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Running and shin splints

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Larry the Liquidator

All Australian
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Mar 9, 2006
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Melbourne
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Port Adelaide
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Liverpool
About 3 months ago I started running to build up my fitness. I run 6 days a week, about 30 minutes a day, around this lake in my area which has plenty of uphill/downhill dirt tracks. At the start it was hard because it was pure gut running up these hills. Now I find it alot more effortless, because of my improved fitness, and I actually enjoy it.

But, and it's a big but, I get shin splints. For someone who has this new found appreaciation for running, and actually looks forward to it, shin splints can be very frustrating. Basically my heart is now able, my upper legs and the rest of my body are now able, but my shins let me down, particularly my left one. I've tried running through the pain, the pain doesn't go away. I've tried ice packs, doesn't work. Changed shoes, doesn't work. Stretching beforehand, doesn't work.

As I said above, I run 6 days a week. It is usually the day after the day off that the splints are at their most painful. I don't get them every day, but I get them most days. Some days they are worse than others. Some days it's bearable, other days it's so painful that I just have to stop and limp home. The unpredictabilty of it makes it even more frustrating.

Anyone else suffer from shin splints? Anyone got any tips to overcome this? I've done research on the net but nothing seems to work. Also, can anyone advise what are the best shoes for running on uneven hilly dirt/stone tracks?

Any responses appreciated. Thanks.
 
I have shin splints mate which I've suffered simply from overuse (footy and other running) and unfortunately the best treatment is rest. Ice is good also. I'd go to your local physio and perhaps the podiatrist to see if there's any correlation between your shin splints and your feet, because often it's the feet where the problem starts.
 
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I have shin splints mate which I've suffered simply from overuse (footy and other running) and unfortunately the best treatment is rest. Ice is good also. I'd go to your local physio and perhaps the podiatrist to see if there's any correlation between your shin splints and your feet, because often it's the feet where the problem starts.

Thanks for the tip mate, I might go see someone about it. I've been thinking it could be overuse, but as I said in my op, I run 6 days a week, and usually it's the first day after the day off when it hurts the most. It's as if I'm inverse to the overuse theory. It's as if that day off softens me up which causes the splints to kick in. The second day back it's not as bad, and so on. By the 6th day the splints are bearable, but the rest of me is knackered, hence why I have a day off, just to freshen up a bit. But first day back at it and the splints are extremely sharp. I'm even considering having no days off, ie running everyday just to keep the splints at bay.

So you get it from playing footy? Makes you wonder how the AFL players who suffer from it cope. But I suppose they have access to the best *treatments to deal with it. Cheers mate.
 
I've had feet problems since primary school but it was only last year that the shin splints really kicked in. I did a heap of running for pre-season and I think that may have caused it, also the rapid growth (I went from about 5"7 to 6"3 in 12 months) which made the muscles a lot tighter and put a lot more pressure on the bones. Got a bone scan where they inject the nuclear stuff into your body and they found fractures in both legs, which is a step up from shin splints which are actually just cracks not breaks.

It was really hard to sit on the sidelines watching other people do something you love, but I'm hoping that I can make myself better now so I can continue to enjoy running in the future. In fact I just went to the podiatrist again today and it seems like things are on the right track, although it looks like I might have to put my own health ahead of footy haha.

As for the overuse theory, I'm not too sure, it could be entirely mental (who knows) but I do think that after a certain amount of wear and tear these things start to happen. I think by running to get rid of the pain you are telling your body that these splints are okay to deal with, which means that they'll probably continue to get worse without you knowing and then it's harder to recover from.

Anyway just my thoughts, hope you get better overall mate and let me know of your progress :)
 

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Go see a podiatrist, you might need sports orthodics. This was the solution to my shin splints problem and I'm a distance runner. Actually orthodics were only part of the solution.
Turns out I'm a mid-strike runner, whereas the vast majority of people are heel-strike runners. As a result, most running shoes on the market are made for heel-strike runners, which is what I had incorrectly been using over the years and was contributing to the shin splints. So step one was to get mid-strike runners, which yielded some improvement.
However, the inner sole that came with the runners didn't have adequate support where my feet needed it (inner soles that come with runners are fairly flimsy), so my podiatrist took plaster casts of my feet and whipped me up some custom made sports orthodics. Shin splints have been history since.

Some other advice: don't run if you feel you have shin splints or pain in that area, it could make it worse and do more damage. Again though, go see a podiatrist.
 
no real advice... but i switched to an exercise bike from jogging to get away from impact of jogging and what was possibly shin splints at the time. i was aware of running styles like already mentioned but didn't really want to think about it and expend any more effort than it would take to buy an exercise bike. you can build up your fitness, but obviously if you want to do things like enter into running competitions switching to a bike is no good.
 
If I was you would book a podiatrist visit as soon as you can. Worked really well for me... similar to Rod Stroker - he recommended a better pair of shoes for my running style (rolling in) and make some custom inserts. Both were gold in terms of preventing knee and shin soreness I got a lot when running...
 
