Shin splints and prevention of

[RIP Quorthon]

I haven't been terribly active for some time in terms of cardio, but since I messed up my shoulder and I haven't been able to lift as a result, I've started playing basketball again. I'm mostly doing drills by myself at the moment, just shooting around and chasing the ball around, and running up and down the court to help improve my ball handling - but four days in, after an hour a day, I'm getting massive pain down the front of both of my shins, which is stopping me from running and jumping.

Any idea how to a) treat, then b) prevent this? I haven't trained in the gym for 8 weeks because of the shoulder, but I am looking top heavy at the moment - I lose mass off my legs quicker than up above.

[crunchymilk]

first you have to stop for a while. Stick to the eliptical or row machine or something your legs have to heal.

second, most of the time shin splints are caused by either bad running form or shoes that don't fit right or aren't for your type of food. Check out www.runningwarehouse.com , they have a test you can take to find out what kind of shoe you need. Don't buy cheap shoes, they can throw off your body mechanics. I bought the new adidas bounce shoes when they came out thinking they would help me, I had shin splints within days. Went to the asics evolution 3's for wide feet and problem went away.

[RIP Quorthon]

Originally Posted by crunchymilk

first you have to stop for a while. Stick to the eliptical or row machine or something your legs have to heal.

second, most of the time shin splints are caused by either bad running form or shoes that don't fit right or aren't for your type of food. Check out www.runningwarehouse.com , they have a test you can take to find out what kind of shoe you need. Don't buy cheap shoes, they can throw off your body mechanics. I bought the new adidas bounce shoes when they came out thinking they would help me, I had shin splints within days. Went to the asics evolution 3's for wide feet and problem went away.

Awesome, thanks. I spent AU$190 on these shoes which have awesome padding and **** in the sole; obviously not right for me though

[Logical95]

yea I get shin splints alot when i play basketball and am running up and down the floor.....
I guess its my sneakers, I have an expensive pair of high top Nike shox bball shoes but i still get the pain....and I've been measured at size 13 so I know i am wearing the right size.....

I see alot of ppl wearing low top running sneakers to play bball, I dont think thats the wisest idea though, you can roll your ankle more with low tops...

[BradleyS]

Originally Posted by RIP Quorthon

Awesome, thanks. I spent AU$190 on these shoes which have awesome padding and **** in the sole; obviously not right for me though

Do you have an athletic training center near you by chance? Or perhaps a really really nice shoe store? When you get fitted for a shoe, it is very easy to be fit with the wrong one. Even with the perfect shoe, you can still get shin splints. Sometimes (in my case) you need orthodics if you pronate bad enough.

If you go to a nice shoe store, they will have you put on the shoe then they will do a gait analysis, which is where they record you running and watch how your foot positions itself in that shoe.

Originally Posted by Logical95

yea I get shin splints alot when i play basketball and am running up and down the floor.....
I guess its my sneakers, I have an expensive pair of high top Nike shox bball shoes but i still get the pain....and I've been measured at size 13 so I know i am wearing the right size.....

I see alot of ppl wearing low top running sneakers to play bball, I dont think thats the wisest idea though, you can roll your ankle more with low tops...

Actually, you can roll your ankle pretty easy with the shox. The heel is raised, which is what you do not want. Nike shox are not recommended shoes at all (I had a list of shoes for different foot types a sports trainer from the local Orthopedic Institute)

It's the shoe.

Don't forget to do shin stretching and strengthening exercises such as heel walks, toe curls, etc

[Logical95]

LOL arent Shox like the most popular basketball sneaker out there?? I see everyone wearing them.....even the pro's do....I wear them mostly for the good cushioning and "shock" absorption they provide.

I might get a new pair of bball sneaks this weekend....i just want a good all around shoe that has good cushioning.....

I could care less about all those LeBron, Kobe and Carmelo Anthony sneakers....I was buying Shox until you told me they arent good....

[pengwin]

Shin splints suck.

If you've already got supportive shoes with good cushioning, another reason people get shin splints is caused by muscle imbalance where the posterior muscles are tight and the anterior (shins) are weak.

Toe taps: Sit in a chair or you can do this standing, but raise one of your heels up about an inch or two higher than the ground. Now tap your toes and flex them up repeatedly until you feel a burning sensation along your shin. Repeat on the other side. You can do this whenever you aren't too busy doing something else (ex. watching tv, browsing bb.com)

This will help strengthen the anterior muscles. Also, stretch out your calves and ankles regularly.

Now, to prevent shin splints, some plyometric training helps continue to strengthen the surrounding tissue. Once you have less severe shin splint pain, you can do something like jumping rope on a softer surface (like an aerobics floor) to help both strengthen the surrounding tissue as well as teach you to be a little more agile and land softer on your feet, thus helping prevent further shin splints. When jumping rope to prevent shin splints, focus more on form than speed. You want to make sure you are landing softly on the balls of your feet.

I wish you luck! I used to have severe shin splints but this is how I've kept them away for a year now.

[RIP Quorthon]

Originally Posted by pengwin

Shin splints suck.

