sti-04!!

Hello

I have been doing all sorts of training over the past 6 to 7 months

Mostly weights & some cardio but the question i have is :-

When i hit the treadmill i get pain in the shin area, so i usually have to stop & go onto something else & it gets annoying as i quite like to run

Now i am back playing footie with one of the amateur teams & i have to grin & bare it but the next day putting pressure on my legs in kinda buckling me

Spoke to a few mates that play professional footie & they said that i just have to stay away from exercises that cause impact damage to that area

So is there anything i can do to speed up recovery or maybe stop me getting this pain

Our season only has 5 games left so i will have the summer break to sort it

Any ideas anyone

Cheers

Stephen

nicko13uk

Hi,

I've suffered from this for years. In short, I’ve never found they completely go away. I am currently seeing a physio who is trying to make my foot absorb shock better after years of abuse. This obviously stops the shin area absorbing all the impact.
You should also stretch thoroughly before playing footy, change your shoes if they are worn out/well used. If the treadmill hurts - don't do it. Running outdoors is far easier I have found.


I used to struggle to walk fast to the station when they were at their worst, but by doing all the above, they are certainly manageable now. I can play footy on a Saturday and Sunday without much grief on a Monday.

Also - make sure your boots are relevant to the ground - you don't want to be wearing studs/blades now if you can help it. Decent pair of molded's will help.

Hope some of that helps.

Nick

ChrisB

Hopefully Ozzy will see this and tell you how he sorted himself out.

hugo

Continued exercise should help. I would recommend repeated movements of the right hand into the right side rear pocket of the jeans, approximately 100 times, to remove negotiable monetary tokens to be passed on to those that are waiting. I'm sure that this will at least ease one persons neck pain.

Butty

iTrader: (2)

I had this in my early twenties. I did a lot of wieght training, cycling (which didn't make it flare up), but footy would leave me a cripple after 10 ten minutes running around.

I saw a physio who who gave me infra red heat treatment which certainly helped short-term, but had to lay off the footy for about six months, stop doing heavy calf raises at the gym but carried on cycling as normal (2-300 miles per week).

Nick

Little Miss WRX

I suffer from shin splints currently and my physio diagnosed me as flat footed. In addition to that, running on a hard surface and incorrect running footwear adds to the problem. Once I had all of the treatment to eliminate the initial pain, the aim was then to prevent them from flaring up again.
They never go away unfortunately, but you can prevent them from flaring up.
My physio fitted me out with orthotics and I researched into finding a shoe with plenty of shock absorption and enough room to fit my orthotics in. Since then, I have been running a lot better, for a lot longer and my fitness has improved ten fold.

At the moment, I am suffering a little because I have to wear work shoes that aren't compatible with my orthotics, so during the week my feet return to their normal flat footedness and when I referee at weekends the arch is suddenly lifted back to where it should be hence causing me issues.
I train either on my MTB or on soft grass. I no longer run on hard surfaces unless I am refereeing and some of the pitch surfaces may as well be concrete.

Best thing to do is ease up on things and see a specialist to see whether or not it may be something like flat footedness causing the problem.

Good luck and I am sure Ozzy will give some sound advice when he spots this as ChrisB says.

One thing I did whilst I was receiving treatment and not following my physios advice of stopping any exercise until further notice was to "ice" your shins. Either stick a couple of ice packs down the front of them or whack them under the shower with icy cold water.

I find that doing that then having a long soak in a bath later on with some herbal bath stuff works wonders.

Brit_in_Japan

Hi Stephen, I would second what Little Miss WRX said. Often shin splints are caused by the biomechanics of you feet/ankles/legs not being right. She was lucky that her physio recognised this and recomended some orthotic inserts to her running shoes.

I suffered shin splints for virtually a whole rugby season. I saw a number of physios, I had x-rays, ultra-sonics, infra-red, massage... you name it. I would have to stop playing and training for a few weeks while the pain went away, then I would train and play for 2 - 3 weeks before I would have to stop again.

