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I've been training basketball pretty hardcore lately, but I just got shin splints (hurts like fuck). Anyways, has anybody gotten shin splints before, and if so what did you do to deal with it?
I've done some reading about wrapping/taping my shins and stuff, and I also read that possibly getting orthotics or some kind of soles would help. Question is... how do I know if I need any insoles or orthotics? I'm PRETTY sure I have flat feet, and I just got new basketball shoes (that probably has something to do with it).
Situation:
- From about June - Feb I hadn't really been playing much but starting in mid March I've been training a lot... playing about 3-4 times per week (more than 10 hours per week).. doing about 1-2 hours of drills then playing 6-7 pickup games at nights.
- About two weeks ago (a few days after I got my new shoes) I started to feel a lot of pain in my shins. I didn't play for a few days, played 8 games on Saturday, felt alright... then played 4 on Sunday, and by middle of the first game on Sunday my shins were hurting again.
Saw a doc today and told me I had shin splints.
So aside from tape/wrap, what else can be done to heal?
 
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I'm confused, do you mean shin splits?
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fanatacist I'm confused, do you mean shin splints?
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What the crap is a shin split -_-
Does such a thing even exist? I think he's just confused.
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I think you just rest. Wait until all stress, not just pain, is gone. Then make sure you take it easy enough so you don't get it again.
Didn't the physician tell you what to do?
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It takes 5 secs to google shin splints to find out if he's confused or not.
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Xeris there really isn't much you can do. I have the same problem when I use to run a lot. I talk to people about it and ask them is there anyways to stop it or help stop the pain. They told me to try some different stretches that focus near the area. I personally couldn't tell much of a difference. One thing that did help out a little bit was getting better shoes with better cushion. There is a couple of other little things i have tried that has helped out some.
Hopefully this helps, it won't prevent them but it reduces the pain some.
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I've had shin splints once, and yes they hurt like hell. I took a few days off, then I kept running. It was uncomfortable for about another week and I had to ease into running all-out again, but after that I never got shin splits again. However it might be different from person to person and sport to sport (running may cause fatigue tearing, while basketball might cause more direct tearing, i dunno) and I never went to a doctor about it, so take what I did with a grain of salt.
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I've been suffering from shin splints for over 2 years now. Resting doesn't fix anything, the pain will come back whenever you start sporting (in my case, running) again.
In 2 weeks I have an appointment at the hospital for a bone scan and specialised advice..
Just to illustrate that you don't have to expect to get rid of your shin splints anytime soon..
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On May 21 2009 06:27 Khenra wrote:
I've been suffering from shin splints for over 2 years now. Resting doesn't fix anything, the pain will come back whenever you start sporting (in my case, running) again.
In 2 weeks I have an appointment at the hospital for a bone scan and specialised advice..
Just to illustrate that you don't have to expect to get rid of your shin splints anytime soon..
Yeah there is no way to prevent it. Some people have this problem and some don't. If i remember correctly it's something to do with the muscle and bone and they rub against other or something causing pressure and pain.... I could be wrong since been like 1yr and half when someone was talking to me about it.
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Applying heat to the area that hurts might help. Your local sports shop should be able to help you with some "protection" or whatever. If you're able to it's good to change to another form of activity with another foundation. If you wanna work on your cardio, try long-distance running on sand or some other softer ground. The shoes may very well be the source of your problem and you can get "implants" in your shoes to help with that. Again, your local sports shop should be able to help you.
I have never had shin splints myself, but I have several friends who had it and written a small essay about it in high school. I hope you get better. It usually takes a long time to heal, so just waiting for it to heal while resting is impossible if you wanna keep your stamina.
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On May 21 2009 06:29 -StrifeX- wrote:Show nested quote +On May 21 2009 06:27 Khenra wrote:
I've been suffering from shin splints for over 2 years now. Resting doesn't fix anything, the pain will come back whenever you start sporting (in my case, running) again.
In 2 weeks I have an appointment at the hospital for a bone scan and specialised advice..
Just to illustrate that you don't have to expect to get rid of your shin splints anytime soon.. Yeah there is no way to prevent it. Some people have this problem and some don't. If i remember correctly it's something to do with the muscle and bone and they rub against other or something causing pressure and pain.... I could be wrong since been like 1yr and half when someone was talking to me about it.
