Shin splints...how long??
cantdoitbutwilltri
Posts: 310
in General Chat
I have had lower leg (shin) pain since last June. Had an MRI scan which was ok and seen a physio for exercises. Until recently was getting better. I bought new trainers and started to do a few very slow runs. But, gone back a step now. How long do they go on for? Was hoping to do my first Triathlon this year. [:@]
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I've suffered from them in the past - mainly when I began upping my speed. They're a pain in the backside but can be sorted out.
Firstly, when you say new shoes - did you have a gait analysis at a running shop before you bought them? This is crucial.
Secondly, how often do you run? Shin splints and overtraining go hand-in-hand - in my bitter experience!
Thirdly - tight calf muscles can often cause the pain. Include some dynamic stretches before your run and always warm-up. Stretching out your calf muscles - at the top and bottom - is key afterwards. I always use to stretch just the tops but if you bend the leg in the stretch you will hit the lower part of the calf.
Another good stretch is to sit on a chair and bend one leg at 45 degrees behind you (so the top of your foot is pressing the floor) and hold for ten seconds. Switch legs and repeat five times.
You could also look to get a massage - both on your calf muscles and your shins. The shin massage is painful but there could be scar tissue and knots which need breaking down.
A good preventative move is to incorporate some toe raises into your week.
In my experience it's best not to leave them - or continue to pound them.
As long as you haven't got a fracture (which you can get if you keep running with them) then they should clear up quite quickly.
Shin splints is the adhesion of the soleus onto the shin bone (ithink it's the tibia) this is a long flat muscle that sits under the big ones you can see when you tense them you usually cant see the soleus..
you need to see a physio, theres no other way round it but be prepared to be put through the mill, it hurts alot however the relief youu feel after makes it worth while, they'll need to peel the muscle off the bone then manipulate the muscle afterwards then use ultrasound to repair it afterwards.
cut out the speed work and definataly no hill training untill they repair but to answer your question there is no time scale scale it all depends on you and your ability to reel yourself in on your running (not easy i know) but you must let them repair..
its not the end of the world but i do feel sorry for you mate, shin splints are very painfull
My physio said that are only 3 proper causes of shin splints: poor footwear, weak calves and poor biomechanics
- Soleus muscle as the previous poster described
- Weak or short anterior tibialis - this is muscle on the front of the shin bone, that you use to bring toes up / in towards the body
- Inflammation of the periosteum - this is a rubbery coating of the shin bone (any long bone in fact)
- Tendonitis - micro tears in the attachment of the muscle to the shin bone...
In terms of causes: overtraining and bad shoes are key as other posters have suggested.
Problems with gait may be a factor - particularly overstriding. If you imagine when you're running that you over-reach the stride, and so land on the heel, at this point the front of calf muscles are fully contracted (short). Once you hit the ground, you propell off using the back calf muscles. This causes the front calf muscles to suddenly stretch and this rapid and repeated shortening / stretching under alot of force may be causing the damage.
A long time ago, I used to do straight legged skipping (with or without rope) and I found it used to help. Basically just using the calf muscles to propell of the ground, with knees almost locked... Not sure what the scientific basis is - perhaps just getting the calf muscles to learn to flex / contract repeatedly and quickly under presure - but it used to help!
Good luck and sorry for the wordiness of this post...
A week of this completely cured the pain. However I since found out that it did not cure the underlying reason which was poor posture.I found this out after visiting a chiropractor with a sore back.
I am now shinsplint free.
A good exercise is raising your feet and drawing shapes with your toes.
Following the surgery I developed all sorts of issues, posterior tibialis pain and involment of the periosteum but whiat I found was as everyone else has mention good shoes = less pain. I am luckily one of those people who naturally forefoot runs and as such Newtons work really well for me - if you are not a heel runner try them as my shin pain vanished in about four weeks - quicker than months of physio I have had in the past....
A word of caution though - it is not a good idea to then (just after sorting the s splints out) go out and do a military speed march carrying a large amount of weight - completed the march okay but shins now hurt like @#!? oh well a bit of rest and gentle running over the next couple of weeks and lots of ice....
Iain.
Think it originally happened due to over training and poor shoes.
Recently had a gait analysis and over pronated and got so new trainers (Mizunos or however its spelt!.)
My physio didnt do anything other than advise on exercises.
As far as I know both legs are the same length and both shins are a problem....but it has been nearly a year now and I really would like to do at least one Tri before Im past it!
I have never done stretching exercises as I dont really know what is right or wrong...
always go to one thats recomended by athletes if you can, local running club will know one.
this is the only reason i said get another, your no further forward than you was last year, and still unsure what streches work best for you, which particular type of shin splints youve got after the mri reveled nothing, he should be able to tell through manipulation, im no expert but ive had experience of it,