The solution? Well a new physio asked if I was using new boots. I was, new rugby boots for that season. I previously had just used football type boots, lower sides and no ankle protection. She said my biomechanics had changed and I should try not lacing the boots to the top. Job done! The shin splints never returned. So I would thoroughly recommend you go to a physio who really knows othotics (or even an orthotic specialist) to see if that's the problem. In my experience too many physios treat the symptoms without trying to find the underlying cause.

Good luck.

hades

I had a mild dose of shin splints when I had been doing a lot of stuff in the gym - which always started with a 1-2km run as part of the warm-up (and using "normal" trainers rather than running shoes, which probably didn't help). Used to even hurt if you left your leg in the wrong position for too long - e.g. driving long motorway journeys, my right shin would hurt a lot. Since I found out what the problem was ~6 years ago (diagnosed by a paramedic friend), I haven't used a treadmill. Took about 6 months for the problem to apparently go away, and I haven't had a problem since.

03-CTR

i've had medial shin splints (inside of shin) for a good few years now and i don't think there is a cure for them. you can aleviate the problem by buying some vasyli orthotic insoles from here

http://canonbury2.dragnetweb.co.uk/

and then getting your physio to mould them to your foot/shoe. i've found the full length ones the best as they'll at least fit in your shoe properly (as opposed to the half length that my physio stocks.

if you have medial shin splints then one thing i found useful was to tape my shins up before playing any footie/running. you're supposed to use zinc tape but this is bloody expensive and will pull all your leg hair out when removing (ouch). there is an easier way which works just as well and thats a 'cohesive support bandage' from boots.

http://www.boots.com/shop/product_de...ductid=1031423

it costs about a fiver and lasts ages (reusable). all you do is start at your ankle and then wrap it round, working up your calf. if you put it on so it is tight but not uncomfortable then it will prevent (to some extent) the ligaments pulling at your shin bone each time you plant your foot on the floor. it doesn't stop pain alltogether but i can play for 60 mins a week with very little discomfort inbetween (i usually feel a twinge a couple of days after a match).

if you've just been through a lot of pain though then my advice would be to take at least 3 months off before doing any of the above.

hope this helps

davegtt

Suffering from this atm, been reading into it and basically it says stay away from running on hard surfaces, I dont get the problem whilst playing football mainly for the week afterwards. any sort of exercise and it sets them off.. if you want to exercise still try cycling. should use the legs but dont get any of the probs

good luck. it fekking hurts sometimes

sti-04!!

Thanks all

Sitting here at home with the legs planted high up with ice packs on

Footie on saturday & yesterdays celebrations have kinda crippled me

Going to also phone the gym & make an appointment with the physio

Mungo

Concurring with most of the advice above - make sure you wear the right footwear - lots of cushioning and othotics if required. Avoid running on hard surfaces like concrete.
Something that hasn't been mentioned - make sure you go through a good stretching routine before and after exercise. If possible, the "before" stretch should be done after a very light initial warm-up.

messiah

I suffer from shin splints too - although not as bad as you. I can't run on hard surfaces for anything over a mile so I do fell running instead - mostly grass so I'm OK doing events of 11k

One thing I've found that does help - I read that you should replace running shoes approx every 6 months - if you have shin splints you should get new ones every 3. Appraently the cushioning in them has completely had it after 250miles.

STi wanna Subaru

iTrader: (1)

are you sure it's shin splints? I play football, train etc but I very rarely do running for a period of time during the football season. Now the season is coming to an end I've started running on the treadmill to keep some fitness. I found I was getting pains in my ankles/ shins after 15 or so mins running. The area would stiffen / cramp up. As I have done more running it's got a lot better. In my case I put it down to those muscles not being used to that sort of exercise but with time the muscles have adapted and are now capable of taking the loads / impacts. I found it worse last year after I'd put on 2 stone due to hitting the gym.

sti-04!!