Sure, you can prevent it. Get good shoes and stay away from running on hard ground. If you do get it, it's usually a bitch, but you can make it better through the options I posted above.
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On May 21 2009 06:27 Khenra wrote:
I've been suffering from shin splints for over 2 years now. Resting doesn't fix anything, the pain will come back whenever you start sporting (in my case, running) again.
Yes it does. You say yourself this is your personal case. Normally shin splits is caused by overexertion. But in your case it seems something is wrong with your shoes, your posture, your technique, something like that.
You are right to see a specialist and try to figure out why you get it over and over again. But no need yet to scare anyone else.
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I guess i should have said cure. Thinking more of athlete's point of view
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You need to strengthen your calves and that muscle on your shin bone. (forgot whats it called) Try looking up exercises. And it is preventable guys.... lol. I got it plenty of shin splints during track season lol. You just have to suck it up and run while trying to get better.
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I had a friend who had notoriously bad shin splints in high school XC/T&F and he had devised some stretches for them. I don't remember them off the top of my head, but I'll try and get back here and describe them soon.
Also, the change from relaxing to a sudden extreme jump in workouts probably has shit to do with it.
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United States3824 Posts
I think you just stop exercising
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On May 21 2009 06:41 AoN.DimSum wrote:
You need to strengthen your calves and that muscle on your shin bone. (forgot whats it called) Try looking up exercises. And it is preventable guys.... lol. I got it plenty of shin splints during track season lol. You just have to suck it up and run while trying to get better.
I kept running for yr didn't work for me  mine still hurt to this day when i run and it's been like 2yrs now. all things i look at claims shin splints varies depending on the person and structure of their body.
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On May 21 2009 06:50 -StrifeX- wrote:Show nested quote +On May 21 2009 06:41 AoN.DimSum wrote:
You need to strengthen your calves and that muscle on your shin bone. (forgot whats it called) Try looking up exercises. And it is preventable guys.... lol. I got it plenty of shin splints during track season lol. You just have to suck it up and run while trying to get better. I kept running for 2yr didn't work for me mine still hurt to this day when i run and it's been like 2yrs now. all things i look at claims shin splints varies depending on the person and structure of their body.
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how would I know how to tell whether I should get some sort of padded / shock-absorbing soles for my shoes or whatever?
it's weird because the shoes I was using BEFORE my new shoes were literally 8 year old basketball shoes (Air Jordan's I got in the summer of 8th grade that I'd been using ever since). Just got these brand new ones so I figured the shoes were NOT the issue, since if anything would have happened it would have been with my old shoes I think?
and I played a tournament with my new shoes and was totally fine, then one day the next week I got to the court and literally walked for 30 seconds before the game started and they started hurting. O_O!
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fuck yea they hurt.
got mine for the 1st time in 10th grade cross country
i basically just had to take it easy and ice it for like 2-3 weeks
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u have to lose weight and rest well before u use ur leg again, i was fat before, extra weight puts alot of pressure on ur shin muscles
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On May 21 2009 06:02 ShaLLoW[baY] wrote:
fanatacist I'm confused, do you mean shin splints?
Googled it, both come up as the same thing. People in NJ on the track team called them shin splits.
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I hate shin splints.
But i have found my personal cure: streches.
1.) take off your shoes (IT HELPS A LOT)
2.) take one foot and put it behind you, and drag it back towards you, however the top of your toes should be touching the ground
3.) you'll feel it if you're doing it right 
Nothing works right away. It took me weeks to get rid of mine. Sorry i can't offer a better solution
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I think the best and only way to cure shin splints is to just take a break from running. I used to get them really bad in high school soccer when all we did was sprinting all practice. They usually always went away after a month or two of relative rest to your shins.
Try to not run so flat footed I think that also has something to do with getting them. Also I know this might sound weird but try running lighter. When you are running try not to stomp on the ground with all your weight and inside sort of glide on your toes.
