Hello my fellow clutch fan brethren. Just seeing how many of you have had shin splints before. For those of you do I'd appreciate advice. And for those of you who are knowledgeable without ever having it, info is also appreciated. So there are things that are certain I know. My shin splints were caused by over pronation (aka flat feet) Just seeing what you guys would recommend besides the common remedies of ice, rest and better shoes/ insoles (already got those) -What's killing me is how long they're taking to heal (had them since 1st of October) -Also worried it could be a more serious problem like a stress fracture -Any extra input on remedies and home treatment is appreciated
I've dealt with shin splints a lot in the past from running track and also basketball. The best way to get them to heal in my experience is to just rest. I know it can be tough to not run or anything for a few days to a couple weeks but if I get them real bad this is usually is the only solution for me. Continuing to play through shin splints just makes it worse and worse. If it's a stress fracture or something the only way you're gonna know for sure is to go see a doctor. Take a week off and see how they feel.
There really isn't anything else you can do, that I know of. Make sure you stretch well before you run. Roll your feet around in circles. The best thing I've found are rest and better shoes.
Do you also massage your shins while you ice them? Have you tried running on the balls of your feet? That style (pose method) is supposed to be more efficient.
Literally the worst. Rest is truly the only way to get them to heal up. Someday's it will feel terrible, and some days it will feel manageable, but rest is the only surefire way to get it to go away.
I appreciate everyone's input. Doing research online recovery times can range from weeks to months. For those of you who've had shin splints, how long until the legs feel good again?
using one of these things for a few min a day helped me out: http://www.amazon.com/GoFit-Ultimat...=UTF8&qid=1354459242&sr=1-20&keywords=balance
This is good advice, especially considering you are afraid you might have a stress fracture. I had shin splints once upon a time. Playing basketball or softball caused pain, but they eventually healed without me having to stop those activities. The cause of them was most likely going for my runs on concrete (e.g. streets and sidewalks).
I usually advise going to see a doc but not for just shin splints. Nothing we can do about that, so unless you've got awesome insurance and it wont cost you anything or you're worried it may be something else just rest and compress.
If you know for a fact that they are shin splints, I suspect that is a reasonable thing, however, unless you know for sure (as the OP wrote - it may be a stress fracture) a doctor's diagnosis is usually preferable to self (or BBS) diagnosis.
I had them back in early college when I played ball. What worked for me at home: 1 hour of ice 1 hour of the heating pad +Repeat this all night until you go to sleep. Also, while not completely safe, I would sleep with a heating pad on the shin that was the worst. I'm pretty sure that heat is not suggested, but it worked wonders for me. The cold weather would make things worse, so I kept my house warm. And, when I blew out my ACL, the pain meds took away all the pain.
Shin splints are a huge pain and unfortunately, there isn't a ton you can do for them beyond rest/ice. If you got splints from running, you need to be sure to get off the treadmill and pavement. Both are far very harsh anyway, much less for someone dealing with flat feet and shin splints. Time to run among the trees and find some trails. Also, I suggest you go to an actual running store (such as Fleet Feet) and get a pair of shoes for your flat feet. Its not going to solve your problem, but it can make a monumental difference.
I don't believe shin splints are caused by muscular tears; I believe they're caused by tears in the tendons connecting the muscles in that part of the leg. With that in mind, it would be better to treat them with heat. Tendons and ligaments take longer to heal than muscles because they don't have any direct blood flow. Applying heat expands the capilaries that feed the tendons and allow blood flow to reach the areas that are in need of repair. Ice is usually reserved for situations with swelling. It may be worthwhile to apply ice to reduce swelling and then heat to allow for healing.
?? You've got to solve the problem and not just cover it up. The first step is determining why you are over pronating, assuming that's causing the problem you have. A lot of people think the're stuck with flat feet and that's not true.
