Shin Splints; HELP

It kind of sounds like you’re striking right, but without seeing it, it’s impossible to tell. You may have already done some damage as is.

IMO, arch support is one of the things that is causing you problems. Arches don’t need support, but the structure of the arch is what provides the support for it. Putting something under an arch will severely weaken it. However, now that your arch is weak, you can’t just remove everything entirely and go balls out unsupported. So if you go the minimalist route, just wear them around all the time, and gradually introduce them into your running. Your feet will get stronger. Mine did and still are improving. We evolved to move a lot on bare feet, so your foot structure can handle it, but it’s just going to take time.

Re: the FiveFingers-Merrell has recently jumped on that bandwagon with their own shoe that is just as minimalist as the Vibrams, without the individual toes. Barefoot Shoes & Minimalist Running Shoes | Merrell

Good luck.

I had pretty bad shin splints.
Prescribed running shoes, foam roller, LOTS of post-exercise calf stretching, running on low impact surface when possible, using machine for some cardio rather than running every session, regular walking.
All those helped me.

Vibrams are great, got rid of all my knee pain. Only problem now is that i can’t wear regular running shoes

wow!!
a lot of replies, but only a few are halfway correct.

[quote]spk wrote:
wow!!
a lot of replies, but only a few are halfway correct.

[/quote]

Nice post…I’m sure the OP will benefit from you being a douche.

shorten stride… lengthen stride???

the way you run is the way you run…

i bet a lot of slow 5 minute milers commenting on what to do…

Id kill a man for a 5 minute mile.

Anyways, as I said Im very curious about this minimalist route. I start my academy in 2 weeks however, so Im afraid I wont have enough time to adjust to the new shoes and style of running. I do think I may grab a pair of vibrams (or something) to wear around though, maybe for lifting as well.

Im seeing a chiro tomorrow to have my feet checked out, and will be fitted for orthodics if necessary. Really hoping that can solve the issue.

I had my gf work over my calves, and lemme tell you, they are a knotty mess. It was crazy painful but i think this may contribute as well.

I appreciate all the replies very much, thank you.

I believe shin splits are more often than not the result of an excessive hike in total training volume as opposed to a direct result of: Running surface, bodyweight, running style etc.

If you’ve gone from running 0 miles per week to 1-3 miles per week over a fairly short period of time this may be the biggest reason you get SS’s. Especially, when you also say you say you seem more prone to getting SS’s when you run ‘slower’ <<<if this is coupled with also running for longer distances.

[quote]spk wrote:
shorten stride… lengthen stride???

the way you run is the way you run…[/quote]

that is not true. you can most definitely change your stride

I was at the chiro today getting my feet looked at. I have orthodics on the way, and my right hip and both ankles have terrible mobility.

Also, my shin splints aren’t in the typical place (according to her). Mine are on the inside of the bone (medial) and very low on my leg. She was saying that most ppl experience it on the outer side of the bone and a little higher up.

sure you can change your stride and style,but dont expect to be a great runner, trying to lenghten or shorten or attempt that pose running style jive. ask any legit x-country coach. the way you run is your natural gait. non slow injured runners always hurt try the pose /shorten/lengtten stuff that wont work…

when i raced against craig virgin in the 70’s i heard other coaches commentng on his style. change it?? why?? cause it didnt look good to them…what a joke…

look what virgin had done…

show me some results from a guy doing that pose style jive, or other non natural ways to run…

op… do what you want but seek out runners and running coaches advice, not non runners that jog a bit …

good luck

[quote]spk wrote:
sure you can change your stride and style,but dont expect to be a great runner, trying to lenghten or shorten or attempt that pose running style jive. ask any legit x-country coach. the way you run is your natural gait. non slow injured runners always hurt try the pose /shorten/lengtten stuff that wont work…

when i raced against craig virgin in the 70’s i heard other coaches commentng on his style. change it?? why?? cause it didnt look good to them…what a joke…

look what virgin had done…

show me some results from a guy doing that pose style jive, or other non natural ways to run…

op… do what you want but seek out runners and running coaches advice, not non runners that jog a bit …

good luck [/quote]

Results: Successfully completing two 50 mile runs, one 100 mile run, several marathons (PR, a non-impressive 3:10:52), all at 70" and about 190-200#. I realize I’m not an incredible, or even a good runner by any world class standards, but I will say I’ve had positive, pain-free results from consciously shortening my stride and running with a pose-ish technique. I’m not looking for world-class results, or even competitive ones. Just the means to run pain-free, and enjoy it. I don’t think the OP wants a 4 minute mile, or even a 5. He just wants to run without pain. If you’re not going to help him with that, don’t post. If you do help, it would be awesome, because you’re obviously a world-class runner with significant experience and a wealth of knowledge everyone here would benefit from.

OP

walk on your heels and try to point the toes upward. make it burn… you gotta strenghten the muscles around the shin. if you have to seek out how to tape them… google it…
too hard to explain.

run on the grass or dirt trails. its so ez to leave home and run down the street, but running on the grass in the park will build lower leg muscles…

ez at first… back off the miles and really build up to where you need to be… you cram in training, you get injured… runners are hurt all the time… you gotta be smart…

all the best

I appreciate all of this, thanks again.

