Shin Splints

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Aug 26, 2011
1,285
0
Houston, Texas
Not sure what forum this would go in, but how do you treat shin splints? I am getting very aggravated at the HS coach with her workouts. Very intense workouts within 30-40 min period...some are timed. I don't think the girls have conditioned enough over time (with start of school being only 2.5 weeks ago) to do these types of workouts. Anyway off soap box...what I have read about shin splints says to STOP all activities for 2-3 weeks until the pain goes away. Her pain only comes up during workout...especially a running workout (i.e. wind sprints and diagonals). They go away after she rests and ices her shins down. Not tender to touch or anything like that. And she's fine while pitching/batting or anything that doesn't involve running. LOL.

So what say you? Experience? Recommendations? Suggestions??
 
Oct 31, 2014
35
0
Kansas City
Yep, I was plagued by them in Highschool. It was due to hard-soled cleats and hard soil on the practice football field. Rest was the only thing that would "heal" them, but I wasn't going to do that :) Handfulls of ibuprofene and napersyn, globs of icy hot (not sure that did anything) and grin and bear it. Maybe try different cleats?
 

obbay

Banned
Aug 21, 2008
2,199
0
Boston, MA
It's been awhile since my track days but as I recall, Shin splints Result from running with too much weight on the heels (pounding). When sprinting, the weight should be on the balls of the feet. My personal observation has been you can't do anything for them, but you can prevent them by developing the calf muscles so that the foot lands lightly on the ground rather than punching the ground with every step. Run light and minimize impact of the heels. I remember the coaches always admonishing us to "run light". After a bad case of shin splints my freshman year, I learned to run primarily on the balls of my feet, heels never in contact with the ground when sprinting, minimal contact when running distance. I think for kids it's easier to get it right if they try to keep their weight on their toes.
 
Jun 16, 2015
65
6
Lots of personal experience with these. For me, shin splints are a result of too much or too fast, too soon. Each individual is different, but you *can* continue to run with them, but with a drastically reduced amount in mileage and/or speed. Either stop or reduce amount of running, ICE NOT HEAT, and no running on hard surfaces, i.e. only run on grass. Ice, ice, then ice some more. One year I ran through them (decided to add speedwork at the end of marathon training--big mistake) and developed a stress fracture. You do not want a stress fracture because *that* will lay you up for a good six weeks.

And unfortunately, running in cleats is not ideal.
 
Last edited:
Oct 4, 2011
663
0
Colorado
Ah, shin splints. I had them in high school, I had them in college, usually during the beginning part of the season. Our trainers in college used to keep a big chest freezer full of frozen water filled dixie cups, which just goes to show how prevalent they were/are. My DD is a pretty tough cookie when it comes to injuries - the pain from shin splints was the only time I ever saw her reduced to tears. Running in cleats isn't ideal, that's for sure. As an aside, I wonder if there will be an up-tick in shin splints as more and more colleges are converting their fields to turf.

Tape helps - the school trainer can tape up her lower legs. Ice afterwards. The frozen dixie cups are nice because you can use the "ice pop" as a way to massage the area while icing. Peel back the paper on the dixie cup until you expose a nice bit of ice pop, then hold the bottom of the cup and massage the ice into the tender area.
 
Last edited:
Aug 26, 2011
1,285
0
Houston, Texas
FYI they don't do drills in cleats! They are not even doing softball drills in the off season. This coach is big on strength conditioning boot camp hell. LOL.

Thanks for all the suggestions. We are doing all that, but need to figure out about the taping. We have tape...just not sure how to apply for shin splints. :) And they have a nice ice whirlpool that she soaks in afterwards.
 
Mar 21, 2013
353
0
Many times shin splints are caused by shoes that are not good for the task at hand or an individual persons feet for one reason or another.
 
Oct 19, 2009
1,827
0
Many times shin splints are caused by shoes that are not good for the task at hand or an individual persons feet for one reason or another.

DD college team had many cases of shin splints past season, the trainer advised it was the Boomba shoes the team were wearing.
 

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