How to stop shin splits?!
Question: I cant put my finger on it but whenever I run I get really cramped in my shins. I've tried strechtning to the point where I cant stand and they still seem to come back. Do I have chronic shin splits?
Answers: I cant put my finger on it but whenever I run I get really cramped in my shins. I've tried strechtning to the point where I cant stand and they still seem to come back. Do I have chronic shin splits?
Hi ya, I'm an osteopath, I treat a lot of runners with shinsplints, and this is what I know.
Stretching won't help, (as you already know) Irritated muscles see stretching as an insult.
There are several types of shinsplints, the most common being along the inside edge of the shin. I'm guessing this may be the case with you? If so it's a muscle called the tibialis posterior which helps support the arch of your foot and attaches all down the inside of your shin.
There are three things you need to do, Get decent arch supports for your feet to wear in your trainers, (see a podiatrist ideally) Roll a tennis ball into the arch of your feet every night before bed for two minutes, push firmly, (it will be sore, go for it) 'Gently' massage down the inside of your shin with oil, use Ice for NO MORE than 10 Min's with an hours break in-between applications if it feels really sore. And rub pain killing gel into the area as needed. If you are experiencing a different kind of pain, ask again.
massage them and put ice on them
I use to get shin splints all the time, the thing that seemed to help was after stretching rub ice up and down my shin. It helped numb it a bit. You might think about going to a pt to make sure there isn't something else wrong. Good Luck!