How long do shin splints take to heal? please help!?
Hope this helps- I am a Division1- 800 meter runner in college. My senior year of high school, I developed a terrible case of shin splints . I ran through them the whole year until it got so bad I could only go full speed in races. I saw multiple doctors. Got X-rays, a bone scan, and an MRI. Though they couldn't see any fracture, they said there was a lot of unusual swelling. I took 2.5 months off, NO running AT ALL. By the end of my first week of college track, they were back. Long story short- they're different for everyone. Take as much time as you need and ease back in. Stretch your calves A LOT, the more flexible the better. Ice them after every run. Go to a running store and make sure you have the right type of shoe (I.e. find out if you pronate or supinate) If your first run back they still hurt, it's too soon. Since being at college I got Orthotics and my shin splints are completely gone. I would highly recommend getting them if you/your insurance can afford it. I wear them in every shoe and they correct my lack or arch in my feet
Does jumping rope help with shin splints?
I'm a runner and I've been getting shin splints. If I start jumping rope, will it balance the muscles in my legs so that they are stronger and are less likely to get injured?
How do I cure my shin splints?
Shin splints are caused by tear in fibers in your shin. This is normal for most athletes.Take rest. Running while experiencing shin pain can only aggravate the situation.Eat protein rich food that can accelerate the repair of your shin.Massage alternatively with ice packs and hot water.Avoid spikes, toe-running and activities that may exert a lot of pressure on the shin/toe.The key is to gradually increase the severity of your schedule to let your shin heal and build strength.
I have had shin splints for over two years - Any medical advice?
Here's something your doctors would never tell you - change your diet. I would be willing to bet you're eating foods which are causing hidden inflammation inside your body. For instance, gluten is a common culprit. Try eliminating that from your diet for a week or two and see what happens. If not that, go broader and eliminate grains. Dairy is another possibility. (As an aside, grains are high in calories, so you'll need to make that loss up in other food in order to keep up your energy)I know that may sound crazy to some people, but I can personally attest to it. I sprained my foot really badly a few years ago playing soccer. After it healed, it would randomly flair up and really bother me. Recently, we learned how detrimental to our health gluten can be, so we took it out of our diet. Magically, that foot pain went away completely. Other health issues disappeared too, but since we're focused on shin splints, I'll leave it at that.I wish I knew this back in high school when running hurdles gave me shin splints all the time! Back then, all I'd do is massage my shins with ice. It felt great, but I was only treating the symptoms, not the problem.
How can I get rid of shin splints?
I've already posted this somewhere else but it helps so whatever.This is what helped me. You need to Ice, Stretch, and Exercise them. If you do not you could run the risk of a stress fracture which sometimes take months to heal (or worse). However, you also need to understand that shin splints are something a lot of runners go through.One exercise that helps me is heel step-downs. Begin with an erect body position, placing your feet about shoulder-width apart. Take a step forward with one foot. The length of the step should be a normal walking step. When your heel makes contact with the ground, stop your foot from fully plantar flexing.Using your shin muscles, keep the sole of the foot from contacting the ground. Your toes should not descend more than an inch or so. Step back to the starting position, repeat for 10-15 reps, and switch legs.Basically, walk on your heals.4 Stretches To Combat Shin SplintsAnother thing that helps is Compessions sleeves. You can wear these while you are running or after. The first time I wore them I noticed a huge difference.Studies show that with an optimal level of consistent compression, the walls of the arteries will dilate, increasing the blood flow through them. Arterial blood flow has been shown to increase up to 40% during activity and 30% during recovery. This means more oxygen and nutrients flowing through the body! On the other hand, the walls of the veins will constrict under compression, which helps to increase the velocity of blood flow through them. Increased velocity of blood flow through veins means that deoxygenated blood and lactic acid will get back to the heart quicker, which will help to increase the rate of recovery and decrease muscle soreness! Compression will also help to stabilize the muscle and decrease the amount of muscular vibration, resulting in decreased fatigue. To sum up the benefits of compression; enhanced performance through increased blood flow, quicker recovery and decreased muscle soreness, and less fatigue. All good things!Compression: Does it Really Work?And make sure you are icing! Freeze a paper cup full of water and roll the cup over your shins. Do this several times a day.I would also recommend changing shoes if needed.~Best of luck!
What happens if you run with shin splints?
If you had a stress fracture you couldn't run. Period. Shin splints are one of the many downsides to running. I've had them so many times but I've always just ran through mine. Try and by shoes with little or no support example track spikes, vibram five fingers, or just go bare foot. This makes you land on your toes which makes you faster and has much less impact. It is the healtiest way to run. Also to help fix them stretch them and drink milk or eat anything with calcium. If it gets really bad then take a few days off. It's not worth hurting yourself. I'm just too stupid to stop. Hope this helps.
Are there shoes that help with shin splints? If so, which shoe brands produce these kinds of shoes?
Okay, I have had shin splints only a couple times in my life, but they hurt like hell. Before I address shoes, I want to add that icing your shins a couple times a day really helps & using an NSAID anti-inflammatory med like Alieve are helpful when you have pain. My daughter's cross-country coach taught all the kids (and me) one way to prevent shin splits is to stretch the muscle. Sit on a chair/bench/stool/whatever and lift one leg off the floor, point the toes away from the body (like a ballet dancer) and proceed to "draw the alphabet" with your toes. Uppercase, lowercase -- doesn't matter! :) The point is that you are moving your foot around while your foot is pointed & it's stretching that muscle along your shins. I saw it work for many, many young runners as well my mom when she was getting shin splints from walking on her treadmill. As for shoes, I recommend you check out Altra Zero-Drops. I love them and have had decreased IT band issues since I started running in them. Good luck!