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ssteve235 · Posted: Wed Feb 04, 2009 6:03 pm Post subject: Shin Splints

As of right now im suffering through shin splints and ive been doing some excerises that have been helping. I want to try the exesise that Dan has posted on the site but im totally confused on what to do, can anyone explain it differently?

Angelo Z · Posted: Wed Feb 04, 2009 6:55 pm Post subject:

those dreadful injuries...this is what helped me: I would tie an ice pack around my leg and leave it there until it would melt. When I would run I would wear tight tape around my shins to prevent muscle imbalances. At home I would have a rich calcium diet (calcium bumps formed on my bone). Then I would do pulses by leaning back on a wall and raising my feet up. When I would sleep, I would keep a pillow under my legs. So nutrients can get to the bone more efficiently. Every now and then I massaged hard around and on the shin. The best treatment is to stay away from ground contact as much as possible (no running/walking) but walk when you must. Never ever continue to run on shin splints. I would rest whenever I had really bad shin splints. If you continue to run on them, you will eventually get a stress fracture and wear a huge black boot all the way to your knee. This happpened to my rival.

You can still work out your lower leg muscles, but most of it comes from adaption to the ground impact as well as distances. Your bones will literally harden over time. Try to buy some shoe pads to minimize your impact on the ground. Learn to land as silently as possible, you've been used to pounding the ground from sprinting. Long distance is not raw power, It's more mechanical and complex.
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My favorite all time race: Hicham El Guerrouj - Prefontaine Classic Mile 2002 http://youtube.com/watch?v=4YykUTHzOL8
¥London 2012 XXX Olympiad¥

Angelo Z · Posted: Wed Feb 04, 2009 7:08 pm Post subject:

You can also run in a pool and run on softer surfaces. Treadmills are softer than concrete but grass is best.
_________________
My favorite all time race: Hicham El Guerrouj - Prefontaine Classic Mile 2002 http://youtube.com/watch?v=4YykUTHzOL8
¥London 2012 XXX Olympiad¥

ssteve235 · Posted: Thu Feb 05, 2009 3:32 am Post subject:

Well ive had them for about two weeks... and i never really stopped running. Last week i only ran on the treadmill and they still hurt pretty bad and then at my meet on friday, they were pretty bad (ran one of my worst meets ever 60 400 and a 42.5 300). But since then ive taken two long runs and had a track prac and they have felt 2x better. I do some excersises i found on web md which are working, i just want a few more effective ones so that im close to 100% by feb 14th which is the start of counties and section championships

Angelo Z · Posted: Thu Feb 05, 2009 4:22 am Post subject:

The best solution for shin splints is rest. When they're fine you can add resistance and raise your feet up.
_________________
My favorite all time race: Hicham El Guerrouj - Prefontaine Classic Mile 2002 http://youtube.com/watch?v=4YykUTHzOL8
¥London 2012 XXX Olympiad¥

Angelo Z · Posted: Thu Feb 05, 2009 4:25 am Post subject:

If you want to run, do easy/hard/easy so you can adapt before you do hard/hard/hard.
_________________
My favorite all time race: Hicham El Guerrouj - Prefontaine Classic Mile 2002 http://youtube.com/watch?v=4YykUTHzOL8
¥London 2012 XXX Olympiad¥

ssteve235 · Posted: Thu Feb 05, 2009 3:33 pm Post subject:

Thanks for the advice. Resting might be the best solution but if i rest i wont be in race shape for counties and sections. Recently they have felt much better though.I cant really control what type of running i do, i just have to do w/e my coach says to. I havent let him know im injured even though i think he suspects it becaue of how bad i ran last week.

Angelo Z · Posted: Thu Feb 05, 2009 3:49 pm Post subject:

Believe it or not, the rest may also do you some good to your stamina while your shins are getting better. As you keep getting shin splints in the future, your muscles attacked to your tibia will automatically strengthen as well as the bone itself. Secondly, you're not used to running long distance. Long distance is what gives you the form and silences your ground strikes. I advise you jump directly into base work right now like I have. You start with base work now, and repeat it every year for 3 months. 7 miles a day and 10 miles on Sunday for a 52 weekly mileage is a good start. Build up to 70 miles by increasing the weekly mileage by 10% each week from your current total mileage. weekly mileage x .10, then weekly mileage + .10%. Stay away from all anaerobic work, including weightlifting. It will mess with your body's enzymes, etc. when it's under massive aerobic work. Think I'm joking? http://www.rrca.org/resources/articles/slowdown.html
_________________
My favorite all time race: Hicham El Guerrouj - Prefontaine Classic Mile 2002 http://youtube.com/watch?v=4YykUTHzOL8
¥London 2012 XXX Olympiad¥

ssteve235 · Posted: Thu Feb 05, 2009 4:16 pm Post subject:

I already said that i HAVE to run what my coaches tell me to. I have prac every school day so i cant really start an aeoribic training schedule. I have three weeks in between indoor and outdoor in which to run distance. I would love to put in a whole bunch of miles but i cant.

AM_Runner · All-Star Joined: 28 Jul 2004 Posts: 776 Location: NYC

Rest and excercize are good let me see if I can describe the excercise that Dan is talking about. I have seen it and a variation as well you can try

As he states take a bike inner tube abd tie a knot in it so you foot has a little stirrup (put the ball of your foot in there) - hold the other end and pull it towards yourself then the foot in the tube needs to move through the full range of motion the rubber creates resistance for you to push against...

The other option I have used is basically hold the one end down with your foot step on the floor with it... take the other end of the tube and loop it around the top of your foot (so one end around the bottom and the other around the top of the opposite foot - do the same thing and loop it through the fulll range of motion it will stegnthen your shins and is a good workout for your ankles as well...

You should be icing as well after excersise to help speed the process along

good luck
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The long run is what puts the tiger in the cat.

ssteve235 · Posted: Thu Feb 05, 2009 6:20 pm Post subject:

That explination helps a bit more, would i work with a resistance band because i dont have a bike tube.

AM_Runner · All-Star Joined: 28 Jul 2004 Posts: 776 Location: NYC

Yup exactly... I was trying to dig around a bit to find a picture but could not.

Compression can help (I was a 400M runner and jumper as well had them really bad during my Junior year) but it also depends on the type of shin splints you have it can manifest in differnt ways...
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The long run is what puts the tiger in the cat.

Dan · Posted: Thu Feb 05, 2009 6:32 pm Post subject:

Angelo Z · Posted: Thu Feb 05, 2009 7:08 pm Post subject:

Just so you know about icing, it only reduces pain and swoleness but won't speed up your recovery. Low temperatures slow molecules down, just as meat is put into a refrigerator to not decompose as fast...

That actually sounds like an ingenious way to add resistance, never would I have thought of that, but it is certainly better than doing thousands of reps. Frankly, I pretty much left my shins adapt, it took about 4 months to significantly eliminate shin splint occurences.
_________________
My favorite all time race: Hicham El Guerrouj - Prefontaine Classic Mile 2002 http://youtube.com/watch?v=4YykUTHzOL8
¥London 2012 XXX Olympiad¥

Eddd the Sailor · Posted: Sun Feb 08, 2009 8:10 pm Post subject:

While you're reading those articles, the one on shin splints is a good one... If you can strengthen those muscles in your shin, you will be much less prone to them. I usually don't have a rubber thing with me, though, so when I'm bored I usually just bend my foot up and down really hard and hold it with my other foot for resistance to strengthen it (and then stretch it back and forth).
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