT team....and lets face it thoes guys train ALOT. Anyhow Im having some trouble with shin splints...People tell me i need new shoes or just run through them.....Ice....heat.....Ibuprophren.....Ive heard all sorts of things. If I "just run through them" will i really fracture my tibia? I took a break to let them heal up and Ive just started back and they arent doing to bad....I just dont want to do anything the get hurt. Any help would be great yall have a great week!!!

It seem every spring when I drastically start to increase my mileage I get shin splints. I usually spend a lot of time icing after runs and if needed pop a little advil but usually its not that bad. One of my problems is I do a terrible job with preventative medicine. There are exercises that can be done to help (maybe not totally prevent but definitly help).

I think the previous suggestions are all pretty good. I did want to add my 2 cents.

There are several things you can do but don't try to run through the pain. I had a friend in high school who ran through hers and injured herself to the point that her doctor told her not to run anymore after that.

Back off on the running, especially on paved surfaces. Running on dirt or gravel can help keep you in shape while reducing the pounding on your legs. Limit your pavement running, but if you have to, choose asphalt over cement.

Having more than one pair of shoes to run in helps, especially if they are the right ones for you. Icing after runs is good.

Recently I tried to jump back into running and I believe (I didn't go to the doctor) that I started to develop a stress fracture to my femur. I found that increasing my calcium intake has helped dramatically. A friend of mine was kind enough to remind me that my body needed something to use to build up my bone density after I pounded it with my now heavier body. It just made sense to me and has really helped.

The other thing that has helped was cross training. I added swimming, and biking to my routines so that I could maintain fitness, loose a little weight and not hurt my leg any further.

Luckily I have not ever had shin splints but I believe that any stress related fracture should be treated similarly, give your body what it needs to get better: rest, lower impact excercise, and the proper nutrients to rebuild what you tear down while running.

 Hope this helps. I think similar suggestions may help you to prevent the situation from re-ocurring once you get better.  

So another piece of gratuitous advice... For any injury, RICE is always the first treatment of choice. Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation. Rest means backing off whatever activity is causing you pain, until the pain is gone without medication. Icing, elevation and compression all help to speed healing. You might also try alternating ice and heat IF that does not increase the pain. 20 minutes of heat followed by 20 minutes of ice several times a day.

Prevention is the best way to deal with shin splints. I've had to deal with them on and off for years. I get them when I increase my training too quickly. I either increase my mileage too much or increase the intensity too much. The nasty part is that for me what is too much seems to decrease year by year. The general rule of thumb is to not increase your mileage OR your speed by more than 10% per week.

Good shoes are always important for a runner. If you haven't done so, get yourself to a running store and have them fit you for the right shoes for your biomechanics. There are lots of choices in lots of price ranges.

Hi Jam,

 I recently began to develop the symptoms of shin splints, and went to a physio to see about it.

 Basically I was advised that a program of stretching  was in order (after excersise when the muscles are warm). Particular emphasis was placd in stretching out the calf muscles. It seems counter-intuitive, but stretching the calfs really helps.

 I know a lad who was in agony with his shins, and after lots of calf stretches he is much better and can run again. It is also worth mentioning that he changed his training shoes. He had expensive gel based trainers, but actually these don't necessarily provide the best support for those of us prone to shin splints. Take advise on this before making a change though, as pronation needs to be considered.

Hope that was of some help,

Mike 

I have, at times, had some painful bouts with shin splints (is there another type?).  I found that "toe taps" stretch all the right things to help heal them.  Great thing is that they can be done sitting at your desk, watching TV - whatever (OK maybe not on the right foot while driving!).

Simply lift your toes upwards keeping the heel on the ground - lower and alternate with the other foot.  You should feel the stretching in your shin.  I'd also go with ice and ibuprofen to help with the pain.