i moved on from walking to jogging on the treadmill over the winter. The weather has been really nice here in Atlanta so I have been running outside. When I went to run last night my shins started to hurt sooo bad that I had to stop after 5 minutes. Why? Can I do any stretching for this problem?

Help!!!!

Sounds like shin splints to me, I used to get those when I ran track and we ran alot on pavement. Not much you can do except rest, maybe you need some better running shoes?

A little info from the web.

How are shin splints treated?
The treatment for shin splints must be tailored for each person according to whether the cause is PTS or a stress fracture and considering the person’s exercise habits. The most important form of treatment for PTS is rehabilitative exercises. Stretching before and after running, particularly the calf muscles, and strengthening your leg muscles through progressive resistance exercise usually help relieve the symptoms of PTS. In addition to rehabilitative exercises, your doctor and physical therapist may recommend some combination of changes in footwear, exercise intensity and duration, and running surface. Also, taking anti-inflammatory medications, such as aspirin or ibuprofen, and applying ice to the tender area immediately after exercise can help relieve symptoms. Your doctor may recommend you use orthotics (shoe inserts) to help support your foot and relieve stress in your leg. A person with compartment syndrome occasionally needs surgery to relieve the pressure in the muscle compartment.

I have a lot of past experience with shin splints I suggest icing them down and also strengthen the muscles by standing with your feet flat and then lifting yourself up on your heels or walking on your heels. Even sitting around and flexing your feet will help strengthen the muscle. Avoid hills for a while and make sure to stretch and put ice AFTER a workout and warm up a bit before the workout.

www.z-coil.com The shoes look horrible, but I hear they can help with all kinds of things from heel spurs to stress fractures and back pain. I suppose its worth a shot if you can get over how they look.

I was always told it has to do with Stretching properly. Rest those legs for a bit

If you have not had this problem on the treadmill, the main culprit could be the new, harder surface (ashpalt, concrete...).
PATIENCE. Take more rest days (running only every other day), and cut back the time/milage/speed. Slowly building up + stretches (see MyJourney's recommendation) can help to heal and prevent more pain.

A little encouragement: meanwhile most of the starter/restarter runners experince some kind of form of shin split, it is very rare later, when your milage over 20 miles/week. (I remember my first weeks/months, the only reason I did not give up was to read many articles about this - all promising painless future:-)))

I recently returned to work from 3 months of maternity leave. As a nursing assistant I was on my feet for 8 hours and after work my shins hurt so bad! I had no clue what I did. I called a weight trainer I know and she said that sometimes it can be from tight calf muscles which connect to the bone in the front (sorry if the explanation is wrong, i don't remember her specifics) When they are tight and stiff, such as after a work out they actually pull on the bone and inflame the tissue where the muscle connects to the shin bone, which is why it hurts so much and why stretching would help that. She said just to ice it to bring down the swelling and keep the pain away. After a day or two my body got used to the routine and it doens't happen anymore, but it does hurt for awhile!!! OUCH!

Thanks for the replys! As for shoes, I have a very good (and very expensive) pair of shoes from The New Balance Store here in Atlanta. I cut back my running from daily (i was/still am addicted to the runners high) to every other day.

They funny thing is....if you told be two years ago that I would be going through running withdraws b/c of sore shins...I would have laughed so hard while eating fat free ice cream!

Hey man ...

Do you overpronate? And if so, are your shoes motion controlled?

As for other basic info on treating shin splints ...

Rest. The sooner you rest the sooner it will heal.

Apply ice in the early stages when it is very painful.

It should never be applied directly to the skin but in a wet tea towel to prevent ice burns. Apply the ice for about 15 minutes every 2 hours. This can be reduced gradually over the next 24 hours.

Wear shock absorbing insoles in shoes.

Maintain fitness with other non weight bearing exercises.

Apply heat and use a heat retainer after the initial acute stage, particularly before training.

