How can I get rid of shin splints?!
Question: How can I get rid of shin splints.?
I play basketball 3-4 days a week and the last couple times I've played my left shin starts hurting really bad making running and jumping near impossible, I am assuming I have shin splints. Over the last couple weeks Ive worn an ankle brace on my right leg...could this be messing up my running form maybe.? and does anyone have any suggestions on how to get rid of shin splints.?Health Question & Answer
Answers:
Shin splints are most commonly caused by overpronation (foot roles in too much at the toe off phase of your gait/running motion). A neutral foot lands on the outside corner of your heel, roles inwards so that it is flat and then roles out on the angle of your toes at toe off. An overpronated foot lands on the outside of the heel, roles in flat but continues to roll in and comes off even with or inside the big toe side of the shoe. The reason this is a problem is that the muscle that is supposed to role you out at toe off (tibialis anterior muscle) is not strong enough to counter the weight of your body that has rolled your foot inwards too far. It continues to pull until it actually pulls itself off the bone where it attaches (this is what shinsplints are - shin splints are not a muscle fibre strain you are actually tearing muscle from the bone which is why it hurts so much and takes so long to heal). The reason why you didn't feel it before is because under less load (walking = less downward force and elliptical = no downward force) your body wasn't thrown into am overpronated position. Now that your are running the repetition of the overpronated state is resulting in shin splints.Health Question & Answer
Apply ice to your shins for about 10-15 minutes at a time. Icing your shins will help with any pain from swelling or the tenderness you may have around your shins. Make sure not to apply the ice directly to the shins but to apply a wrapped ice pack to protect your skin. Or try searching for homeopathic remedies products that will help you to cure shin splints naturally.Health Question & Answer
Walking on your heels for 20-40 yards will strengthen the muscles mentioned by the first poster. It don't know how well it works in the healing process, but it's a great preventative measure.Health Question & Answer