Shin splints?

Hi all,
I’ve been running a lot more recently in order to be able to pass my Air Force fitness test which is heavily weighted on the 1.5 mile run. I’ve been running mostly 1.5-2.5 miles per day. I did run 4 miles the other day 2.5 in morning / 1.5 in the evening.

On to my question.. I’ve been noticing pain and soreness in the inner/rear part of my calfs. I’ve had shin splints before many years ago and I don’t remember them being in this inner/rear position and more towards the front part on the shin bone. I’m wondering if it’s really shin splints starting or if my muscles are just sore. I can actually locate where it hurts by squeezing my leg, about halfway between my ankle and where my calf muscle gets larger. It’s pretty much right in the thinnest part of my leg, right on the inside.

I’m headed to get some new running shoes today and probably give a few day rest before I run again. Thanks for any input.

Ehhhh after a few more google searches, looks like they’re shin splints indeed. This page shows exactly where the pain is coming from..

http://www.time-to-run.com/injuries/thebig5/shi…

This is a very classic injury as you now know.

If you are training for 1,5 mile run you don’t need to run lots of miles. You need to do speed work (check google) and to do that kind of stuff it is better to be fresh. Just as for heavy lifts in the gym. Intensity training requires freshness for you to push the red lines harder.

But sadly you will probably do best by not doing anything for about a week. And then do a real easy run to check if everything is ok. And STOP immediately if you feel the pain come on, you will gain nothing from finishing the run. If the pain comes again after one week, then you should rest another week. If it comes again then you should go to the doctor, you might have a stress fracture (a real bummer). This kind of injury is a killer for training time. :/ (But rest cant be avoided.)

And next time, as you probably now know, you should try to slowly but surely ease into running. Some strengthening for the calves and shins can be preventative, and make you more resistant to this kind of accumulated damage.

When I began running again recently, I got shin splints early on. This was odd, because I had never suffered from them before. Some googling showed me that I was a heel striker. So, after my legs recovered (with rest and ice), I became very conscious of landing midfoot, and I haven’t had a problem since. (Yes, many successful runners are heel strikers with no problem, but it solved my problem.)
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Additionally, if you’re willing to drop about ten bucks, I’d recommend looking into a foam roller. I actually got it for sore hips/upper thighs, but I hear that it can do wonders against shin splints.

I used to run track and cross country and witeowl is exactly right. When you run make sure you are running or more specifically landing on the balls of you feet (mid foot) and pushing of. Not only will it help prevent shin splints but you will actually run faster. When you land on you heels you are actually braking. When you run on the balls of your feet you are doing a continuous roll. Most good athletes who run on there heels are good enough to compensate for bad form. Running on a softer surface also helped during a race. For example when I ran outside if I felt shin splint pain I would run on the slightly stiff part of the grass. Or train on a real track.

Thanks to all for the comments. I finished a 1.5 mile run without feeling my shins at all the other day. I missed my target (passing) time by 14 second but dropped it total by about 2 minutes since 3 weeks ago when I ran it. I think the new shoes and rubberized track definitely helped. I just wish I lived closer than 30min from the track. I am confined to the street / trail running near my house normally.

I may try to adjust my workout schedule to be able to run on the track at work more. Again thanks for the help all!

Shin splints suck! haha what REALLY helps me, and I am sorry if it was already mentioned but sit at the end of a chair or the couch or somewhere where when you sit, your feet touch the ground. Put a pencil or a pen on the ground in front of your feet and pick up and release the pen or pencil with your toes. I am no pro but it really helps me and I hope it can help you! If you have any questions about it, let me know! :)

Hi,
Had same problem trying to run 3.1 miles. Couple of things… don’t run every day. Take a day or two off between run days. This will give your legs chance to rest between runs. I bought a book called Chi Running too. It stresses the form you use when running. Since then, I haven’t had a problem with shin splints (over 6 months). I can now run 5 miles without feeling anything.

Also, I would run longer distances (like 3 miles or so). It helps build up your legs and endurance. Short runs you can go hard on, but relax and go slow on the long runs. Get a running base before doing speed work….otherwise it can lead you to further injury. But once you have the base, you can do some interval training to lower your running.

Don’t increase your mileage more than 10% per week or so. As said before, focus on having your foot land right below your center of gravity. Over extending your foot will cause your heal to strike. Also, lean forward (at the ankles). This makes you get pulled forward by gravity. Then you are pushing off to accelerate forward. The more you lean, the faster you run.

Keep up the good work!!!