A calf support or heat retainer provides protection and support. It retains the heat produced by the body in a specific area and so aids healing. Heat encourages blood vessels to dilate and so allows more blood to the injured area. The more blood that gets to the injured area, the more nutrients it will get and the faster it will heal.Use it for helping to get better but do not rely on it indefinitely. If you find you need to wear it for more than a week then you really need professional help.

Injury specific sports massage.

Effleurage

Object - light stroking to warm up the area in preparation for deeper techniques.

1. With the hands stroke lightly but firmly upwards from the top of the ankle to the knee.

2. Always stroke upwards towards the heart as this is the direction of blood flow. The other way can damage veins.

3. Then lightly bring the hands down the outside of the leg keeping them in contact but do not apply pressure.

4. Repeat the whole movement using slow stroking techniques, trying to cover as much of the leg as possible.

5. Repeat this technique for about 5 to 10 minutes, gradually applying deeper pressure on the up strokes.

Which will set you up for ...

Stripping the muscles

With the thumb of the left hand (for a right leg) apply deep pressure to the posterior compartment muscles that can be felt at the back of the shin.

Do not rub directly onto the bone. This may only increase pain and inflammation. Aim to massage the muscle, not the attachments to the bone.

Apply 10 to 20 stripping techniques and alternate between cross frictions.

Cross Frictions

Apply firm pressure accross the muscle. Start at the lower third of the shin and work upwards.

Again, stay away from the bone itself. The aim of this technique is to try and stretch the sheath that surrounds the muscle. This will reduce the pressure in the muscle compartment and in turn the stress on the lower leg.

Apply this technique for around 5 minutes, alternating with stripping the muscle.

The whole process should not last more than half an hour. Massage therapy can be applied every day if it is performed lightly however deeper techniques may result in a days recovery period to allow tissues to 'recover'.

It is important to assess the affects of sports massage both after treatment and the following day. Is there an increase in pain and or inflammation? If so, then discontinue.

Sports massage can play a very valuable roll in rehabilitation of shin splint injuries, particularly for the athlete with recurring injury. The typical story is one of rest until pain goes but on return to training pain returns. This may be due to tension in the muscles at the back of the lower leg which is not addressed. The pain will go from the the shin but return because the muscle have not been treated as well.

Dan, when I ran track, the coaches would tape the shins of the girls who had shin splints. It seemed to help a lot with regard to keeping us running. Hurt like a sumb%*&h taking the tape off, of course.

Anyhow, what do you think of taping? Despite temporary relief, I think it just prolonged the actual condition.

BTW - tangent - when you do cardio splits, do you have any problem with bonking mid-week? For the life of me, now that I'm doing 45/30s I can't make it past Weds w/o bonking on the am cardio. Carb up on Sat, bonk Tues or Weds... seems incomprehensible. So, up carbs or do less cardio?

Cheers,

Friday

Taping is good ... I will post that technique too ...

As for bonks, yes, I do sometimes. I just turn that session into a LSD cardio (long slow duration) session. Come back and hit it hard another day.

I've read of another way you can strengthen shin muscles. You throw a towel on the floor, stand on it, then use your toes to scrunch it up. I have never done this and can't say how well it works, but might be worth a try.

I know I was always told that shin splints can be caused by a lack of potassium. You can always get the suppliments, but you can also add a banana to your day if allowed by your plan.

You can also pick up marbles with your toes. I did both the towel and the marbles for phys ther. For the towel, place it flat on the ground and pull the towel to you with your big toe. You'll have to keep moving your foot up as you do this cause you can't fit the whole towel under your toes. But it helps.


Good luck....hope you feel better!

Yes, those exercises (towel with toes, marbles with toes, toe taps, etc) all work the tibialis muscle which runs on the front of the shin.

Pulling grass with your toes while you are standing also works ... feels good in warmer weather after a run too.

Awesome! I am going to try these toes exercises, starting tonight.

BTW, they dont hurt right now. I ran about 6 miles Wednesday and I will run this afternoon. Seems to be working.

Thanks again for all the advice. You guys are great!