How Do I Tape Shin Splints?

Question

I'm about to go running.. I dunno how to tape my shin splint? It's bruised on its own.. At the lower inner base of the top of my ankle.. It hurts like hell when I run but I LOVE running so much I won't stop 'cause of the pain.. I used to tape it tight so I didn't feel the pain after my lower shin went numb.. *I know it's bad!* Anyway, can I tape it to help the support? How do I do it "safe?"

I also have the bumps over my shin at the lower part :(

BY THE WAY, I already have shoe pads or shock absorbing socks and pads.

Answer 1

Well since it look as though your questions is not being answered then I will take a stab at it.
First off, the bumps you feel is actual inflammation and something called crepitus. What occurs during shin splints is the muscle is pulling away from the bone causing little tiny stress reactions. When you tape you are pulling the muscle toward the bone. How you describe your shin splint is common.
First have someone tape your shin for you, because you need to ensure that your calf and arch is relaxed. Purchase some sport tape from a sporting goods store, the tape should be a white and non-stretchy.
Take the tape and start right in front of your leg just on top of the shin bone all the way at the bottom just above your two ankle bones that stick out to the sides.
Pull the tape toward the outside of your leg and around the back. As the tape cross the back of the calf start to pull just a little bit harder. Again you are trying to pull the muscle toward the inside edge of your big shin bone. Rip the tape and end it wear you started it.
Start the second strip of tape with half of the tape on the piece you just laid down and the other half of it on fresh skin. Continue repeating the above processes gradually moving up your leg by overlapping half of the tape each time you move up. Until you are about 3 inches above your pain site.
You should be careful as when your calf gets bulkier you should not pull as tight as you may cause numbness.

Now with that said, someone above mentioned you should get insoles, you mentioned that you already have them. You need to make sure they are custom made orthodics. These will cost up to $500 for a pair. They must take a mold of your foot. A store bought brand will not do. You will need to see a podiatrist to get this done.
With all that said here are some things you need to look for. If you begin to have throbbing pain at night, while sleeping, you must stop running. This is a sign of a stress fracture. Also if your shin become very tender in 1 small focal spot - stop running. TGhis is another sign of a stress fracture.
Shine splints are essentially the preliminary pain before stress fracture. If you get a full on stress fracture you will need 6 - 8 weeks of absolute rest. If you continue to ignore that, it will become a complete fracture and something more serious may occur.
You have to be careful with shin splints. I have several athletes who can play through them, but you gotta look for the signs of a stress fracture. Stress fractures will NOT show up on an x-ray.
1 last tip, as I am too lazy to research a good page type in MTSS (medial tibial stress syndrome) taping into a search engine, you may get some results with that.

Answer 2

How To Tape Shin Splints

Answer 3

Stop Shin Splints Forever?

Answer 4

Think about your future... If you don't get the problem taken care of you wont be able to run at all. Most of the reason for shin splints is one not letting themselves rest between runs. Running every other day is advisable and swimming on your off days is good if you want to keep active. You do need to see an orthopedic specialist, however. You symptoms seem as a result of neglecting a problem that has gotten progressively worst over time.

Answer 5

You're pushing your body farther than it can go. I know you love to run, but you are going to regret this in the future when you are in constant pain that cannot be relieved. You would be far better off to swim as your exercise program. This will not cause any damage to the muscles or joints.

To answer your question there is no safe way to tape your shin and protect It. you need to see an orthopedic specialist.

Answer 6

Taping your shins can help for the short term, but the long term solution to shin splints is an orthotic (a.k.a. shoe inserts). You may have a biomechanical abnormality that causes you to get shin splints that can be easily solved with an orthotic. Please go see your nearest podiatrist for an evaluation. And oh, you tape your shins from inside to outside - meaning from inside of your leg towards the outside of the leg circumferentially.