If you've already got supportive shoes with good cushioning, another reason people get shin splints is caused by muscle imbalance where the posterior muscles are tight and the anterior (shins) are weak.

Toe taps: Sit in a chair or you can do this standing, but raise one of your heels up about an inch or two higher than the ground. Now tap your toes and flex them up repeatedly until you feel a burning sensation along your shin. Repeat on the other side. You can do this whenever you aren't too busy doing something else (ex. watching tv, browsing bb.com)

This will help strengthen the anterior muscles. Also, stretch out your calves and ankles regularly.

Now, to prevent shin splints, some plyometric training helps continue to strengthen the surrounding tissue. Once you have less severe shin splint pain, you can do something like jumping rope on a softer surface (like an aerobics floor) to help both strengthen the surrounding tissue as well as teach you to be a little more agile and land softer on your feet, thus helping prevent further shin splints. When jumping rope to prevent shin splints, focus more on form than speed. You want to make sure you are landing softly on the balls of your feet.

I wish you luck! I used to have severe shin splints but this is how I've kept them away for a year now.

Thanks man, I'll get into this too!

[Fresch]

Sudden increases in activity cause these problems.

Slow increases in levels of activity from pain-free levels are required.

Could be the shoes, but most likely the change in activity.

Tightness in the calf muscles also a possible contributing factor.

Also, is the basketball on a sprung floor or a concrete court??

[Birddog6424]

I hate to be a bearer of bad news, but these problems can and will drive you nuts, and unfortunately, sometimes it just doesn't clear up. Take it from me, I was a competitive/recreational runner for twenty years. I loved it, it brought me peace of mind. But shinsplits forced me to give it up. Now I am a half-assed weightlifter. You ever seen an ex-runner trying to build calf muscle? It ain't pretty

Lots of little things mentioned above can contribute to the problem. Poor shoes, pronation, supination, poor form, full moons, Doris Day movies, you name it.

Start with your shoes and heel strike. If all is well there, have someone take a look at your running form. And of course, take the above advice to strengthen up the calf muscles, and use a proper warm up and stretching routine.

Good luck.

[athlete20]

What are some other workouts and stretches that should be done? They are driving me crazy. I have track and football practice everyday and it's a b****. The trainers at school are a bunch of idiots.

[Fresch]

Originally Posted by athlete20

What are some other workouts and stretches that should be done? They are driving me crazy. I have track and football practice everyday and it's a b****. The trainers at school are a bunch of idiots.

try water running, elliptical trainers for exercises

[RIP Quorthon]

Originally Posted by Fresch

Sudden increases in activity cause these problems.

Slow increases in levels of activity from pain-free levels are required.

Could be the shoes, but most likely the change in activity.

Tightness in the calf muscles also a possible contributing factor.

Also, is the basketball on a sprung floor or a concrete court??

Sprung. My chiropractor told me I have weak hammies and calves too, does that count?

[Fresch]

Originally Posted by RIP Quorthon

Sprung. My chiropractor told me I have weak hammies and calves too, does that count?

Yups, possibly have a bad back too.

[ceekaye1]

Originally Posted by RIP Quorthon

Sprung. My chiropractor told me I have weak hammies and calves too, does that count?

Hi there...i've experienced a similar issue with shin splints. When i first began working out, i had a tough time lasting even 10 minutes on my treadmill! After researching about the causes of shin splints i found that building up inner and outer calf muscles, hamstrings in particular (like your doc mentioned) will help to alleviate the pressure from the front of the leg.

And, in addition to muscle strength improvements and proper footwear, running or walking on a softer surface helps. For instance, my treadmill...i was able to adjust the 'hardness' of the platform (it's flexibility can be adjusted by tensioning or loosening the belt.)

So after 8 weeks of resistence training and adjusting the treadmill i can roll on for an hour easily without undue stress on my shins. Now the down step doesn't impact my leg so much; my shins no longer bother me like they did. Maybe a slight tightening but nothing unbearable...i should go get better footwear and that'll probably disappear too!

Anyways, i hope you are doing better these days! Good luck.

[gethuger]

is it possible to have irreversible damge from prolonged shin splints?

i had really bad shin splints that started during basic training (probably the first tme i did any prolonged running) and lasted till i got out of the army 3 years later. i basicly had to run though them 4 days a week.

after taking about a year off of running i tried to get back into it REALLY slow, like 5 min of light jogging the first time and i had wicked shin pain the next morning. its like that anytime i try to run now.

[ceekaye1]

Originally Posted by gethuger

is it possible to have irreversible damge from prolonged shin splints?

i had really bad shin splints that started during basic training (probably the first tme i did any prolonged running) and lasted till i got out of the army 3 years later. i basicly had to run though them 4 days a week.

after taking about a year off of running i tried to get back into it REALLY slow, like 5 min of light jogging the first time and i had wicked shin pain the next morning. its like that anytime i try to run now.

wow gethuger...LoL...basic training...had the same thing happen to me in the Air Force...shin splints suk! I f i were you i'd go see a sports medicine doc about that....meanwhile do some internet research...there are plenty of websites with info on the subject. I'd be happy to offer up a few links if you'd like...lemmeno!