Bloom Posted July 22, 2006 Share Posted July 22, 2006 Ok I have a little problem, when I was a few years younger I got right into exercise, tho I had always done competitive gymnastics and then dance. In my mid teens I discovered that I had a flare for long distance running and so running I began, every morning at 6am I was out on the oval running my little heart out. One day at the gym I was silly and did 3 high impact classes in a row and that’s when it happened.. Something in my shin started to hurt, in the next 4 mins it was hurting very badly so I had to stop the class (it was a step class). For the next 2 years I was virtually ‘screwed!’ walking hurt and running hurt even more. I have since then lost a lot of my athletic abilities. I stop doing exercise for a good 2 years; I was still doing something but no training. Lately I have taken up a ‘body combat’ class at the gum, I love it and I desperately want to run, it’s all I want to do but the moment I over do it I get shin splints! (Medial tibial stress syndrome) So I’m thinking what the hell should I do now.. I have been on holidays at my parent’s house for 3 weeks and have not done any major exercise and have not had any problems with my shins. Should I stop doing sport for another 2 weeks and then start up again and just start very slowly. After many failed attempts to ‘jump’ back into shape I think I have come to the conclusion that a crash recovery, just like a crash diet simply wont work and that I’m going to have to go slow and yeah… I don’t know… Any ideas any body every have to overcome such a problem? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathryn Posted July 22, 2006 Share Posted July 22, 2006 You can try a combo of strengthening and stretching for the shin area. For strengthening, sit on a chair or the floor, with a stability ball (swiss ball) held against the top of your feet, pushing against it with your hands. Lift your toes back towards you as you press against the ball for resistance. Continue for reps. To stretch, do a quad stretch (either standind or lying on your side, bring your foot up behind you, keeping your knee in line with the other knee, and pointing straight down--if you are standing--or toward your feet--if you're on your side.) Add a shin stretch to this by holding onto your foot near the toe and pointing the toe. Also, make sure you have shoes with good cushioning. Ryka has some non-leather shoes (not all of them are, but some are) with good cushioning. I'm not sure if ice massage will help with this, but you could try. Buy some paper dixie cups and fill them with water, then freeze. After a workout, rub the area with the cup of ice (tearing down the sides of the cup as the ice melts). This will help prevent swelling of the area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MontanaVegan Posted July 22, 2006 Share Posted July 22, 2006 Last year I would walk 3-6 miles per day. My speed was about 4 mph.I would get shin splints just from walking.I would never stretch first, I thought "I'm just walking"At first I tried some of stretching of the front of the leg with very little relief.It wasn't until I stretched the rear muscles that my shin splints got better.Here are some pictures of the stretches: http://www.nismat.org/ptcor/shin_splints/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 22, 2006 Share Posted July 22, 2006 In college all the speed/power athletes would have a 10 minute part of the warm up dedicated purely to preventing shin splints...we would do these 15meter walks on the outside of our feet, the inside, off our heals, off our toes and then do them all over again backwards...I can recall very few of us ever complaining about shin splints...distance runners would do it too but they didn't have to do it every day like the sprinters, and jumpers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bloom Posted July 23, 2006 Author Share Posted July 23, 2006 MontanaVegan - thank you for the site, sometimes i just cant stretch that part of my shin, it seems instretchable. Veganpotter - i think i'll have to give the side walks a go... i'll do anything !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 23, 2006 Share Posted July 23, 2006 They work great...I've never had problems with my shins(other than when they used to get wacked with hockey pucks and sticks) and the amount of cleans with the way I did them should have surely caused shin problems...that including doing speed work and being over 300lbs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bloom Posted July 23, 2006 Author Share Posted July 23, 2006 I always think it's because i weigh to much and my poor little shins can't handle all my weigh. However i have a friend who is bigger then me and she has no problems with her shins... I walked on the sides of my feet today hehe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 24, 2006 Share Posted July 24, 2006 Have you tried cross training to take some weight off??? At my new school the guys that have trouble are forced to take it easy on the track and they swim for cardio but do lots of water plyometrics...I did them when I had problems with my hamstring and they seemed to do the trick for me...its keeps the fast twitch working without quite as much impact. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bloom Posted July 24, 2006 Author Share Posted July 24, 2006 We have actualy 'cross training' machines at our uni gym. they are alot easier on my shins then the treadmills. I'm not sure if i can build up shin strength on them tho.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 24, 2006 Share Posted July 24, 2006 You can build up your strength with those drills but use the cross training to keep fit until your shins are 100%. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bloom Posted July 24, 2006 Author Share Posted July 24, 2006 yeeeeeeeah.... can do! thanks for all your help !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sydneyvegan Posted July 24, 2006 Share Posted July 24, 2006 I use to have trouble with shin splints until I did a lot of cycling using clip-less pedals...If you use the bikes at your gym and concentrate on pulling up as well as pushing down on the pedal (using the straps they have on the pedals) it will help build up all the muscles in your lower leg...This along with the stretches mentioned above and the cross trainer etc, should help.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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