You Asked Series: “Help! I’ve been experiencing shin splints toward the end of my runs lately. Any tips?”
Ohhh, have I been in your shoes! Shin splits are the worst, but the good news is they can be healed with a little TLC and often some new gear.
The term “shin splints” refers to pain along or behind the Tibia, or shin bone, caused by inflammation. Sounds glamorous right? The pain may be sharp or dull, including to the touch, but usually becomes more painful and tender with exercise. Shin splints may be felt in both legs, or just one.
In general, shin splints are caused by overuse or repetition and often creep up if activity is:
Increased too quickly (if you increase your running mileage too soon)
Occurring too frequently (if you’re running too many days per week), or
Becomes too intense too fast (if you’re running more hills, longer distances, etc.).
The good news is that shin splints will usually heal perfectly well on their own with a little rest, especially from high impact activity.
Here are some other tips to help get you on the road to shin splint recovery:
Ice! You can ice each of your shins for 5-10 minutes post-run (and pretty much anytime) for a few days. I usually hold an ice cube in a cloth and run the actual cube up and down the shins, not holding too long in one area. This should help with any swelling that may be happening.
Strengthen the muscle on the front of the shins. An easy way to do this is to walk on your heels a bit before or after running.
Often old gear is the true culprit of shin splints. If your shoes are worn down or super old it may be time to get some new ones. In general, you should swap out your running shoes every 300-500 miles to make sure you’re getting the best support. Another hot tip is to try to only use your running shoes for running. This will help extend the life of your shoes too.
Once you start to feel better, make sure to keep these things in mind to avoid shin splints in the future:
Get in a dynamic warm up before you run (some good options are my desk breaks here, here and here).
Try to foam roll post-run (especially the calves and hips).
When increasing mileage or activity, make sure to do it slowly and make sure to start back slowly once your shin splints are healed.
Alternate the days you complete high and low impact activities to allow your muscles a rest in between similar activities.
Have a question you want answered, email it to whitney@whitneybfitness.com and you may see it in an upcoming blog post.
