shin splints

[blindeye]

excuse my ignorance but what are shin splints? i keep reading about them here but have no idea what they are. i amplanning a sobo thru hike in 06 and i have already started working out. is there anything i can do exercise wise to minimize my chances of getting shin splints?

[SGT Rock]

Shin splints are a general discription to describe lower leg pain. There are different causes for shin splints based on where exactly the pain occurs (ie front or side of the leg) but basically it is a repetative stress injury that can be from going too far or too fast too soon. I tend to get them because of ridged feet with high arches. The solution for me is to wear cushion sole shoes and plan some low milage days at the start of hikes to allow my legs to get bak into the swing of things.

Anti-inflamatory meds can help, like vitamen I and sodium naproxen. I tend to not get any swelling as I start getting shin splints, but the meds do help prevent onset and reduce pain and length of "break in".

Here is some on-line info:

http://www.hughston.com/hha/a.shin.htm

[A-Train]

Yep, I got em. Probably too many miles, too fast and going downhill too swiftly on the PA rocks. Got them around Port Clinton and almost thought I would have to quit coming to Mashipacong in Jersey. Took 2.5 rest days at home in NY and never had a problem again. Didn't really ever lower the mileage, maybe just more careful about "running" downhill and starting and stopping quickly.


I remember a hiker who had pretty bad shinsplints in Virginia. Well he took a zero day to rest in Daleville, said his splints were gone and hiked a 32 miler out of town the next day!

If they become real bad, I'd recommend icing them and staying away from hiking for 2-3 days. Stretching helps a whole lot too

[hustler]

Runners get shin splints from doing too many miles too soon. If you build up into your milage, your chances of getting them are reduced. They hurt really really bad, and you don't want to get them on your thru hike. Every step hurts, and that is no way to hike.

I too got shin splints as a result of PA Rocks. It was from doing too many 25+ mile days in PA. I didn't get them until I got into NJ. I couldn't take any time off, and no ice was available, so I cut my milage. For 3 days, I did about 10 miles a day. The 4th day I felt better and did a 20 mile day with little pain. After that I had no problem with them.

[smokymtnsteve]

Too far...too fast...is the usual culprit...

using hiking poles is also a culprit as the use of hiking poles encourage speed and distance,

[Footslogger]

Medically, a shin splint is a straining of the muscle/tendons on the front of the lower leg. They fall into the category of a "repetitive motion/movement injury" or RMI. When we walk or hike the foot is flexed and extended which works the muscles on the front of the lower leg (among others). After miles and miles of hiking, without adequate stretching before and afterwards, you can develop swelling and pain along the ridge commonly called the "shin". Once a hiker develops shin splints he/she generally needs to take some time off and allow the pain/swelling to subside. Ice and elevation along with anti-inflamative drugs (like Motrin) will usually do the trick. Some hikers find relief from wrapping the painful area with tape or a tight elastic bandage.

One thing that seems to bring on shin splints is the steep downhills. Hikers normally plant their heel and then step forwards on the downhills. Since you are on a decline, the range of foot motion toward the ground is greater than if you were hiking on level ground. That continual added extension and resulting stress on the muscles in the front of the lower leg is believed to be the cause of the shin splints.

I developed somewhat painful shin splints coming into Kincora on my thru last year. I took a zero and did the ice/elevation thing, which seemed to help. After than I generally did some stretching (when I remembered) of the lower leg muscles before and after hiking. I also alternated between a heel plant and a "toe first" step on downhills and that seemed to help a great deal.

'Slogger
AT 2003

[chris]

Footslogger got it. I picked up shin splints from Hot Springs all the way to near Damascus. They felt fine going uphill, were noticeable but ok on flat ground, and killer on downhills. I haven't gotten them since 2002, but I am also wearing better footwear now and have tried to keep myself in reasonable shape throughout the year.

[blindeye]

thanks everyone!!!!!!!!!

[grrickar]

The trainer at my company gym had me do an exercise called a 'dorsi flex' to help prevent them. You can use a weighted bar in the gym for this (check with the staff to see if they have one, it will be a short bar on a pivot - close to the floor) or use a rubber band hooked around the balls of your foot, then flex back and forth against the resistance (push your toes away from your body against the resistance, then slowly let the resistance pull them back towards you). I'm not sure how well it is going to help with shin splints, but I will find out on my section hike next week. I do know one thing, it has really developed the front of my calves.

