• You all know how painful this injury can be.
• You all know it’s best to get over this as quickly as possible or prevent completely.
• The problem is that many of us simply don’t look for the most obvious and effective ways that we can help ourselves and fellow athletes.

There are some really simple ways for you to prevent any pain from starting in the first place and there are some really simple ways for you to treat the condition if you already suffer from it. This was highlighted recently as I was helping my wife train for a charity run in aid of a cancer research organisation.

Through my own experience and knowledge I have gained by creating this website my first advice and I have to say my most effective was – To Train on Grass!

You see so many times that your harsh impact of consistent pounding on hard concrete surfaces and pavements is what causes the aggravation, inflammation and injury in the first place. If you can run on soft surfaces for all or the majority of your training, then you are going to avoid the risk right from the beginning.

If you’re lucky enough to live close to a beach that running on the sand is even better. This advice worked brilliantly for my wife. She went from being a complete novice runner to someone who could lick 10K in a couple of months without any injury or any sign of shin splints.

What If You Do Get Injured?

If you do start to experience pain that I must stress the importance of going back to basics. When shipments begin you will have swelling of a thin piece of tissue that runs parallel and next to your shin bone. You have to take that swelling down as quickly as possible…..

And the most obvious answer is to use ice after your workout. Wrap the ice in a thin towel so it is not too cold and doesn’t give you an ice burn. Leave it in contact with the painful area for a good 20 minutes after you have finished exercising.

This is really obvious and perhaps too obvious as so many runners, walkers and athletes ignore the benefit of using ice to reduce swelling.

There are many other effective methods for prevention and treatment so make sure you check out our homepage to discover exactly what they are, click here – Shin Splints Treatment

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It’s also important to take note that not all lower leg injury are shin splints. Some of them can either be shin soreness or stress fracture. Shin splints also appears to be a commonly misunderstood term as people associate it with fracture or breaking of the bone. It’s understandable though considering that it happens to the muscles attached to the bone, to the bone itself, or the way the muscle is attached to the bone, and it gets pretty difficult to distinguish where the pain is coming from. For the record, your bone is not broken. It just feels broken because something around it hurts.

The lower leg is composed of two bones and many interweaving muscles. The part affected by shin splints is the tibia and fibula, and the muscles around it. Tibia is the medial bone or bone inside the lower leg, while fibula is the lateral bone, or bone outside the lower leg.

Shin splints happen as legs are recurrently applied pressure on and thus, strain the lower leg’s tibia and its surrounding muscles. The muscles often affected by shin splints are soleus, flexor, digitorum longus and deep crural fascia. The muscle slightly detaches from the bone and tendons are strained as the legs are pound on hard surfaces. It can also lead to flattening of a foot’s arch, a painful condition known as over pronation or “flat feet”, as well as supination.

When shin splints occur, it is normally always painful even if the legs are not used. Unlike other injuries in which exercise can help, shin splints gets worse when applied even the tiniest stress, causing it to inflame and get even more painful. The best way to initially deal with it is to sit down and apply ice packs around in order to reduce inflammation and stop the straining.

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Having able to finally confirm that you have shin splints, you’re now looking for ways on how to treat it. Basically, you’re just going to let the pain and inflammation ease, and let the muscles recover back to its normal condition. However, in the past, shin splints are treated either with total rest or by straining it further despite the pain. The first option is preferable but not an option for the competitive lifestyle of athletes while the latter is a downright injurious labor. Today, doctors have developed the so-called relative rest approach. But what exactly is this process? However, once you get shin splints, the very first thing you have to do is to apply ice packs on it. Ice packs are effective on reducing pain and inflammation around the affected area.

The relative rest approach is basically just a combination of the two approaches mentioned above, a little exercise and a little rest. It involves soft and gradual processes. This is very much needed in the early stages of the injury when there is recurring pain. A part of the relative rest approach is doing stationery exercises such as cycling and swimming to prevent your muscles from getting dull, as well as stretching the lower leg muscles, particularly the tibialis posterior. Take medications that are anti-inflamatory and muscle pain killers such as ibuprofen and naproxen. In order to reduce the feeling of irritation and discomfort, you can wrap a bandage about 4-inch wide around the injured area. You can do minor stretching of the calf and anterior leg once or twice a day, as well as replace your running shoes based on your foot type, preferably those which have shock absorbing consoles. You may even use orthorics or shoe inserts if necessary.

