By: Mizuno Race Team Member, Renee Metiver Baillie
Shin splits affect over 3 million people in the US each year. Nothing scares a runner more than when a pain along the shin appears. But, if you stay informed and treat at the first sign of pain or sensation, you can leave shin splints in the dust.
Shin splints occur from overuse and inflammation to the muscles along your tibia or shin. The muscles start to hug the bone for more support, which can lead to the muscles adhering to the tibia. If untreated, the muscles adhering can start putting an excessive amount of stress on the thin outer layer of the bone causing damage, inflammation, and pain. This is not an injury you should ignore! At the first sign of pain, there are many ways you can alleviate the stress. Ice massage and deep tissue massage are great ways to calm down the inflammation and loosen the muscles around the shin. Additionally, adding exercises to your routine to strengthen the muscles in the lower leg and foot will help address muscular weaknesses or tightness that are contributing to the injury.
Shin Splint Exercises:
Eccentric Heel Drops: Using a step, start in the tiptoe position and slowly lower down with one foot. Then use both legs to rise back up. Perform 15-20 of these on each leg.
Heel-to-Toe Walks: Walk 25 meters focusing on dorsa-flexing the foot as much as possible at landing then pushing off with the toes at full extension.
Toe Curls: Stand or sit on a smooth floor with feet flat on the front edge of a towel, then use your toes of one foot to pull a towel inch by inch closer to you. Repeat with other foot.
Knowing the causes can help you prevent this from happening in the first place. Shin splints are commonly caused by sudden changes in activity (duration, intensity, hills, etc.), weak or tight muscles, or by continuing to wear worn out running shoes. Making sure you follow a training plan and log your miles to help you spot the signs of ramping up your training too fast. Write down what surfaces you have been training on as well – too much running on hard surfaces can lead to shin splints, so try to run on soft surfaces.
Also, you want to replace your running shoes every 300 miles or 3 months. Running shoes take 24 hours to recover from the pounding as do your feet. Having two types of running shoes helps your feet not get too used to one shoe and gives your shoes time to bounce back between runs. Since all our feet are different, visit your local footwear store to get properly fitted for the right shoes for you!
Remember: don’t stop doing exercises when you start feeling better – always incorporate a variety of corrective exercises into your training schedule to stay ahead of injuries. Now that you are informed, you will be ready to rock your best year yet!