RE: What are shin splints? (Rio)

Sat, 13 Aug 2005 14:46:59 GMT

haha... just rest it for as many weeks you can til the pain is gone. during your resting, ride the bicycle only. when resuming your run, do not run on your heels anymore. period. you guys are sooo stupid. i had it before...being so stupid too..... figured it out on my own, and now its gone. sheesh... use your head dude and dudettes! nooooo pounding on your heels, and dont runnnnn that much like that(if youre over 187 pounds) !

Brent

RE: What are shin splints? (Lynx100)

Thu, 19 May 2005 03:29:28 GMT

Also i strongly suggest you talk to Andy about how he handles his 7-inch johnson. Who knows, managing your xceptionally big middle leg while running could solve your problems.

RE: What are shin splints? (Lynx100)

Thu, 19 May 2005 03:21:56 GMT

have a read of the rehab of shin splints above.

If after doing that you still keep getting them, then maybe its time for you to think of alternatives for cardio unless you are a runner/athelete.

RE: What are shin splints? (meat hed)

Thu, 19 May 2005 02:13:08 GMT

hey iv been gettin these alot recently but i find i can just run through them most the time.. As if i didnt hate running enough , these could just make me quit for good... so what are some rehab exercises for fixing these ? ive rested them before and then i just get them all over again the next time i run...

might help to know im not flat footed, and run on grass and have tried different pairs of shoes but still the same result, both legs are equal size xcept for the middle one, thats xceptionally big ..

RE: What are shin splints? (Lynx100)

Fri, 29 Apr 2005 16:17:18 GMT

Yeah i saw that thread and there was one more on it, i think started by andy. But i thought that itd be easier to have all the information about the injury (the who, what, why, where and when) in one place as well as some rehab exercises so it was all accessible in one place.

What are shin splints? (Lynx100)

Fri, 29 Apr 2005 06:27:28 GMT

I know that this topic has been addressed before on this board but i thought id go thru it once more, for the sake of completeness.

What are shin splints?
Shin splints is not a specific diagnosis but rather is the symptom of pain over the front of the tibia (the bone that you can feel when pressing on ure shins). Its agreed that this sort of injury is due to overuse affecting either the muscles, bone, or the tendons. It usually is caused by running on hard surfaces and seen commonly in sports where theres a lot of jumping.

Shin splints can be caused by several things:

Medial tibial stress syndrome (when the muscles that attach to the inner side of your tibia are inflamed - most common cause of shin splints)
Stress fractures
Compartment syndrome

The overuse causes irritation to the tendons and the place at which they attach to the bone - this is known as medial tibial stress syndrome. This is what most people are talking about when they use the words shin splints as a diagnosis. This is commonly seen in athletes who suddenly increase their duration or intensity of training or those who have long-standing high demand in terms of training, such as marathon runners.

One thing that is thought to make shin splints more likely is whats called 'overpronation'. Over-Pronation occurs when the foot flattens out when weight is applied i.e. if you become flat-footed when you put weight on your leg. This can easily be tested by stepping in some water first and then making a footprint. If you are flat-footed, you are overpronating and the foot is rolling inwards as you put weight on it - this places un-needed stress on the ankle joint and also alters the way the forces are tranmisttd through your legs when you walk or run. A little bit of flattening out is normal though. Over time, this can cause lead to increased demand on the muscle over the front of the leg (tibialis anterior) and cause shin splints.

So how do you know if you have shin splints?

Pain over the inside of the shin.
Lower leg pain.
Lumps and bumps over the bone.
Pain when the toes or foot are bent downwards.
A redness over the inside of the shin

What can YOU do about it?

Ice: Use ice packs on the sore leg for 20 to 30 minutes few times a day for for 2 or 3 days or until the pain goes away.
Rest: this is obvious so as to not make it worse.
Shoe supports: Arch supports (orthotics) help prevent the over-pronation. They can be prescribed by the doctor and have them custom-made for you or you can buy pre-made arch supports at the pharmacy or shoe stores.

To prevent it from happening again, its best to take all the due precautions. Obviously you need warm up properly and stretch the muscles before exercising.When you do start running or jumping again after the pain has gone away, make sure you use good quality shoes (shock absorbing soles) and if possible, try run on soft surfaces. When you do start again, make sure to increase the intensity and duration of exercise gradually.

What can the DOCTOR do about it?

Shin splints, as i said before, is not actually a diagnosis, but a group of symptoms. Your doctor will perform a physical examination to determine the cause of the shin splints. The pain may be in different parts of the leg in different people. The doctor may want to see walk or run to see if you have problems with over-pronation. You may need an x-ray or a bone scan to check for stress fractures. Anti-inflammatory medication is usually prescribed and your ankle may be taped up for support.

You may be told to do rehabilitation exercises before its deemed ok for you to start exercising at your normal intensity again.

Rehabilitation after long-term shin splint injury

As for rehabiliation for shin-splints; i found this info on a website which was clear and simple to follow;

The goal of rehabilitation is to return you to your sport or activity as soon as is safely possible. If you return too soon you may worsen your injury, which could lead to permanent damage. Everyone recovers from injury at a different rate. Return to your sport or activity will be determined by how soon your leg recovers, not by how many days or weeks it has been since your injury occurred. In general, the longer you have symptoms before you start treatment, the longer it will take to get better.
You may safely return to your sport or activity when, starting from the top of the list and progressing to the end, each of the following is true:

You have full range of motion in the injured leg compared to the uninjured leg.
You have full strength of the injured leg compared to the uninjured leg.
You can jog straight ahead without pain or limping.
You can sprint straight ahead without pain or limping.
You can do 45-degree cuts, first at half-speed, then at full-speed.
You can do 20-yard figures-of-eight, first at half-speed, then at full-speed.
You can do 90-degree cuts, first at half-speed, then at full-speed.
You can do 10-yard figures-of-eight, first at half-speed, then at full-speed.
You can jump on both legs without pain and you can jump on the injured leg without pain.
If theres anything here that doesnt make sense or anything else that you want to know, just ask.