I can agree with spk in that I’ve tried to change the way I run a couple of times and after about a minute I’ve given up and gone back to my natural way.

I didn’t see these thrown out so I’ll put them in. I ran CC and track in high school. Granted, that was in the early '90s, but that shouldn’t matter much.

I always had a horrible time with shin splints. Wether it was my stride or my striking or my flat feet or all of it, I don’t know.

While it looks like there’s better info out there for helping resolve this issue than I had since my days were pre-internet, here are two things that helped me personally:

1: Don’t use the top lace holes on your shoes and be sure not to tie them really tight at the top.

2: To relieve some pain while running until you rid yourself of them, wrap some athletic tap around your shin a few inches up from your ankles. This seems to disperse some of the shock from striking, and reduces pain during your run.

I’m curious if any of you have flat feet, like really flat feet and think there’s a direct relationship between the two and, if so, what have you done to change things?

It’s not easy getting solid info on the subject as there’s conflicting info across the net in regards to how archless feet affect posture, etc.

[quote]Stern wrote:
I’m curious if any of you have flat feet, like really flat feet and think there’s a direct relationship between the two and, if so, what have you done to change things?

It’s not easy getting solid info on the subject as there’s conflicting info across the net in regards to how archless feet affect posture, etc.[/quote]

I have very flat feet, and as I mentioned, I had a terrible time with shin splints.

As far as changing things I can’t say much other than what I posted. I quit running all together a few years after high school. I CAN’T run (other than sprinting on my toes) due to my knees. I’ve gained a considerable amount of weight since then and after a half mile the pounding on my knees is unbearable. Heel striking is just out of the question.

Cheers, I’ll give a couple of your pointers a try Cueball. Leaving the top laces lose sounds kinda obvious now that you mention it, if you’re feet are anything like mine. I get splints just walking around sometimes but it oddly seems to come and go. No rhyme or reason.

Warm-up sprinting just seems to kill me as I have to bounce on the balls of my toes rather than letting the foot roll naturally (if that’s what a normal arched foot does while sprinting…I couldn’t say lol.)

No expert, but have lots of experience personally and from helping others. The reason why you’ll see replies all over the place with this topic is shin splints is a general term that can refer to different things (medically, shin splints is an outdated term). Also, there are lots of different causes to the various maladies commonly termed shin splints.

Pain at front of shin, usually Anterior Compartment Syndrome or Stress Fracture. If the pain is pinpoint in a spot, more likely Stress Fracture, if pain is more diffuse, probably Anterior Compartment Syndrome (muscles swell up inside the inflexible fascia surrounding it, causing pain).

Pain on lateral side of shin, usually Lateral Compartment Syndrome or Stress Fracture.

Pain medially on shin, usually the lower half of the tibia, usually Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome (MTSS) – probably what you have. This in my experience is the most commonly seen version of shin splints. Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome is caused by the anterior muscles of the lower leg pulling on the bone (tibia), which irritates the outer lining of the bone (periosteum), causing periostitis (inflammation and pain). This can be caused by a variety of factors, many of which were hit on by the various replies, most common factor is too much too soon (improperly ramping up the increase in running volume). Also, running on harder surfaces (concrete is harder than asphalt) or poor running shoe selection are common culprits. Your arch problem may be problematic, as I’ve heard from people that proper arch support for people that need it can help a lot with shin splints.

What you can do about it: long-term fixes include strengthening the tibialis anterior muscle (dorsiflexion movements, many of which were shown in the video). Also, changes in running style is another long-term fix, such as running in Vibram Five Fingers. These shoes force you to run with more a forefoot strike vs. a heel strike, which can cause a lot of soreness and tightness in the calves initially (it takes some getting used to, so if you go this route, google the different break-in programs available). The proponents of this running style espouse that it is the way nature intended us to run, and it is great for long-term foot, ankle, shin, knee, and leg health when running. It is not the be-all and end-all of the discussion, as the heel strike style of running has been used successfully by runners for a long time. These are long-term fixes as they will not help with your problem right now, but will help prevent it from happening again in the future.

Short term fixes include RICE (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation). If you lay off the running for a few weeks, the MTSS will go away, but you have to slowly ease up the running volume after the rest period. If you have to keep running, there are things you can do to help. Compression is usually key, you need to get a good amount of compression without compromising circulation to your foot. An athletic trainer (if one is available) can help immensely with a proper tape job. If you have to go the do-it-yourself route, try a compression wrap that goes from the bottom of the shin, just above the malleolus (the bony protrusion at the ankle) all the way to at least the middle of your shin. What you are doing is compressing the muscles to reduce the stress or pulling on the periosteum. Make sure to ice afterwards, as the shins will still hurt (but less with good compression) and they will definitely hurt afterwards when you take off the wrap.

Also, I’d recommend you follow the advice others gave of going to a good running store and getting properly fitted for good running shoes. If you really tend to overpronate (feet roll inward) then you probably need some good arch support, either from a shoe or an orthotic, depending on the severity of your problem.