I am an avid bicyclist who has recently taken up running. I did my first 5K race only 12 days after my first training run, and placed 14th out of 28 ladies in my age group - wahoo! But, now that I've been running about 3 days a week, I seem to be getting shin splints. What's the best way to prevent them in the first place????

~~~~~TrekChick

 

Stop running so frequently.Pardon the pun but " Pace yourself" by giving your shins time to heal.

 

14th out of 28? Thats awesome! As for the shin splints, try doing toe raises as part of your workout. A toe raise if you dont know, is simply doing somewhat of a calf raise. Stand on a step with your heels so the front of your feet hang off, then raise your feet as far up as you can, then lower them back down as far as you can. Do about 4 sets of 30 reps ea. 2/3 times a week. This might help, it helps build the muscle more in the front and on the sides of your calfs, plus it makes them look nice Good luck,
Rick

 

also, stretch them, i will try to desribe, sit down with your legs under you and your feet straight out, the bottom of your feet facing up, you should feel it stretch good! hard to desribe better i guess, but it works, i am an avid runner and get them sometimes, especially after a "break"

also make sure you got good running shoes, not some cheap brand, i am not into name brand stuff at all, but running shoes, you have to go with the best.

also, follow what rlb454 said and also work out your whole leg with some lite wieghts, it will get them more conditioned to the shock of running.

good luck!

 

good insoles. a buddy of mine is a pedorthist (SP?) and made me some custom insoles for my boots. Well when I started running and getting shin splints, I put my insoles in my running shoes, and the shin splints stopped. He also said to get good shoes, New Balance 800+, Aasics, and a third I can't remember are the lower end good shoes. But my 400 series NB are fine with the insoles.
I'm gonna try out the stretching and exercize things also, that sounds pretty good.
good luck
-matt

 

New Balance stores have a shoe diagnostic service (at least here in VA Beach). They will supposedly tell you which shoes are the very best for you. Also, when I was getting shin splints, I'd use a minute or 2 during my cool down on a treadmill (like 2.5-4 mph) and turn around and run backwards. I could really feel it in the front of my legs. I heard Jennifer Anniston did this by walking up a hill backwards- until she almost got run over, that is.

 

I used to get them all the time when I ran track. The hill workout was something we did, which actually helped out alot (but running uphill backwards SUCKED). One thing our trainer did was give people an ice massage on their shins...basically just put some water in a dixie cup, freeze it, then rip the top off and rub the ice along your shins.

Another thing is if you run on concrete/asphalt...stop. Find a track or gym to run in, softer surfaces help tremendously. If you can't get something like that, at least try to stay in the grass rather than on the road/sidewalk.

 

Make sure you have the right shoes!!! When I first started running I went out and bought a pair of Nike running shoes (top of the line), but I would get horrible shin splints. I looked around at all the people I was running with and they all had New Balance shoes, so I bought a cheap pair and haven't had any problems since.

 

A lot of what was said here is right on. My biggest help was a rubberband that helped strengthen the calf muscles, and not just the big one on the back of your leg. I would tie it around my toes and pull against it in different directions. Also, the shoes can be a big thing depending on how you run. I would think that flat-footed-ness would make them worse.

 

TrekChick, check out:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shin_splints

Trek mountain bike, huh?

Now I'm going to have to reassemble the old Wicked Fat Chance.

Maybe start riding again in the Marin Headlands. Maybe!

 

Back in the day, when working on Hotshot Crews, I used to run in boots. Poop howdy, you talk about shin splints. Fortunately they don't do that anymore.
Once you get them, I have found that you can keep going if you wrap with ace bandage. Probably not the best thing to do if you want to be walking well in your later years.
The best way to prevent them is to use GOOD running shoes and run on softer surfaces. Avoid running on pavement. I have found that running on the shoulder of the road helps but watch out for rocks pavement edges and rutts. They'll sure put ya in the lazy boy chair for a few weeks.
Happy Trekking

 

I tore up my body so bad biking, I walk around like a cripple half the time now. I get shin splints at work all the time, since I am on concrete all day. My mother used to get them when she ran, but she swears by these special inserts she got. I think they were a prescription thing, orthopedic inserts.
I have had success in the past using gel insoles, but those are a bit heavy for running competitively.

 

I found superfeet inserts (I got them where I buy my work boots) make most of my
shoes very comfortable. They mold to your feet after a few wearings, and I won't
use anything else now. Expensive though. Mine were $35 a pair, but for all-purpose
use (work, walking, hiking) the green ones are hard to beat. They also make another
version for running shoes and cycling (grey and blue). If you got funny shoe wear
patterns, go with custom ones.

 

Some more stuff on shin splints.

fwiw, medial = middle; anterior = outside




In the picture above of the lower right leg, look to the left side of the picture, near the "1"....the first muscle you see is the tibialis anterior (behind it is the soleus; somewhere behind it is the tibialis posterior). As the muscles travel down the tibia, the accompanying tendons attach in different spots....but both attach at some point on the arch of the foot. The tibialis posterior attaches near the ball of the big toe. As the foot is over stressed, the arch can flatten out a bit and ends up putting stress on either (or both) of the tendons....that stress is manifested in the muscles....which is where you feel the pain.

As many have said, best bet is to warm up slowly...also consider shoes with solid arch support to help prevent overstressing of the tendons.


The most common form is inflammation of the tendon that runs down and behind the inside anklebone and hooks into the inside central portion of the arch. (tibialis posterior) This muscle helps decrease the impact as your foot hits the pavement. If your foot is excessively flat, this muscle can undergo quite a bit of strain and develop problems.

The next most common form of shin splints involves the tibialis anterior tendon. This tendon runs on the front of the leg and inserts onto the top mid portion of the arch. The muscle for this tendon on the outside and upper tibia. If your calf muscle is tight, the injury may be because a tight calf limits ankle motion which causes the foot to hit the pavement harder...leading to fatigue, inflammation and pain.

Stress fractures can also cause shin splints. They usually involve the tibia and is usually diagnoses by lots of pain when pressure is applied to the front of the bone, where it is close to the skin. Sometimes X-rays detect stress fractures...but sometimes other tests are used. The most common test is a radioactive labeled technetium bone scan.....ok, more than you need...I will quit now.

 

For me what works is stretching out. I got them from jogging also, and the first few times what I did was quit jogging for a few days and stretched out! Actually I found some good stretch;s just on a google search! I am also a mountain biker, Nice bike you have I like it!