FitSugar

Prevent Shin Splints With Toe Lifts

FitSugar — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 12:30:05 -0800

Since the weather is getting chillier, many of you might be moving your runs indoors. From my experience, switching running surfaces always takes some time to get used to, and shin splint pain has often been a symptom of adjustment. To prevent soreness in the front of your lower leg, here's an exercise recommended by Runner's World you can do any time you're sitting to strengthen your shins and increase flexibility.

The photo just demonstrates one exercise so to see a variation of the toe lift read more.

Sit tall in a chair with knees bent 90 degrees, and your feet flat on the floor.
Keep your right heel on the ground, and gently raise your right forefoot up. Lift it back toward your shin as far as you can, and then lower it back to the ground. Repeat 10 times with each foot.
Here's another variation. From the same position, lift your right forefoot up and trace the letter "J" in the air with your foot. Return it back to the ground. Complete 10 lifts with each foot.

Ways to Prevent Shin Splints

FitSugar — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 10:00:00 -0700

Spring running often means increasing the intensity of your workouts, but this vigorous approach can lead to shin splints. Aside from following the 10 percent rule, here are a few things you can do to prevent that nagging lower leg pain.

Stretch your lower legs. Keep your calves, feet, and ankles flexible. Stretch them daily, even if you don't run that day.
Warm up with heel walks: Heel walks, which as the name suggests involve walking on just the heels, strengthen the shins and prepare the lower leg for running. I do this as part of my dynamic warmup.
Strengthen your lower legs: On non-running days, or after a run, you can strengthen your shin muscles with this simple dumbbell exercise. Doing weight training for the shin muscles before a run could tire them out and lead to the injury you're working to avoid.

Since most running injuries seem to occur when increasing weekly mileage, it is a good idea to be proactive and do what you can to prevent injuries. Take care of your shins and they will take care of you.

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Have You Ever Had Shin Splints?

FitSugar — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 04:30:00 -0800

Shin splints are an awful, jabbing, throbbing pain in your lower legs that's often caused by running, but people who hike, play basketball, or do other vigorous activities that involve your legs can also suffer from this piercing ailment. After making New Year's Resolutions to start exercising, many newbies experience shin splints, but changing up your routine, like switching to running on a treadmill after running outside, can bring them on too. Since it's a common issue, tell me . . .

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Suffering From Shin Splints? Try This

FitSugar — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 08:00:00 -0800

Since many of you have moved your walks and runs from sidewalks and trails to the treadmill, you have ended up with a case of shin splints. These occur when you overstress the muscles in your lower legs, causing small tears in the tissue. If you start to experience this pain, it's not a serious injury, but it is also nothing to be ignored. To heal the tears, it's best to lower the intensity of your run by walking instead, or add incline to the treadmill. If the pain is really bad, take a break from running and do some lower leg stretches and ice the area.

Since shin splints can happen when your calf muscles become stronger than the shin muscles, and a way to promote healing in the area, and to prevent shin splints in the first place, is to do some strengthening exercises. Heel walks are great, but to see one of my favorite exercises you can do while sitting read more.

Sit on a high bench or chair. It should be tall enough so your toes can point without touching the floor.
Place a two- to six-pound dumbbell vertically in between your feet, squeezing the weight gently to keep it in place.
Begin by pointing your toes toward the floor. Then flex your feet and lift your toes as high as you can. This is one repetition.
Complete three sets of 12 reps, stretching your shins with the Kneeling Shin Stretch in between each set.
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Treadmill + No Incline = Shin Splints

FitSugar — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 08:00:00 -0700

When running on a treadmill, I believe you should keep the incline set to at least one percent. The added incline helps make up for the lack of environmental resistance indoors, such as wind, making your workout a little tougher. Another reason to set your treadmill incline to at least one percent is to avoid every runner's nemesis, shin splints. Running downhill can create shin splints due to the extra stress placed on the shin bone. A zero incline on a treadmill can mimic a slight downgrade; a negative incline, if you will. To avoid this problem, run with at least some incline when on a treadmill.

Fit's Tip: If you have recently increased your mileage on a treadmill, say because of the shortened days due to the seasons changing, be careful. A treadmill surface is constantly the same whereas roads and trails vary, even when they are flat. On a treadmill every stride is the same, which can lead to overuse/repetitive injuries like shin splints.

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You Asked: Running and Shin Splints?

FitSugar — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 10:00:00 -0700

You're asking and I'm answering . . .

Hi Fit,
I was wondering if you could help me with my running issue. I started running a few months ago, usually 10 to 20 minutes every other day or so. However for the last two months, I had to stop after running for less than five minutes because of horrible shin splints.

I'm not sure what to do; I never had that problem before and it suddenly happened without explanation. My running shoes are almost new, I do the same stretches, follow the same running route, don't run very fast. I had to completely stop running and I really miss it!

Many thanks in advance for your help,
- Shin Splints Be Gone

Shin splints can be just horrible and really throw a wrench into any running program. To see my advice on this issue, just read more.