Hey,
About the shin splints..I used to run cross country and I started to suffer from shin splints myself. Where I live, there are a lot of hills and we had to run on pavement a lot. I remember my coach would specifically have us run on grass and flat land sometimes. He did this because the terrain that you run on definitely has an effect on what you are putting your body through while you are running. The pavement and hills obviously had more impact on my knees and feet (going back to what witeowl said about running on the balls of your feet rather than the heels) since it was a harder, rougher terrain. So, try changing up your running routine and go run in a grassy field or park rather than the sidewalks of neighborhoods. Hope this helps!

Now have my second bout of what appears to be shin splints in several months. The first time I think occured after a knock over the muscle of the shin area which I suspect caused some bruising and muscle tear and that shin hurt the next day during my run but was back to normal 48 hours later.
Second time yesterday on a very slow jog..left shin this time. No idea how I did that, but was limping for most of the next few hours. Had a break from my run this morning, and no obvious discomfort today thus far.

I’ve played soccer for years and our coach doesn’t let us run on pavement. He always makes us run on grass or on the track to keep us from having shin splints. Basically all I know to do is give it some rest. Try swimming while they heal up. One of the best workouts and very low impact.

My husband and I have been playing a lot of tennis lately and I gave myself shin splints within a few weeks. I have always been prone to them, and after reading what other people have posted on here about landing mid-foot instead of on your heel I think I will be more conscious about how I land while playing. But since it’s tennis, I can’t really change the surface that I’m running on. Tennis courts are very hard and can be brutal on your body. Does anyone have any suggestions about what I can do to lessen my chances of getting them again, other than changing the way I land in case that’s not what’s causing them?

From my experience with shin splints they have always occured when I would first start back working out after taking time off. They would usually hurt down the front of my legs. I was taking a bootcamp at a local gym and many of us were feeling the pain of these. She suggested we point our toes and really stretch out the front of our calves. She also recommended we put ice on our shins for maybe 20 minutes after we worked out and maybe in the evenings. This did relieve the pain also after getting back into the swing of working out they would feel better.
As far as what you are saying about the pain being around the side and inside Im not sure that is a shin splint.

The thing I would do is try a few complimentary therapies with your training. Anytime I am suffering from shin splints (or any type of muscle exertion) I always soak in an Epsom salt bath. I know it sounds girly but the epsom salts help draw out toxins and increase the rate at which the muscle heal. I would also see a massage therapist, someone who specializes in Sports massage and has some experience in working with runners.

Then of course the usual tactics are always good to remember, include a decent warm up and incorporate a lengthy stretching routine (especially one that focuses on the lower body). Applying ice is also helpful – usually a bit after your run for 30 minutes on, 20 minutes off, and then another 30 minutes on.

How this helps. Happy running :)

This is definitely all timely advice!

I just started running a few weeks ago. I still alternate running with walking as I’m working my way up to more and more running, but I’ve also been battling shin splints all the way. With the terrain and other characteristics of my neighborhood, I’m stuck with either the sidewalks or the road to run on, with the sidewalks being a little safer. There just isn’t any decent grass to run on that might not be hiding a nasty hole to twist an ankle in.

I’m trying to listen to my shins and ease off back into walking whenever they tell me I’m overdoing it, which is hard because I’m eager to get moving. How do you guys know how much pain is just sore muscles and can be worked through and how much pain means stop and ice?

@redwarrior
It depends how I recover from a run and how soon I get it while running. If I cant seem to get rid of the pain, then I would suspect too much running too soon and a shin splint (if it is in that area of course). So if it is getting kind of chronic then it is probably a shin splint or a shin splint setting in.

The pain seems to be more to the middle or end of my run and then right after. Within a half hour the pain is gone without even icing. I have no pain with any other activities (walking, etc.) I’m suspecting that it might be the beginning so shin splints since it seems to be much better after I’ve taken a day or two off running and is worse after I have ran a couple of days.

I guess what I’m trying to do is gently keep working through it because I really don’t have many other exercise options besides walking…no equipment, no gym. :( I’m hoping that as long as I slow down to a walk whenever it is bad things will slowly heal and I’ll be back running.

@redwarrior
If you find that the pain improves with rest, then you should definitely rest more between runs. Your body needs the rest to adapt and grow stronger so you can finally run with out pain. It is much worse if you run too much and you end up having to take 2 weeks off, even longer. Listen to your body, give it time to heal.

I also recommend getting running shoes. I started running and had lots of leg problems. But I was running in some junky cross-trainer shoes. I went to Gazelle sports and they helped me pick out some running shoes that would work well with how I walk/run and I haven’t had a problem since…. other than being in horrible shape.