Shin Splints

In an earlier post, I made a reference to my shin splint problem. They have plagued me ever since high school. During basketball season, by the end of the year I would be suffering pretty bad. The pain was right up the middle of the front of my shin. It would feel like the bone would split into two like wooden chopsticks.

Now, I get shin splints from jogging. This shin problem is the posterior-type (inside of the shin up and down the lower half of my shin). From what I have read, this is the most common. I spent a lot of time researching them and trying to understand how I can fix this problem. Unfortunately, I am not there yet but I feel i am getting close. Here are some things I am finding are very important.

• Genetics. There is obviously a genetic component and I am susceptible. I have accepted it and decided I just need to be more careful than most. I am jealous of people who can run long distances without this pain because I actually enjoy how a good run makes you feel. It is a workout that makes me feel like my body was designed to do this and it feels great.
  
• Shoes. Every site will tell you this and it is true. I do not pronate too much (my shoe wears evenly and I land with a fairly straight foot), but I wear a high-stability and cushioning shoe. I currently use the Brooks Beast while I weigh over 200 lbs. and I build up endurance this time around. Those shoes really are beasts ... they are huge and heavy but make for a solid run with minimal pain at my current weight.
• Watch Your Arches. Checking the arches and arch support is very important especially if you are heavier like me. Measure your foot while you are sitting down and your foot is relaxed. Then measure it while you are standing up. If there is a 1/4" difference or more, you have very flexible arches and will need support (if you dont see any change, you need high cushioning). I fall into the "flexible arch" category. I purchased orthotics online and put them into the Beast shoes. The orthotics the doctors made have very firm arches.
• Surface. If just starting, really wait a long time until you hit the pavement. I am restarting with a treadmill/trail combination. I used to run exclusively on pavement and as I aged, it really showed.
• Pacing. I am really giving this one more consideration in my case. Many sites say that pacing or overstriding can cause shin splints. But in my earlier post about "the morning run" with my wife where we pull the pace back significantly but still get some distance, I feel almost no effect at all. I think I tend to pick up pace too quickly when my heart and lungs start feeling good.
  
• Care Between Runs. Heat seems to be the biggest help along with massage. When I feel that dull pain starting to form, I find that keeping my shins warm (I wear some McDavid shin wraps) makes a big difference. The shin pain is a result of the muscles tightening and not relaxing, so the heat really helps. And there is one massage that I have found to be extremely helpful. I found it one day doing a search for relief of shin pain and this is the best. Sit in a chair, fold one leg onto the knee of the other leg so that your lower shin and foot are suspended in the air. Start to slowly rotate your foot. Now put your thumbs together and start pushing along your shin towards your foot where the pain is located. Go up and down the length of the shin where you feel pain. Push down hard when your foot rotates downward and let up when your foot rotates up. If you currently have shin splints, this can feel very uncomfortable at first especially when you push down hard. But after a few minutes of doing this, you will notice the pain going away. From a long-time sufferer of this pain, I was really amazed how well this worked for me.
• Exercise. Other cardio exercise in-between runs helps the healing. I find that stairmaster exercise when available helps. It is like a little massage of that area. The increased blood flow as well really helps
• Ankle Wrapping. The jury is still out for me on this. I currently support my ankles with a light brace (again from McDavid). At times, I have used ace bandages. I started to notice my ankles might be a source of trouble so I decided to wrap them. It does help.
• Diet. I have read in a couple of places that sulfurous foods like onions and garlic help. Not sure about that, but I try to eat them more. What I think is most important is a balanced diet of protein, complex carbs and good fats. The idea for me is to get leaner but maintain all of the muscle mass I can especially when running long distances. I have noticed improved lower body strength and maintenance since eating more lean protein.
• Weight. This is a personal one, but certainly carrying around 20 to 30 pouns of unnecessary blubber makes my lower body work that much harder. That is why I am taking it easy on the pace of my runs, watching diet and exercising (cardio and lifting) so much more. The pounds are coming off and the muscle is staying and that can only help.