Definatly shin splints

STi wanna Subaru

iTrader: (1)

Shin Splints covers a lot of things and has no real definition of what is wrong. This looks like a good article... http://www.medic8.com/healthguide/ar...insplints.html

Somebody who is qualified will be able to offer far better advice though I'm sure

STi wanna Subaru

iTrader: (1)

more info http://www.24dr.com/reference/librar...in_splints.htm

as with anything found on the net.... take with a large pinch of salt. What it boils down to is see somebody who knows what they are talking about.

FrenchBoy

I had shin splints several years ago. I went to a private physio who gave me a bit of ultrasound and then reffered me to an NHS podiatrist who then took castings of my feet and made me some inserts for my footie boots.

I used them for about 6 months and I've never had any problems since. As mentioned before my shin splints were due to flat feet, so I just had to build up some strength in my arches. Only a podiatrist will be able to determine why you're suffering. There are many causes (even things like back allignment).

In the mean time take loads of asprin/ibuprofen and even invest in some ibuprofen gel to rub directly onto your shins.

FASTER MIKE!!

see a physio it could be a number of things pronation one leg longer than another, you's be suppried make sure your shoes are not to old either

the moose

Training for half and full marathons gave me shin splints, but to be honest after going to a proper running shop, getting decent footwear, and altering my stride so that I had a slightly smoother action, I've never had a problem since, and I tend to run on hard surfaces almost exclusively.

The shoes made a massive difference, far more than I could have imagined.

ozzy

Hi Stephen,

Sorry been away from the PC for the past couple of days.

Basically shin splints is an overuse injury and is usually caused by running too often on hard surfaces, poor footwear or a biomechanical problem.

Massage or heat treatment will only deal with the relief; it will never cure the problem IMHO. Why waste £20 to have some ultrasound machine when a few days with your feet up will have the same result. Physio's are good if you need fast relief (like preparing for a event or recovering between football matches), but I wouldn't use them just when things are sore.

In my situation I had fallen arches and the ONLY cure for me was a combination of custom insoles and decent trainers. I grinned & beared it for 12 months in the Marines until it finally got the better of me and I had to get an operation on both shins.

What can happen is the outside shin muscle can try to compensate and become just as overused. This can lead to compartment syndrome where the muscle is too big for the for the sheath and lead to pressure build up on the nerve running down your leg. It's very uncomfortable and makes your feet go numb - not pleasent. At least that goes away when you stop running, but my shin splints were so bad the insides of my legs were black and blue. Mind you playing 5-a-side footy twice per week didn't help matters; live and learn I suppose

http://www.sportsinjuryclinic.net/cy...iorcompart.htm

http://www.sportsinjuryclinic.net/cy...hinsplints.htm

Stay away from any heavy running for at least 1 - 2 weeks or if it's not too bad use the taping technique on the above site to give the inner shin some support.

Basically the rule for any injury is ICE first (to keep blood flow and swelling to a minimum). After the first 24 hours, the recovery process can start and you can apply heat and use some Ibuprofen.

I found taping and keeping all my running to grass helped. It didn't stop the pain, but it kept it bareable for weeks and at least kept me running.

What you really need to do is get along to a Podiatrist. I went to a very well-known one in Glasgow (on the advisory board for some Scottish sports) and he was rubbish. Said my feet weren't that bad and I didn't need them, then after 6 months made me some insoles that didn't actually stop my problem.

Then a m8 recommended a woman through in Edinburgh - Pat Boyd (0131 317 1113). She took some proper measurements of my feet, knee and hip alignment and then measured my leg length. £120 + £30 consultancy is a lot of dosh, but I've had no problems since and that's almost 2 years ago.

If you can't get through to Edinburgh, then any Podiatrist should take actual measurements of your feet and work out if there's a problem. Everyone has one leg shorter than the other, so they can adjust the insoles to suit. They should mark your legs in their correct alignment and then use some fancy protractor thing to see how much you're out (if at all).

