Shin Splints

Shin Splints

How do you heal shin splints?
How Are They Treated?
  1. Rest your body. It needs time to heal.
  2. Ice your shin to ease pain and swelling. Do it for 20-30 minutes every 3 to 4 hours for 2 to 3 days, or until the pain is gone.
  3. Use insoles or orthotics for your shoes. …
  4. Take anti-inflammatory painkillers, if you need them.
Is it OK to walk with shin splints?
Shin splints are usually not a serious injury, but it can make it hard to walk or do the things you do every day if you don’t take care of them. Rest, ice, better shoes, or lower-impact exercise can all help reduce the symptoms and risks of a shin splint.
Can you still run with shin splints?
Continuing to run with shin splints is not a good idea. Continuing the exercise that caused the painful shin splints will only result in further pain and damage that could lead to stress fractures. You should either eliminate running for a while or at least decrease the intensity with which you train.
How do runners deal with shin splints?
How Are They Treated?
  1. Rest your body. It needs time to heal.
  2. Ice your shin to ease pain and swelling. Do it for 20-30 minutes every 3 to 4 hours for 2 to 3 days, or until the pain is gone.
  3. Use insoles or orthotics for your shoes. …
  4. Take anti-inflammatory painkillers, if you need the
What running shoes are best for shin splints?
Here, the best running shoes for shin splints for every type of runner.
  • Best Overall for Men: Brooks Men’s Adrenaline GTS 20 Running Shoe. …
  • Best Overall for Women: Hoka One One Women’s Clifton 6 Running Shoe. …
  • Best for Road Running: Saucony Women’s Triumph 17 Running
How do you stretch out shin splints?
With your back heel down and back leg straight, bend the front knee until you feel a stretch in the calf of your back leg. Keep your back straight throughout the stretch. Hold the stretch for at least 30 seconds. Repeat the stretch 2 or 3 times, and aim for stretching 3 times a day.
Should I workout with shin splints?
In an effort to maintain fitness while recovering from shin splints, keep in mind not to exercise to the point of any shin pain. If this occurs, cut back and consult your doctor. Follow this important guideline when undertaking injury recovery alternatives or any exercise: Warm up and cool down.
 

 

Shin Splints
Shin Splints

What are Shin Splints? How do I treat Shin Splints? How do I Prevent Shin Splints?

Your shins throb and ache after your daily run or just sprinting to catch the bus.

It could be shin splints. They can be caused by:

  • Irritated and swollen muscles, often from overuse
  • Stress fractures, which are tiny breaks in the lower leg bones
  • Overpronation or ”flat feet” — when the impact of a step makes your foot’s arch collapse

Shin splints are very common. Runners might get them after ramping up their workout intensity or changing the surface they run on — like shifting from a dirt path to asphalt. Shin splints are also common in dancers.

Shin Splints
Shin Splints

7 Treatment Tips for Shin Splints

Shin splints often heal on their own. If you see a doctor, expect to get a thorough physical exam. Your doctor may want to see you run to look for problems. You may also need X-rays or bone scans to look for fractures.

  1. Rest your body. It needs time to heal.
  2. Ice your shin to ease pain and swelling. Do it for 20-30 minutes every 3 to 4 hours for 2 to 3 days, or until the pain is gone.
  3. Anti-inflammatory painkillers. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), like ibuprofen, naproxen, or aspirin, will help with pain and swelling. These drugs can have side effects, though, like a greater chance of bleeding and ulcers. They should be used only occasionally unless your doctor says otherwise.
  4. Arch supports for your shoes. These orthotics — which can be custom-made or bought off the shelf — may help with flat feet.
  5. Range-of-motion exercises, if your doctor recommends them.
  6. Neoprene sleeve to support and warm your leg.
  7. Physical therapy to strengthen the muscles in your shins.

Rare cases need surgery, such as if you have a severe stress fracture that caused your shin splints.

4 Signs Your Shin Splints Have Healed

Your shin splints are fully healed when:

  1. Your injured leg is as flexible as your other leg.
  2. Your injured leg feels as strong as your other leg.
  3. You can jog, sprint, and jump without pain.
  4. Your X-rays are normal or show any stress fractures have healed.

There’s no way to say exactly when your shin splints will go away. It depends on what’s causing them. People also heal at different rates; 3 to 6 months is not unusual.

The most important thing is not to rush back into your sport. If you start exercising before your shin splints have healed, you may hurt yourself permanently.

While you heal, you could take up a new no-impact activity that won’t aggravate your shin splints. For instance, if you run, try swimming.

How to Prevent Shin Splints

To prevent shin splints, you should:

  • Always wear shoes with good support and padding.
  • Warm-up before working out, making sure to stretch the muscles in your legs.
  • Stop working out as soon as you feel pain in your shins.
  • Don’t run or play on hard surfaces like concrete.
Courtesy of www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/shin-splints

Good Links:

The Ultimate Guide to Shin Splints for Runners

http://www.runnersworld.com/tag/shin-splints

http://www.active.com/running/articles/shin-splints-101-treatment-and-prevention-tips

http://www.chirunning.com/blog/entry/the-whole-story-on-shin-splints

http://sportsmedicine.about.com/cs/leg_injuries/a/leg2.htm

https://www.google.com/#q=shin+splints+running&tbm=shop

 

PRO Massage by Nicola. LMT
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