Coaches/Trainers/Runners - I want to hear YOUR fix for shin splints

macdaddy wrote:

- Icing

- Stretching your calves

- Rolling ankles

- Taping

- Doing alphabet with your toes/feet

- Walking in sand

What else?

Shin splints are real?

My son has what he calls shin splints and they're killing him. I always assumed it was a byproduct of the growth cycle but would like to hear how others got rid of them.

There is only one way. Rest. Then GRADUALLY build your mileage back up again.

More mileage , they will either go away or your legs will break.

In regards to building back up gradually, is it better to run low mileage every day and gradually add mileage?

Or run just a few times a week but with a little bit more mileage and then add more days as you go along?

- Icing: No

- Stretching your calves: No

- Rolling ankles: Yep

- Taping: No

- Doing alphabet with your toes/feet: Yep

- Walking in sand: Maybe...

Strengthen the ankles, stop heel striking, keep on running.

ice and arnica cream

Drink more milk. This is the only cure.

macdaddy wrote:

- Icing

- Stretching your calves

- Rolling ankles

- Taping

- Doing alphabet with your toes/feet

- Walking in sand

What else?

Hoka Bondi 4.

1.) Soft surface running only.

2.) Barefoot exercises (3 times a week).

3.) Barefoot running on a safe surface, such as a football or soccer field (3 times a week X 10 minutes each session).

This should clear-up your problems. Good luck.

What this guy said. We do Ebbett's foot drills (I also make the kids rise up on their toes as they do the drills, rolling from heel to toe) and also GMB fitness has some good foot and ankle exercises. YOu can find GMB online and their video for foot drills is free. We have found that when we do barefoot running on our turf field on a regular basis as part of our warm ups and cooldowns that we have many fewer injury issues. Way more shin issues in the winter since we can't do as much barefoot work.

macdaddy wrote:

- Icing

- Stretching your calves

- Rolling ankles

- Taping

- Doing alphabet with your toes/feet

- Walking in sand

What else?

None of that matters, you most likely just need to slow down the pace on your runs.

Overly cushioned running shoes not only overly protect your feet, they also promote bad running habits, so something to think about there if it relates to you.

Any ways, what worked for me was running more and self massaging the hell out of my shins. Taping is a joke IMHO. If your shins are locking up the next thing to go will be form, then other injuries start stacking up. Ice was a quick relief but it was no fix for my issue.

I have definitely had success with slowing down the pace, but it's been VERY slow. How long do I have to run this slow? I'm assuming until it doesn't hurt anymore?

tmocrad wrote:

I have definitely had success with slowing down the pace, but it's been VERY slow. How long do I have to run this slow? I'm assuming until it doesn't hurt anymore?

It depends, need some more info. What kind of shape are you in (recent 5k/10k time)? How many mpw are you running? What was your regular pace before you started to slow it down? And what is your "slow" pace?

Just take your easy days easier and everything should be fine. There's not quick fix. You're in a sport where recovery is paramount, so let your body recover how it needs to.

A lot of toe taps and calf raises. Always worked for me. I could usually get rid of shin splints within a week

I ran XC in high school and was never injured for those 4 years. Had a 5k pr of 16:41. Didn’t run at all in college, mostly mountain biked instead.Started running again last year, ran a couple of HMs with the fastest being 1:35. Was running about 35-40MPW, mostly trail miles. Shins never really felt all that great throughout training but kept running anyway. Finally things got worse and I stopped running for a month and cross trained instead. Saw an orthopedic doctor and he ruled out stress fractures. Began running again about a month ago, building up from like 10 MPW to almost 20 now--so I might have built up too fast. Running very slow, like 11 minute miles is pretty much the only thing that feels good. My cardio is still there, but my skeletal system can’t keep up yet? Trying to remember the high school days and when I first started running. I guess it took a few years of slow running to be able to cruise around at a relatively fast pace.

the real deal wrote:

tmocrad wrote:

I have definitely had success with slowing down the pace, but it's been VERY slow. How long do I have to run this slow? I'm assuming until it doesn't hurt anymore?

It depends, need some more info. What kind of shape are you in (recent 5k/10k time)? How many mpw are you running? What was your regular pace before you started to slow it down? And what is your "slow" pace?

Yes. wrote:

Drink more milk. This is the only cure.

I think what this poster means is to consume more calcium. Drinking cow's milk is actually associated with bone loss and a higher chance of osteoporosis.

So yes, consume more calcium. Ex. non-animal milks(almond milk, soy milk, etc.), collard greens, kale, broccoli, oranges, whole grains.

But as far as I know, consuming higher calcium is not a cure for shin splints. Lower mileage and ice 2-3x daily, then gradually return to mileage. Strengthening lower legs could help as well.