Shin Splints

Ice baths religiously at least 2x/day 7-10 days to relieve the swelling....Has worked for our athletes...

Ice baths religiously at least 2x/day 7-10 days to relieve the swelling....Has worked for our athletes...

Also try stretching your calves alot. Tight calves can contribute to shin splints, and while I'm at it, tight hamstrings contribute to tight calves, so you may want to try stretching them out alot as well.

Here is a link to some injury prevention guides. http://www.smiweb.org/massage_clinic/guides.html

I found them to very useful.

The biggest help for me was going to a running store, having my strike analyzed on the treadmill, and changing shoes.

I've been suffering shin splint for the last year. I've stretched, ice bathed, massaged, compressed and etc. I' ve just join a running club with a good coach he showed me one stretched that took care of my problem. I sit on my heels and bend backwards a little for 30 seconds. Repeat at least 3 times. Hope this helps and take time to heal!

I recommend a chiropractor. A fellow runner recommended a Dr and he helped a lot. He recommended stretches, did lots of pushing and pulling and stuff to my ankle and hip on one side, and recommended icing. It all helped over the long run. For me I was just trying to get up to a mile of running without pain. A year later, Jan 1st 2006, I did my first 5k with no walking! I had almost no recovery pain the next day. I'm going back to him next week -- now I'm doing something funny with my shoulders . . . it's always something.

I had shin splints before but not anymore.  Some of these were said already, but these are the things I did to get rid of them just not sure what it was exactly (possibly a combination of them):

1) Icing immediately after running.

2) stretching whenever you get a chance whether it's standing in line at a store or sitting at your desk at work.

3) Lifting weights to build your calves. 

4)  Make sure you have the right running shoes for your gait. 

5)  Make sure you are not increasing the speed or mileage too quickly.

6)  Be aware of where you run.  Is it on a street that is slightly slanted?  This may cause it. 

7)  Try a less aggresive running schedule with more cross training.  So if you currently run M and W and F 4 miles each day, then possibly change it to M 3 miles and Th 3 miles with a longer run on Sat like 4 or 5 miles.  Then add biking and elliptical in the off days to build and strengthen your leg muscles including your calves.  You get the idea. 

8)  Try running possibly on a treadmill or grass two days then one day outside, then 2 days on a treadmill or grass, then one day outside. 

9)  You possibly may have one leg shorter than the other causing some problems with your shins.  You may need orthotics or something. 

10)  I did not stop running because of my shin splints.  I just ran slower or less but I never stopped.  They just eventually went away. 

Edited by auto208562 2006-01-03 12:51 AM

I got shinsplints all the time when I started running two years ago. After the first year of running I have never had them again. I think most of it comes from lack of mileage and obviously the heavier your foot strike the more prone you are to getting them.

When I would get them, I would follow the methods mentioned above until they went away but you do not want to ignore them b/c they could lead to more serious problems. I kept running for the most part; cut my mileage back and took ibuprofen

I found that if I ran after work I would get shin splints and be sore the next day, but if I ran in the morning, I didn't have any problems. Turns out that I tend to (unknowingly) sit on my feet during the day at work. That causes my muscles to bunch up...not good for running. Anyway, now I run in the mornings and try to be conscience of the way that I sit.