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Just remember that when you’re on the process of recovering from shin splints, you have to take everything easy. You’ll gradually get back to your original condition if you don’t overdo it because recovering from this injury is basically just making the pain go away. It’s also best to consult a doctor than to self-medicate. To get advice from professionals, you can visit a sports injury clinic.

Shin splints were reported to be pretty common in women because of prolonged periods of time standing on high-heels. In order to prevent this, you have to use high-heels less often, or wear ones that are more comfortable and less high. Another cause of shin split is vitamin/mineral deficiency. You just have to be more patient in taking your supplements from now on. It’s also attributed to excessive training and exercise with poor technique.

Unless biomechanical problem is corrected, all the anti-inflammatories, massages and rests you’ve incurred will keep on recurring. Over pronation and supination for example can be corrected with running shoes or insoles which fit your foot type.

It is a general rule when having shin splints not to increase your workout distances by more than 10%. If you run a distance of 8 miles a week, you can’t increase it to 9 miles the following week because 1 mile exceeds 10% of 8 miles. This is to make sure you’re not going to strain your muscles. Also, you have to avoid running on hard surfaces such as roads as much as you can. You can run on grass, sand or tarmac instead because these materials have natural shock absorption capacity that will otherwise be absorbed by the legs if you run on hard surfaces.

Shin splints can also be caused by the inflexibility of muscles in the lower leg including the gastrocnemius and soleus, as well as the shin muscles. You can avoid or recover from these if you stretch out regularly or get sports massages. Shin splints are basically muscle overuse. The best way not to suffer from it is to gradually take activities, not run 5 miles this week, and double it the following week. That’s certainly not gradual.

Read another of our posts on some Stretches For Shin Splints

Or read on………..

It’s better to prevent an injury than to suffer quite an amount of time trying to recover from it. In order to prevent shin splints, you have to know what causes it. Among many other causes, these 5 that stands out: over/under pronation; abrupt increase of workout pace; running on a downward slope; inappropriate footwear; and frailty of the quad muscles.

Pronation happens when landing of the foot is not properly executed. It either leans too much inward or outward thus stressing the knee. This can be corrected by a pair of orthotics and a fit pair of shoes. Another thing that pressures your muscles is if you hastily increase your pace. If you run for 10 miles a week and you increase it to 20 the following week which is double the original distance, then you’re guaranteed to hurt your muscles big time. To make sure a program’s going to work for you, have a professional design it for you, if not, follow the ones that’s guaranteed to have worked for someone your level as well.

Running on a downward slope, as opposed to what many people thought as easier, can greatly open you up to shin splints. It’s going to stress the lower tibia bone as more downward pressure is applied to the legs. Be sure to wear sturdy footwear and gradually make your way to running downward slopes. If doesn’t really require you, you might as well avoid running in such track. Inappropriate and worn out footwear can also cause shin splints. The muscles will be strained if the shoes no longer contain the ability to support the foot, or if the footwear does not actually fit your foot size. Ideally, you should track how many miles your shoes have gone through. If it reaches 500, it’s about time to change them.

Finally, frailty of the quad muscles can lead to shin splints if it’s not strong enough to back the lower shin and knee which results to throbbing pain in the knee cap under tedious motion. This can be prevented by regularly training the quad muscles.

The key point you have to remember in order to prevent shin splints is to never overdo your muscle beyond its limit. Gradually increase your pace to make sure you’re not going to unnecessarily damage your body.

 Rule of the thumb before you run is to wear the appropriate footwear. Be sure it is your foot size and you are comfortable running on it. Consult a podiatrist or a sales person whose forte is to sell running shoes prior to buying one. This might appear to be a little hassle on your part but prevention is better than cure.

Preferably, you shouldn’t run on hard surfaces. Run on grass, sand or sort of similar incompact surfaces capable of shouldering some impact that could otherwise be absorbed by the legs if running on hard surfaces. This will dramatically decrease your chance of getting shin splints. Before you run, stretch first, not just your leg but your entire body as well.