I run a fair bit, do cross country in winter and also a lot of cycling.
I admire you for keeping this going after 3 months but just on face value, I think 6 days a week is too much. You don't appear to be giving your body time to recover. For experienced runners who have been in the game for years and whose bodies have acclimatized to the regime it works but I don't think 3 months has got you to that stage yet. I run every 2nd day, a 4klm hilly circuit and never have shin splints. Most of all, keep running.
 
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Thanks for all your advice fellas, I'm definately going to see someone about it.

Crash Davis, I've grown to love running. I used to dread it, but for me now, it's a good mental stress release. I get home from my run feeling buggered but after 30 minutes I feel great. It's like I'm addicted to it now. I have no interest in running competitively, it's just a time out for me from work and study, plus I get fitter in the process. What I might do is keep running 6 days a week, but take breaks during my run by walking more. So run a bit, walk, run a bit, walk and so on. If the shins persist I might cut it back to say 4-5 days a week and see how I go then. But like I said in my op, I'm fearful that if I do that, by taking days off, the splints come back sharper the day after a day off. I'll just trial and error it for a while, see an expert, and see what happens.

dumb, I used to do bike riding, I actually hired an immobile exercise bike but someone told me bike riding is more for if you want to build up muscle. I don't claim to know alot about exercising, but this bloke appeared to know what he was talking about so I stopped it. I'm more about just wanting to improve my fitness and stay healthy rather than trying to build up muscle. I don't want to look like superman, I just want to feel like superman if you know what I mean.

Rod Stroker, I'm a forefoot runner. When the splints sharpen I intentionally revert to heel strike, which I find subdues the sharpness of the splints, but after say a minute or two of heel striking, I find it hurts my knees and back, so I go back to forefoot, by which time the splints have eased a bit. So I can't win mate lol.
 
Try wearing full length Skins - A400's. Helped me start to run again after compartment syndrome. Worth a shot.
 
I'm in a similar situation. I used to suffer from shin splints every now and then but it was never to the point where it was crippling as it is now. I can't attend footy training sessions or even walk uphill/exert energy for a decent period of time without being hampered by shin splints. I've heard from a teammate at my footy club to go see a podiatrist at SportsMed (located in Adelaide) who will whip up some custom orthodics. Hopefully the pain goes away in time for Round 1 next weekend. Guess we'll wait and see.
 
Rod Stroker, I'm a forefoot runner. When the splints sharpen I intentionally revert to heel strike, which I find subdues the sharpness of the splints, but after say a minute or two of heel striking, I find it hurts my knees and back, so I go back to forefoot, by which time the splints have eased a bit. So I can't win mate lol.
Try mid-strike. I was told it puts the least amount of strain on your legs. The doc said he's re-trained many clients over the years who were natural heel-strikers to change their running technique and become mid-strikers. I was just fortunate that I ran mid-strike naturally anyway.
It could also be a pronation issue, with your foot rolling in our out when you land. Again, standard inner soles won't help, and are most likely contributing to the problem because they are not firm enough to provide adequate support. Custom made orthodics will fix this problem.
 
Had them for about 6 months one year during Cricket season took me a while to figure it out

Everytime I would start running it would take about 90 seconds and I would get that terrible pain in both legs

I started seeing a Physio which would rub them out can be a bit painful but needs to be done then starred wearing orthotics need about 3-5 sessions and a little bit of rest this should fix the problem

Couple of tips
Run 3-4 times a week and do a bike or swimming the other days try to jog on grass try to not wear shit flat shoes and thongs all the time always wear your orthotics

This should fix the issue I still get a little pain but that's more to do with my back and some other factors you can also get surgery to fix the problem but that's a last resort kind of thing
 

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I had heel problems as a kid, the "bone pad" a child has under their heel crumpled away too early, which then gave me shin splints in my teens. By sunday night after umpiring 2 games and playing 1 i had to be carried from the car to the house to the bath. This went on for a few years. I loved footy though, so it was worth it.

At 18 i Gave up all sport and fitness, besides work, and have become a fat bastard ten years on. I guess i overused my body as a kid. The little engine that could, became a slow train wreck.

I tried jogging last year after power walking for a few weeks and they are as bad as ever. Any impact and it hurts like a break after a minute or two. Ive given up on fitness, most other disciplines bore the shit out of me, have always preferred chasing a ball as opposed to robotness of a gym.

I was told back then there was nothing that could fix it.

Have suffered ever since. Would kill to have been able to play footy past my teens.

If you can get it fixed these days, just do it, or they will never go away in my experience.
 
It's a simple overuse injury, running 6 days a week will do that, never run two days in a row! Break it up with a ride or some other non impact activity. Once they have developed rest is the only cure (and ice massages), 1 week is not enough, you need 2 to 4 weeks min.

I run 50-70km a week, recently upped it to 90 and hello shin splints (compensating for not being able to swim due to injured shoulder)
 
^^ As above, I run 40km+ a week, and I'm a big guy - 96kg - but only every second day (usually 10km, but 16km on weekends), and hit the gym on days in between, doing 3km as a warm up, something nice and light. Only had a slight issue with a stabbing pain in my foot a month or so back, but just put padded soles in my shoes (othodics would be better).
 