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shin splints are such a biiiitch
in my experience, once you 'get' them, it's like impossible to get rid of them without taking an extended break. which is what i ended up doing, for quite a few weeks, no running, only specific stretches and exercises which i continued daily(what an annoying time that was). and i continue them daily to this day, while running. no shin splints yet, and i'm not sure whether it's because of the break, the stretches, the exercises, a less 'gung-ho' approach to running or a combination thereof. i'm not going to experiment because the last thing i want is another case of shin splints.
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I have shin splints too, because my muscles in the front part of my lower leg are too weak. This is what my school's sports medicine people tell me to do about it:
1) Stretch.
2) Cold whirlpool. I think icing is ok too because they said the goal is to cool down the inflamation in the shins.
3) Rolling out. If you don't know what it is, it's basically rolling your muscles back and forth on a foam roll or rolling with a plastic roller to relax the muscles. Even if it doesn't help, it's still comfortable enough for me to want to do it on my own.
They also recommended me to get good shoes, particularly ones with good arch supports. If your sole is flexible enough so that you can bend the toe straight up, then your shoes are too old.
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I've gotten shin splints before, so I feel your pain. I pretty much just iced my shins like crazy. Also, make sure you have a good pair of shoes. Generally you get them from over training, so I'd cut down on the basketball and gradually increase your playing.
Of course, if they hurt really, really, really bad, then just rest and ice.
If you try to do too much too suddenly, your body won't be used to it and you're going to run into problems.
Also you can see a doctor if you want more specific advice, as these things do vary by person.
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From past experience, the best solution is good, flexible insoles. If the shoes you're wearing aren't that supportive, then it'll be the number one reason for you pain.
Roll around your ankles in a circular motion whenever you have breaks during practice. That helps to stretch out the muscles that're giving you grief.
If you've got any, take those little sample water cups--the small ones that you use with those office water coolers--fill em up and freeze em. After practice, use them to ice your shins.
Those're the remedies I know of. Usually it's an orthotics thing.
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It's a video game website! Physical activity is shunned
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You need to fix the way you run(talk to a personal trainer or someone that runs track), shoes/soles will also help
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On May 21 2009 07:23 fanatacist wrote:Show nested quote +On May 21 2009 06:02 ShaLLoW[baY] wrote:
fanatacist I'm confused, do you mean shin splints? Googled it, both come up as the same thing. People in NJ on the track team called them shin splits.
im from NJ and i never heard it called shin splits lol
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On May 21 2009 06:29 -StrifeX- wrote:Show nested quote +On May 21 2009 06:27 Khenra wrote:
I've been suffering from shin splints for over 2 years now. Resting doesn't fix anything, the pain will come back whenever you start sporting (in my case, running) again.
In 2 weeks I have an appointment at the hospital for a bone scan and specialised advice..
Just to illustrate that you don't have to expect to get rid of your shin splints anytime soon.. Yeah there is no way to prevent it. Some people have this problem and some don't. If i remember correctly it's something to do with the muscle and bone and they rub against other or something causing pressure and pain.... I could be wrong since been like 1yr and half when someone was talking to me about it.
In some cases you can create hairline fractures in your tibia, in which case it takes a long time to heal, and continuing to run on it can cause further damage. This doesn't happen in most cases.
It is also believed by NATA athletic trainers that a contributing cause of shin muscle pain in some cases is the relative weakness of the muscles on the anterior of the lower leg compared to those in the calf. Exercises designed to strengthen the muscles of the shin are prescribed to even out the muscle imbalance. Over time, usually at least 10 days, the pain in the shins is slowly alleviated as the muscle imbalance is corrected. The shin pain is attributed to a forced extension of the muscle, in this case by the opposing calf muscles which "overpower" the shin muscles.
The exercise to strengthen the shins is to stand on your toes on an elevated surface and bounce down. The muscles you use to decelerate downwards is what you're looking to strengthen. If they're strong enough, yes you can prevent shin splints.
Taping helps alleviate the pain, and for some reason leg extensions help.
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Kennigit
Canada19447 Posts
I had shine splints in the military for a while till i got it sorted out. It's from running on flat hard surfaces (roads floors etc). In my case i had a little bit of flat feet so they made me custom orthopedics.