[minnesotasmith]

Going by memory from my running days, is the ratio of calf/shins muscle strengths. Normally they are supposed to be about 4:1, but for runners who do no exercise but run, that ratio can get up to 20:1 and higher. The way to mostly prevent shin splints used to be to lie on your back on a table, like a big sturdy picnic table, with the edge just above your knees. You then would slowly lower and raise your legs (ideally with light weights around your ankles), working up to 30 times or so on each leg every day before you went for a run.

Running on hard surfaces and/or with poorly padded footwear were supposedly often contributors as well.

[Creaky]

Be aware that “shin splints” is a term that people throw around a lot. It has no specific meaning, but is used to describe a whole range of pains in the lower leg. You’ll sometimes hear people talking about “medial” shin splints as opposed to “anterior” shin splints. There is something known as “anterior compartment syndrome,” my favorite because it’s what took all the fun out of running for me for a long time. Doctors sometimes still use that last term, but frown sternly upon the other two.

It’s generally agreed that the proximate cause of “shin splints” is an untrained or unhabituated person going too far, too fast, and sometimes on too hard a surface. So don’t. Aside from not running wild without being ready, there are three things that are really helpful in avoiding shin splints. They should be done long before you start hiking or running:

1. Get custom footbeds for your shoes/boots. These are known as orthotic devices and the best ones are prescribed by podiatrists after an exam and some tests. Go to a podiatrist who has a good reputation among runners, as opposed to one know for trimming the toenails of old folks.

2. Gradually, over time, on a regular schedule, stretch your calves and hamstrings. The books are full of exercises that will do this for you. (Be careful with stretching. Most people do it wrong and often pull a muscle. The books will tell you about this, too.)

3. Gradually, over time, on a regular schedule, do this specific exercise to strengthen your shins. Sit on a table or lounge chair with your lower legs extending over the side. put a small can of soup in a small bag with handles, loop the handles over the base of your toes, and slowly bend your foot up, hold to a count of 5, and lower it. Do each foot 5-6 times. After a couple of weeks, go to a slightly larger can, and so on. (Any good runner’s podiatrist will tell you all about these exercises.)

[dje97001]

I agree with Footslogger in the sense that Taping my legs has generally worked. I would just recommend that if you have hair on your legs that you first wrap your legs in Saran Wrap... and then some kind of tape: medical, duct tape, etc. wrapped on top. I did this all the time in high school, but the first time I didn't know to use plastic wrap---the pain was worse when I removed the tape than the initial pain in my legs. Just a thought.

[minnesotasmith]

If you will pour rubbing (isopropyl) alcohol over any tape you have on parts of your body, and let it sit for a few minutes, generally that tape will come off very easily without yanking out a bunch of hair. I'm hairy as a gorilla, and have done this trick many times over the years to remove bandaids, surgical tape over blisters, etc.

[dje97001]

I swear, the things you never knew you never knew. Thanks for the tip.

[Frosty]

3. Gradually, over time, on a regular schedule, do this specific exercise to strengthen your shins. Sit on a table or lounge chair with your lower legs extending over the side. put a small can of soup in a small bag with handles, loop the handles over the base of your toes, and slowly bend your foot up, hold to a count of 5, and lower it. Do each foot 5-6 times. After a couple of weeks, go to a slightly larger can, and so on. (Any good runner’s podiatrist will tell you all about these exercises.)You can do this in bed at night, too. Lay on your back with your feet pigeon-toed in at about 45*. Put the toes of one foot over the other, then curl the toes of the back foot up, while resisting with the other foot. This (and the exercise you mention) is one of the few exercises that will strengthen the shin muscle.

What happened to me (according to the doctor) was running too fast (Obviously he never saw me run, or he wouldn't have made THAT diagnosis.) But the longer stride overstretched my shin muscles, which where kind of overpowered by my calf muscles. (Chin-calf muscle pair similar to quad-hamstring - hamstring pulls come from too strong a quad in relation to hamstring)

Anyway, besides overstriding, walking on long downhill sections can also induce shin splints.

[Mountain Dew]

smokymtnsteve, "using hiking poles is also a culprit as the use of hiking poles encourage speed and distance,"--- That's funny because every hiker I knew that didn't use poles hiked faster than I did ...AND I was faster than the average hiker in '03.

Footslogger was 100% correct. As a former personal trainer i couldn't have said it any better so I will end this here by referring everyone to his entry. ;)

[Flash Hand]

I am glad to learn more about shin splints but I had a problem during attempt thru hike up to Clingsman Dome. It is not "shin splint" but ABOVE the knee but below the pelvis, on the front side.. the muscle burnt out and I couldn't hike any farther. So, what is it called? Yes, it went away and never came back after 3 zero days in Gatlinburg.