According to the FitSugar Health Guide shin splints are small tears in the area where the lower leg muscle attaches to the tibia, aka the shin bone. The good news is that even though there are four types of shin splints, none are considered to be a serious injury. Just a pain in the shin. These tears are caused from overuse, especially after periods of inactivity. In runners, shin splints often occur because the calf muscle becomes stronger than the tibialis anterior, the muscle on the outside of the shin. Strengthening this muscle can help prevent shin splints. Heel walks will strengthen this muscle as will toe raises while leaning against a wall. Do these exercises in conjunction with stretching your calves everyday even if you don't run, as well as feet and ankles. I think you should begin a strengthening/stretching regimen before you begin running again, for at least two weeks.

You have done the right thing by taking time off to let the shin splints heal. It can take up to a month for the muscle tears to repair. Icing the sore area can help too. And over the counter pain medication will also help with the pain. Shin splints can turn into stress fractures, so if you are experiencing no relief, definitely make an appointment with your doctor.

While you are waiting for your calves to heal, walking is a great way to strengthen your legs and prepare them for the pounding of running. Walking and running downhill can exacerbate the shin splints, so avoid walking down steep inclines. Also, running with a heavy heel strike can irritate the shin. So it might be worth it to experiment with your gait and try striking with your mid-foot.

Good luck and I hope this helps get you back on the road.

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Avoid Shin Splints with Heels Walks

FitSugar — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 09:18:54 -0700

One of the dreaded side affects from starting a new walking or running routine is shin splints. The pain down the outside of your lower leg may be caused by a variety of issues, but the calf muscle tends to get stronger before the muscles on the front of the shin. While stretching the calves is intuitive post run, strengthening the opposing muscles on the front of the shin is not. A simple exercise to do just that is heel walks.

The exercise name describes the action quite well. Walk about 20 yards on your heels with toes lifted off the ground. Take small steps and keep your toes, even though they are up off the ground, pointed forward (don't let your toes rotate outward). You can do this exercise barefoot or in your sneakers.

Fit's Tip: This is a great exercise to incorporate into your dynamic warm-up.

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Stop Shin Splints in Their Tracks

FitSugar — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 02:30:00 -0700

If you run, chances are you have suffered through shin splints and it is no fun. There’s the physical pain to contend with as well as the pain of having to take time off when you are on a roll. To prevent as well as treat shin splints you need to do two things – stretch and strengthen the area. Here’s what you do.

Stretch: Keep your calves, feet and ankles flexible. Stretch them daily, even if you don't run that day.
Strengthen: To strengthen your shin muscles, lean your back against a wall with your feet flat on the floor, 8 to 10 inches from the wall and lift toes up towards shins and slowly lower down. This works the shins and calves. RunnerGirl.com cautions that you never do this strengthening exercise before you walk or run. The best time to do it: after your workout or just before bed.

Fit's Tip: If you are training for a long race and starting to increase your mileage, do this exercise. Most injuries occur when the weekly mileage starts to increase. Take care of your shins and they will take care of you.

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Tips for Dealing With Shin Splints

FitSugar — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 02:30:00 -0800

If you've ever experienced shin splints then you know they are no fun and can really put a damper on your running schedule. The good news is that they aren't usually serious. The bad news is that when it comes to healing them, time is the best medicine. Here are some good tips on dealing with shin splints:

Most shin splints will benefit from plenty of rest. You should not exercise for at least a week, and take a break of at least two-to-four weeks from running.
Ice the injury for 20 minutes, at least twice a day. (I like to use the Cryocup.)
Use over-the-counter pain relievers to ease discomfort.
For stress fractures, diagnosed by a doctor, at least a month's rest is required. You should not run or exercise during that time.

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How Can I Prevent Shin Splints?

FitSugar — Fri, 09 Mar 2007 03:00:00 -0800

Chances are, if you are a runner, you've experienced the pain of shin splints. It basically refers to the condition called Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome (MTSS).

When you overwork the muscles in the shin, the muscles exert a great amount of force on the shin bones (tibia and fibula) to keep your foot, ankle, and lower leg stable. This excessive force can partially tear the tendons away from the bone (the tibia, which is the one on the inside of your leg). Shin splints aren't caused by running, but rather by the impact force associated with it.

Here are some tips to prevent shin splints.

Before going out for a run, warm up and do some gentle calf stretches, which will prevent injury.
If you are new to running, start off slowly. Too much too soon will cause shin splints or other injuries.
Along the same lines, if you've taken a break from running, gradually work your way up to where you were.

There's plenty more tips, so read more

Avoid running on hard surfaces like concrete whenever you can.
Avoid running on uneven surfaces - it makes your tendons work harder to stay balanced and keep your bones stable.
Avoid running downhill if you can - try running on a diagonal instead of straight down. You can also try doing the grapevine down the hill. Imagine you are Rocky practicing your foot work.
Run with correct posture - don't lean forward or backward as you run, make sure your toes are pointing forward and not out to the sides.
Wear sneakers specifically made for running - they have extra support and shock absorbers.
Your sneakers should fit you well, keeping in mind whether you have high, low, or no arches, or wide or narrow feet.
Get a new pair of sneaks every every 350-550 miles. Use the twist test to see if your kicks have had it.

Fit's Tips: If you are experiencing shin splints, don't run through the pain. You need to rest, apply ice to reduce inflammation, stretch, and rehabilitate your lower legs first. If you choose to run with shin splints, you could further injure yourself.

Here are some great stretches for your shins and calves to help prevent shin splints.

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