I'd recommend the following for stretching
- Put your toes on a ledge i.e. a bench or a curb or a sidewalk with your heels out.
- slowly let lower yourself to stretch out the leg muscle in front. Im not sure what its called so lets called it Frontius Legius.
- In bed at night spend like 10 mins pointing your toes down and then up as far as you can go.
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I've had pretty bad shin splints as well during Track. It'd be so bad the days after a hard workout that I couldn't even jog slowly without it hurting. Even when I walked or sat down after a sprint my shins would be in pain. And the thing is, I couldn't do anything but try and run through it.
I've looked at a lot of stuff online about what to do about shin splints and came up with a bunch of different things. Some sites say it's a problem with the shin muscles being overpowered by the calf muscles, too much force on the legs because of pounding, and even the shin muscles tearing away from the bone. In response I tried a bunch of different stretches including calf stretches, hamstring stretches, ABCs, heel walks, etc and icing as well. Nothing offered anything more than temporary comfort and even that was little.
Just do anything and everything you can and see how that goes.
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On May 21 2009 11:37 AoN.DimSum wrote:Show nested quote +On May 21 2009 07:23 fanatacist wrote:On May 21 2009 06:02 ShaLLoW[baY] wrote:
fanatacist I'm confused, do you mean shin splints? Googled it, both come up as the same thing. People in NJ on the track team called them shin splits. im from NJ and i never heard it called shin splits lol
What part? Maybe people from my school were retarded. Or I misheard them.
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Whoa thats weird! I remember I got them for awhile and found out I needed to buy a new pair of running shoes. After that I never got them again. BUT OMG these fuckers hurt so bad.
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I had that as well when I was doing 10+ hrs of kungfu and shit per week, annoying as hell. I had to tone down my exercising and take painkillers that slowed down the inflammation, that was even more annoying but it helped. I'm trying to get back into shape now and I guess I kinda overdid it because my shins hurt like fuck again. I really hate shin splints.
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For shin splints:
1. Ice massage directly to the area of muscle and bone. Otherwise, general ice if you can't ice massage directly.
2. Massage along the area of pain + muscles. Basically aiming to increase blood flow to the area to help it improve quicker.
3. REST if you can. Overuse is generally the main cause of shin splints (looks like the case for the OP as well) so rest should theoretically clear them up. But it's important to add in other recovery protocol.
4. Light strengthening work for your tibialis anterior (fill a backpack with some books and sit on a counter and put it on your toes and move it up and down) + stretch out your calves.
If it's overuse of the tib anterior from heel-toe running work the eccentric motion (negative portion) of the backpack toe exercise especially.
4. Wraps CAN help mitigate the symptoms, BUT they will not solve the problem. If you need to keep on performing for a sport or whatever, then it's fine. Otherwise, avoid them.
Same with orthotics/insoles/shoe stuff. Fix the problem, don't try to mask it... more on this in the next section.
5. IF you're a heel-toe runner, this can cause shin splints problems because all of the stress goes directly to your joints and bones INSTEAD of being absorbed by your muscles. Learn to run PROPERLY with POSE or CHI running (can google both these methods).
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For flat feet:
1. Strengthen your gluteus medius. Clams, hip hikes, single leg balancing keeping the hips level, etc.
Improperly firing or inactive gluteus medius means your opposite hip dips while you're walking, which leads to valgus stress (and thus deformation of the knees -- aka knees cave inwards). This also leads towards pronation of the feet leading to flatness.
2. loosen up the muscles in your hips/thighs/legs with massage (myofascial & cross friction) as well as with a foam roller and/or tennis ball.
3. Strengthen the muscles on the bottom of your foot to help "reform" the arch. Toe flexion/extension exercise such as picking up things with your toes and then putting them into a box are fine. Walking on sand... etc.
4. Shoes in general suck. Walk more barefoot.
Also,
http://www.biggerfasterstronger.com/uploads2/08_JanFeb_FlatFeet.pdf
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Frankly, a lot of advice in this thread is crappy,... no offense to anyone. Just cause you've had shin splints before and they went away doesn't mean you know how to properly treat them.
As always, this is the Internet so you would be wise to fact check any material anyone here including myself is putting forth.
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EPT