I had them bad last year form a combination of running on hard ground and old joggers. I gave them a maximum rest of 2 weeks (was playing soccer) and they kept returning.

Decided to get orthodics and they cured me in a couple of months. However I still find my shins get sore if I run on concrete so I am now confined to running laps in the park.
 
Try wearing full length Skins - A400's. Helped me start to run again after compartment syndrome. Worth a shot.

This won't help shin splints unfortunately.

What age are you? Still growing? Once you hit you full size shin splints definitely decrease. I used to get quite debilitating shin splints when I was 15-19, I still get them if I push myself too hard (in my 20s now).

To solve shin splints there are three things you need to do:

1: Rest. You need some time off if they aren't going away. A week or two on the sidelines will do wonders. When you start running after the break run on soft surfaces so as not to irritate it too much. Jarring asphalt is a major contributor, however grass will do it too if it's bad enough.

2: Ice. After every run ice your shins. Shin splints is just another inflammatory mechanism and ice reduces the inflammation. I got to a point where I couldn't walk after running and the physio gave me some specialised shin guard icepack things. They worked wonders.

3: Nurofen. Wonder drug for shin splints. I used to pop two 15 minutes before a 1hr+ run/sport and you cannot feel a thing. The pain almost doesn't exist when you've got some ibuprofen coursing through you. The problem is that you are running 6 days a week; far too much to take nurofen every day you run. However for footballers/sportsmen out there who are suffering from shin splints and you are in agony during games pop these and live the dream.
 

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3: Nurofen. Wonder drug for shin splints. I used to pop two 15 minutes before a 1hr+ run/sport and you cannot feel a thing. The pain almost doesn't exist when you've got some ibuprofen coursing through you. The problem is that you are running 6 days a week; far too much to take nurofen every day you run. However for footballers/sportsmen out there who are suffering from shin splints and you are in agony during games pop these and live the dream.


This is the single most stupid comment in this thread. You continue to do this you would end up with stress fractures and kiss goodbye and weight bearing sports fro 4-6 months...
 
I have fallen arches and I battled this curse for years after returning to running. Sounds like you have elevated your return to running too rapidly and the result is the dreaded splints. Things that used to relieve the pain for me were ice/standing in a cold pool(winter only), calf massage, acupuncture and of course NSAIDs specifically voltarin. None of this will fix the problem.

I managed to finally beat it and I now run 60-70km per week and did a 1:25 half marathon last year.

I put it down to two things:
1) gradual increase in running intensity and distance: I had knee surgery in 2009 and was forced to come back to running very slowly and build up to longer distances and a higher intensity. As I started getting back to pre surgery the shin splints started returning which takes me onto my cure

2) decent running shoes: the day I splashed out and bought Asics Kayano is the day my shin splints disappeared for good

Get yourself some decent shoes and back off the running by alternating with swimming, cycling or even treadmill if you are stubborn like me. Better to take a hit with your running progress now and nip it in the bud than have your progress continually hampered by injury and risk of stress fractures
 
I managed to finally beat it and I now run 60-70km per week and did a 1:25 half marathon last year.
That is a very impressive time for 21 clicks :thumbsu:
2) decent running shoes: the day I splashed out and bought Asics Kayano is the day my shin splints disappeared for good
I wore Asics for 20 years, but for me it became part of the problem because they didn't make mid-strike shoes and they were too narrow across the toes. I've since changed to NB about 2 years ago and been happy with them.
 
This is the single most stupid comment in this thread. You continue to do this you would end up with stress fractures and kiss goodbye and weight bearing sports fro 4-6 months...

Stress fractures from what? You do realise that ice and ibuprofen are primary treatment options for stress fractures right?

Also shin splints are in no way related to stress fractures. They're completely different problems.

My advice is correct, I have no idea where you are coming from.
 
That is a very impressive time for 21 clicks :thumbsu:

I wore Asics for 20 years, but for me it became part of the problem because they didn't make mid-strike shoes and they were too narrow across the toes. I've since changed to NB about 2 years ago and been happy with them.
21.1 clicks Rod ;) Cheers, I was stoked with the time for my first half in the Perth City to Surf which is known for being brutal for hills and was fortunate to be injury and illness free in the lead up which is what I wanted to get across to Larry in that you want to get rid of the pain and not continually moderate it with physio, ice, voltarin etc as you will reach a point where you will need to stop and you may lose your new found passion altogether. That and you will never break through the line that separates a jogger from a runner.

If it makes you feel any better Larry it sounds like you have the exact same type of shin pain that I had (I bet it kills when you get hit by a footy or anything basically on the inside of the shin) and I managed to shake it. Took me 8 years of stubbornness though.
 
Stress fractures from what? You do realise that ice and ibuprofen are primary treatment options for stress fractures right?

Also shin splints are in no way related to stress fractures. They're completely different problems.

My advice is correct, I have no idea where you are coming from.
The issue is that ibuprofen is masking the problem rather than fixing it. Shin splints are often a warning of overuse and/or biomechanical problems - things that, in some cases, can lead to stress fractures if simply ignored.
 

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