Also, both of my feet hurt BADLY when you stop hiking, even for one minute.. but didn't hurt during hiking. It really hurt when you got up in the morning. What is it called?

Would SuperFeet help reduce shin splints AND the pain in the feet?

Flash Hand :jump

[Uncle Wayne]

A runner told me to do the following when I developed shin splints a couple of years ago. Place your foot flat on the floor and start patting your foot as fast as you can, leaving the heel on the floor. Do this until you can't do it anymore and then switch to the other foot. Repeat 3 times each foot. You can do this almost anytime; while driving, taking a break on the trail, watching TV, reading the New Posts on WhiteBlaze or whatever.

In 2003 we took a scout troop to Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico and I had terrible shin splints the week before we left. I tried this exercise while driving to New Mexico from Alabama and never had a problem while on the 10 day backpacking trip. Hope this helps.

[Footslogger]

[QUOTE=Flash Hand]I am glad to learn more about shin splints but I had a problem during attempt thru hike up to Clingsman Dome. It is not "shin splint" but ABOVE the knee but below the pelvis, on the front side..

Flash Hand ...that's a different set of muscles and tendons but the cause/effect are most likely related. The large muscles of the upper leg (in the front) come together to form the Quadraceps Tendon, which runs down toward the knee. What you experienced sounds to me like either muscle strain/ache dur to a lack of conditioning (for that type of climb) or quadraceps tendonitis due to overworking of those muscles with inadequate pre/post hike stretching.

Tough for anyone to say for sure without knowing the exact location and nature of your pain/problem. A good exercise physiologist or athletic trainer could give you a more exact explanation.

'Slogger
AT 2003

[Flash Hand]

[QUOTE=Flash Hand]I am glad to learn more about shin splints but I had a problem during attempt thru hike up to Clingsman Dome. It is not "shin splint" but ABOVE the knee but below the pelvis, on the front side..

Flash Hand ...that's a different set of muscles and tendons but the cause/effect are most likely related. The large muscles of the upper leg (in the front) come together to form the Quadraceps Tendon, which runs down toward the knee. What you experienced sounds to me like either muscle strain/ache dur to a lack of conditioning (for that type of climb) or quadraceps tendonitis due to overworking of those muscles with inadequate pre/post hike stretching.

Tough for anyone to say for sure without knowing the exact location and nature of your pain/problem. A good exercise physiologist or athletic trainer could give you a more exact explanation.

'Slogger
AT 2003


it was the great problem when trying to do downhill hike. THere is no muscle to help hold me up. I have to depend on my left leg for support on downhill and the right leg for balance. That why I stopped about half miles north, descenting after Clingsman Dome and hitched down to Gatlinburg. Walking around the town, didnt feel that pain.. even right after I got off the truck. IT feels fine. Strange, ain't it?

Thanks for your inputs, it worth a lot to me and others who have similar problems.

Flash Hand :jump

[orangebug]

Flash Hand, I've had that same problem, initially when carrying excessive weight, and more recently for going downhill too fast.

I exhausted the anterior muscle group on thighs and this translated more into pain in both knees, particularly on further downhills. It rapidly recovered, but needed at least an hour or two of rest. I only gave myself 30 minutes and headed uphill, leaving myself on top of a hill and unable to move further on my first day hike after back surgery and a long hiatus from hiking.

Luckily, I was on a popular road for mountain bikers and able to hitch back to Hot Springs.

Shin splints, as I understand them, involve pain in tibia and the anterio-lateral muscle group that elevates your foot.

Bill...

[cshir003]

don't know how much truth there is to it but I've heard somewhere that shin splints are almost a sort of hailine stress fracture longitudinally in the bone. all I know for sure is that they hurt, and they happen when walking on unusually hard surfaces a lot. I've pulled 30 mile weekends, and been fine. The very next weekend I got em from hiking a trail with a 4 mile section on concrete.

[SGT Rock]

Shin splints can be an early indicator of stress factures starting, but you can have shin splints without stress fractures. I have had both.

[chknfngrs]

I ran track in HS and got shin splints from running 7 miles a day, 5 days in a row, for a 1 month. The constant pounding of the pavement led my shins in revolt. Went to the doctor, had them checked out. I was a leg up on a stress fracture...