Don't let them just eye-ball it and take some casts of your feet - they need the actual measurements to work out how too make them properly.

Good trainers do help, but they're useless if you have a gait problem that can only be rectified with insoles. I know of a few lads who only play Golf and even for them decent insoles have sorted lower back problems or sore knees.

Stefan

ozzy

Oh, forgot to say that your trainers are important. Some people will roll their feet inwards, over-stretching the muscle on the inside of the shin. This will give you shin-splints just like me.

Others don't roll enough and need much heavier cushioning as their feet aren't absorbing as much of the impact as should be.

Some just fall into the middle category and are the way God intended.

These 3 styles are referred to as Over-Pronate, Supinate and Neutral. You'll probably hear these mentioned in running shops or when buying trainers.

I did try some "support" running shoes that have stiffer support on the inside of the shoe to avoid the foot rolling as much. These work for some people, but didn't for me. Some running shops have some decent training and know what to look for, but I've been through 2 - 3 pairs of £80 running shoes that didn't help.

Run & Become and Achilles Heel are two good running shops, although none of them can come close to a specialist podiatrist.

IMHO it's worth spending the £20-£30 fee from a Podiatrist to give you a proper assessment and then it'll give you more of a fighting chance finding a shoe to match.

If you do need insoles, it's important that any running shoe doesn't alter the mechanics of the insole. The shoe should be neutral and have plenty of cushioning to work with them.

I find Asics and Nike work well for me, but it's been down to plenty of trial & error over the years. I still do some of my running cross country (gets you fitter quicker), but I still do loads of running on the road and on a treadmill.

Stefan

SiPie

Stefan

Thanks for all that....

I've been crippled on and off fo ryears with these *******

Tried the hot/cold/strapping/rest nonsense and as you stated, gave only temporary relief

Going to phone Pat today

Regards and thanks mate

sti-04!!

A big thanks from me too

I will do the same

Also were are these running shops that you mentioned

Cheers

Stephen

ozzy

Sorry.

Run & Become are in Edinburgh (Dalry Road).
Achilles Heal are in Glasgow (West End, down the wee cobbled alley - name escapes me).

Pat works through one of the physios in Edinburgh, so don't panic if the phone is answered by another name.

Stefan

ozzy

Oh and another thing to watch out for. Some insoles are a bit thicker than the removable ones in running shoes. This can raise the heel higher in the shoe, causing it to rub resulting in the dreaded blisters.

Again, not everyone suffers from it but I do; I seem to have a knack for attracting problems or maybe God wanted me to be a biker or swimmer It just means that whenever I try a new pair of runners, I make sure the heel-bed is deep enough to accomodate my insoles. Nike shoes have been great for me. Although they don't get a great name in running circles, they do the job and have never given me grief. A pair of £30 Nike Pegasus ones got me around a recent 10K in under 40 mins, so they can't be too bad.

It takes some faffing (sp?) around in the shops to get a good fit, but it's better than having shins that look like I've started a fight with a 4 year old

Stefan

P.S. Physio's name is Carol McNaughton.

stijohnny

Try the pose method of running also. You have to strike the ground with the forefoot first instead of the heel. It feels weird for the first few times and your calves ache like hell but once you get into it you'll feel lighter on your feet as you cover the miles.. It worked for me anyway. Slight word of warning its no good for achilles sufferers.
I amagine there are plenty of web sites that detail how to run pose properly. I got the info from Runners World a few months ago.

ozzy

The Pose method is certanly one to try as it's cheaper than any other methods mentioned i.e. free. It does move the stress away from the rolling motion of the foot and onto the achilles/calf muscles so make sure you try it injury free. It also puts all the effort into the hamstrings, so make sure you build-up any running distances back into that muscle i.e. build-up slowly

The muscles on the inside of the shin aren't completely seperated from those at the back, so it can still aggravate any problems.

Stefan

P.S. Looking at the POSE website (http://www.posetech.com/) it doesn't lend its style to treadmills.