Runner's Remedy for Shin Splints?

Hi, I used to run a lot and get shin splints too, even with very good running shoes that were chosen exactly for me by a professional.

Go to a health store and get some glucosamine. It helps maintain healthy joints. Take LARGE amounts of it, the more you run the more you take. I was taking 4-6 per day. It totally stops shin splints.

I don't believe in reducing swelling, I know our medical model does this but as far as I can tell it is stopping your natural body response to trauma. Your body does this to tell you to stop what caused the swelling, and to heal itself. Glucoseamine will help your body heal, and then will prevent further trauma.

Giving it a rest every couple of days also helps.

I had a friend who began running marathons, he did it on glucoseamine as well.

1 mom found this helpful

Hi PS,
You've gotten some good advice thus far ~ new running shoes and the Chi Running book....if you are in the San Antonio area you should really go see Dr. Nick Milnor, he specializes in sports related issues and is not your typical "in the door/out the door" doc. He's spends an hour and a half with you on the first visit and genuinely cares about his patients. His prices are very reasonable for the amount of time he spends with you ~ he is an athlete and an all around great guy. His contact number is: ###-###-####.
All the best to you!!

1 mom found this helpful

I have been having the same problem since having my dausghter. She is 17mo. I finally had to get new shoes. I went to Runtex in austin and they put me in the right shoes. Other than that, I also had to do Ibuprofen and ice.

Good luck,

L.

What I have found to help with shin splints is to try to prevent them in the first place. I run 3 miles daily and I've found that if I switch the way I run each mile, I never get shin splints. The first and third mile I run heal to toe which forces you to isolate your calf muscle. It looks and feels a little funny at first but it will prevent shin splints. Good luck!

I would highly recommend the book "Chi Running" by Danny Dreyer. He teaches you how to have proper form to avoid shin splints (and other running problems) in the first place.

If you stand flat on your feet and raise up on your toes. Do this several times with both and with each feet. Then you can go up to a wall and put your toes up on the baseboard while your foot is flat on the ground. This will stretch out your leg muscles and should really work on your shin splints. Do this for several minutes rotating your legs.

We did this when I was on the track team and it always worked! Good Luck!

Take cans of frozen juice and roll them up and down your shins a couple of times a day.

First off, get yourself a GOOD running shoe. It wont be cheap. I live in the Clear Lake area and patronize "On The Run". Its located on Bay Area Blvd. They actually pick a shoe for you rather than you picking a shoe for yourself. They measure your foot and also perform a few other "tests" to find the right fit.
Shin splints are not permanent. One cause is running on several different surfaces. Going from concrete to grass to gravel to whatever else, will give them to you for sure!!!
Try to minimize different surfaces whenever possible. Concrete is not all that great if you can avoid it. Something like a gravel or sand trail is more ideal.
Good luck to you and your running!!
M. :)

I am an athletic trainer, and shin splints are very common with runners. Best thing to do is strengthen your ankles. There are some great ankle rehab exercises that you can find online. Post running you should either do an ice bath (car wash bucket filled with ice and water) it is cold but is worth it, but if it is too much for you, you can also do ice cup massage by freezing dixie cups full of water, and using them until they are fully melted.
Hope this helps.

I've switched to aleve instead of ibprofen. Make sure to stretch out really, really good both before and after. Start off with walks, then short jogs then running. Also, I go to the gym and incline the treadmill it seems to help.

Me, also, a runner that sometimes starts to feel shin pain. And had shin splits a lot on high school track team.

1) must, must have good shoes. don't scrimp and go cheap. runners replace shoes faster than walkers!

2) ease into running slowly. I use my iPod when I jog. When I start back after a break: walk to warm-up, Jog one song, walk a song, etc... for the first week or two. Gradually build.

3) And not every day. Take at least 2 days per week to NOT run---swim or cycle, or rest. Running every day is asking for injuries when you are beginning again.

OOOhhh, I've been there. Here's a link a friend sent me that really works! I was back to running long distances in no time. The pavement is always better than the sidewalk if you have to run in the neighborhoods or can't get to a trail. Good shoes help too.

http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-241-286-289...

If this link doesn't work, go to www.runnersworld.com. In the search box type :shin splints. Click on the first article : Get Over It: Shin Pain

Good luck and stay hydrated!

Make sure you are warming up and stretching properly. We used to always stand on the curb (or edge of a step) and let our heels go down and then stand up tall on our toes (back and forth). That always helped me. They do hurt, don't they?! Don't start running without walking around first. You should also walk before stretching. So, try walking, then stretching, then running?

Hi-

I used to run and get awful shin splints - I'm now a Jazzercise girl. :) I'm sure the shoes make a difference. But one trick my dad taught me (he ran marathons) was to wear the old-school knee socks at night when you go to bed. It helps if they're tight (not enough to cut off circulation or anything but to keep the muscle and bone together). It seems like an easy enough (and cheap!) solution. I hope it helps you!

Best,
J.

When they start hurting while you're running, turn around & walk backwards. Works well.
Good luck & God bless!
Holy B

THere are stretches you can do to avoid shin splints. They would be tricky to explain, but here goes.

Stand with one leg in front and one leg behind you. Lean back on your hind leg letting your knee bend. That should stretch the calves. Hold for at least 30 seconds. Do not "bounce". Switch legs.

My husband is in the army and kept getting them from his morning runs and from the occasional ruck marches.

When he would deign to go to the doctor because the pain was too much, they told him to get GOOD running shoes with excellent arch support (UGH 60+ dollars) and then to get the doctor sholes (SP?) inserts for the shoes because they cusion each step to help prevent the shin splints regardless of what you are running on.

They also had him use heat/ice on it in 10 min intervals after running to help the muscle "cool" down with less stress or something to that effect...

Good Luck ;-)

For relief you can apply ice at night/heat in the am. Also freeze foam cups full of ice & use them to massage the area, tearing back the cup as needed.
Are you running everyday? If so change to every other day & cross train on the off days, cycling is great.
Look up online stretching for shin splints to look for some strectches to help alleviate/prevent them
Hope this helps.

Good Job!

I had a hard time with shin splints for years, but once I seriously got into running the muscles strengthened themselves. The Runner's Repair Manual says wall push-ups and foot presses are good for strenthening the shins. I did a lot of those first thing in the morning and it helped a lot. By the time I was running more than 10 miles a week it was gone, but do keep strengthening and stretching.

Have fun! If you need explainations of those exercises, pm me.

I know the feeling. I had them last night. I did end up taking Ibuprophen. It helped to have my Husband hold the electric massageron my legs next to the shin bone.

If you are a runner, the best thing would be to have shoes with good cushioning at the ball of the foot. Mine hurt from walking back and forth on bare concrete floors and standing on my feet for 6 hours. Good luck.

I was recently turned on to self myofascial release to help get rid of my shin splints. To help mine, I had to back off on high impact workouts for a while. I did lots of calf stretches throughout the day also.

For the self myofascial release, you need a large foam roller. Sit on the ground and place the tender part shin in contact with the roller (sometimes it takes a bit of contortion). If possible, cross the other leg on top. Next, lift your bottom slightly off the ground. This will increase pressure on the bottom leg that is resting on the roller. Now, very slowly, roll the foam roller up and down your leg. After a minute or two, switch legs. This exercise helps to release the fascia from the muscle and allow the fibers to reorient to be smooth and parallel, instead of bunched and tight. It hurt so good, but really helped.