I suffer from severe lateral (anterior) shin splints. what should i do?

Question

I suffer from severe lateral (anterior) shin splints. what should i do?
I have been walking for 5-6 years now and also running 3 times in a week regularly. I have this severe pain due to lateral shin splints and am using Reebok premeir road plus III for running and walking. i get very severe pain after walking for 15 minutes which is aggravated on running. this makes me decrease my speed to slow walking. I love exercise and am 34 years old with no medical problem in legs. but this shin splints have made me reduce my exercise to slow walking. what should i do? would change of shoes help? if yes, which ones? we dont have facilities to check for gait analysis in my country

Answer 1

The number one cause of shin splints is poor biomechanics. If you've never been properly fitted and assessed for running shoes, it may be something that you want to consider doing before continuing your running program. Most people don't know that certain shoes can help prevent certain kinds of motion (i.e. overpronation) and that wearing the proper shoe for your foot type can drastically reduce your chance of injury.

Apologies.. just read that your don't have gait analysis facilities. You can check your own wear pattern by looking at your old shoes. Looking at your shoes, you will expect to see wear on the outside part of the heel, where you strike. You *should* see wear on the forefoot, more or less through the middle of the shoe. If the wear goes off a lot to either side, you could have biomechanical problems.

If you "are" already in the proper shoe, the next thing to consider is how old your shoes are. Shoes have a lifespan of ~600-800km, which for a recreational runner running 5k / 3x week is around 8 months of wear. As shoes break down, there is less impact protection for the body, and because they wear unevenly depending on your biomechanics, can actually exaccerbate biomechanical problems over time.

I'm not familliar with the Reebok line. It could also be that the brand simply doens't work for you. If this is what you've always worn, it may be time to change. Some brands simply don't work for some people - they are too stiff, too flexible.. too something that doesn't work with your body.

Shin splints can become chronic. You need to look after them. Just do a search on "shin splints" and a host of exercises will pop up. Ice and rest are helpful. To ice, you can freeze in a dixie cup, then use that to slide the ice up and down your leg.

Your shin splints will not go away until the other issues are taken care of. It doesn't sound in your case that they are adaptive as you are developing strength, which is seen time to time in newer runners.

Answer 2

Stop Shin Splints Forever?

Answer 3

The way to correct Shin splints is to strengthen the muscles at the front of the legs. Lie face down in bed with your toes hanging over the edge. Pull your toes upward against the resistance of the mattress. Try to work up to 3 or 4 sets of 5 – 10 reps each. Good Luck San Antonio Marathon, 1988

Answer 4

I have shin splints. I'm not a runner/jogger. I only run for cardio at the gym. I've stopped because after 2 laps or half a mile, it starts up. I played semi-pro baseball and never had a problem with anything.
I now workout using a stairmaster or some sort of cardio machine.
But if you want to run, try strengthening your calves and the muscles on the front area of your shins. Gyms have a machine that is like calf raises but it works the front area (shins).

Answer 5

I totally agree with Silas G. I made a career in the Navy and so I'm familiar with it; esp. since I was in the medical department. I have never heard of shin splints as an ailment. But perhaps that is just another name for something. Now forget about the praying and all that sort of thing and call him, encourage him to do his best and telling him that everyone in the family and his friends are pulling for him.

Answer 6

You really need to read "Stop Shin Splints" by Gary Buchenic (also available in electronic format here: http://www.shinsplintscure.org ). It's about how to permanently cure your shin splints naturally. Worked for me and for thousands of people. Good luck!

Answer 7

If this is something that just started and you never had this problem before, what are you doing now that you did not do before?

It could be the shoes, or something else.
If not then you need to stretch before and after exercise, massage and use ice on your legs.

Make sure your feet are pointed forward and not everted to the outside.
Try to relax when you run and walk. Stay off of pavement if possible.

A good pair of shoes should fit and feel well. All major brands make good shoes, so it is up to how they feel to you.