Tight muscles and tendons which get strained when you run without stretching is the very source of shin splints. After stretching, don’t just dash to the finish line. Warm-up first by starting in a slow pace, then gradually increasing your speed as you start to get into condition, allowing your body to adjust to your desired pace without forcing it.

Finally, be sure you don’t get dehydrated. Drink water before and after you run as it aids your body to endure longer work out hours. In fact, don’t just drink water when you exercise, you have to stay hydrated all the time. You really never know when a situation calls for you to run for or from something. Water is just downright essential for many processes in the body. It’s better to be safe than sorry.

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First is calf stretch. The calf muscle is streamlined to the shin area so it’s important to get this one stretched. Find a stairs and place a quarter of your foot on the surface and leave the rest hanging by the heels. Push your body forward so the heels bend down further to the lower step thus stretching the muscles around your legs, particularly the ones behind your legs. Hold it for about 15-20 second, and then do it to other foot as well. Repeat it twice or more if desired. Next you can do the standing anterior tibialis shin splints stretch.

This might slightly affect your balance so be sure you have something to hold on to so you don’t trip or something. Once you’ve positioned yourself comfortably, bring the other leg behind, while the other remains rested on the ground nice and good. Gradually move your body forward until you feel a pulling pressure on your lower leg. Lean forward as much as your legs can endure. Switch legs after. Last but not the least, sitting shin splints stretch which you can do while sitting. Just place your feet on each side of the chair and bring them back, toes pointed on the floor, as far as you can.

So those are some of the easy stretches you can perform all by yourself before you run, or to aid your shin splints’ healing process. However, it is advisable to consult a doctor or an expert than to do self-help once you get injured. At least you have something to point your finger at when something goes wrong.

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Damage to the inside of the ankle is very uncommon. Most people have this injury whilst running on uneven surfaces. You could be a cross-country runner or a footballer but the cause is usually the same.

This type of injury must be treated quickly with some basic but very effective first aid. Remember these basic principles that can be remembered with the word RICE.

• R stands for rest. The foot must be rested for 24 to 48 hours to prevent any further damage and to allow the damaged ligaments to repair.
• I stands for ice. Use a bag of ice or a frozen damp cloth and place this Directly onto the sprained joint. This will help reduce any inflammation and pain.
• C stands for compression. It is a good idea to bandage and compress the injury and swelling, but it is important not to do this so tight that it reduces blood flow. Firm but gentle is ideal.
• And finally the E stands for elevation. It is important to get comfortable and then raise the leg of the injured ankle in the air. Aim to get the foot higher than the heart and this will prevent too much blood from pumping to the injured area and causing more swelling and more pain.

If you follow these basic treatments were sprained ankle you should recover fairly quickly. However, it may be wise to visit your doctor just to check you have done no serious damage to your ligaments or bone.

Shin Splints Treatment

Preventing more damage is absolutely essential too. So here are some top tips and advice that will help you stop getting this problem in the first place or preventing it getting worse.

When you are running or walking ensure you have the right footwear. You footwear must be flexible. Obviously a complete flimsy sole is no good but it should also be able to flex both length and width ways across the sole, whilst still providing some support. If you foot is rigid your ankles and shins and supporting muscles will be fighting this lack of movement with every step you take.

Next try to run and walk on softer surfaces. Obviously this cannot be done during your normal day-to-day routines. For example you can’t change the surface you walk on whilst you are at work. However, you can change where you choose to run and exercise or hike. Many runners workout on the hard road surfaces and many hikers and follow rocky paths. Try to swap these for a few weeks and use bark chip routes, fields, grass or even soft muddy tracks.

Try not to over stride as this is a major cause of your splints. It is okay to let the leg trail far behind you but do not step out in front too much. This puts too much pressure on the front of the lower leg, so check your stride and adjust accordingly.

Obviously preventing splints in the first place is crucial as to its preventing them from getting any worse. Learn to control and alleviate the pain will help you live a more comfortable sporting an active lifestyle so don’t forget to include some exercises that can help with this problem.

Exercises that help strengthen the quadriceps leg muscles and calf leg muscles are a great place to start. Learn more about them here – shin splints treatment