Shin Splints...

dcfaithful

I'm going to see a podiatrist today to see if maybe he can give me some insight on this problem, but has anybody else had these during their physical activity?

I play basketball on a rec league and play multiple times a week. For the past two weeks, my shins have been fucking killing me. I've had to take two Aleve before each game to get rid of the pain long enough for me to play. I don't want to keep doing that and rely on drugs to get me through. Once I get home, I ice my legs... it sucks. The next day is brutal. I don't want to keep playing on them without figuring something out because I don't want to do further damage. I have been told that it could be in the form of my run... which is very possible. It's likely that I have bad form when I run, and I feel like I do as I'm running, but I don't know how to correct it.. honestly, I'm just not a runner... the only running I do is up and down the court. I also bought new, much better quality basketball shoes because I needed a new pair anyway, and I thought these might help more but the first day I played in them my legs hurt even more then they did before.

A friend of mine suggested the possibility of microfractures. I'm not sure... that's why I scheduled an appointment with a podiatrist today, and then my general physician tomorrow. I'm actually not sure which doctor will help more, but I scheduled appointments with both as close as I could so I can get as much help with this.

Anyway, just wanted to see if anyone here had some input before I go to this appointment. Has anyone had these to the point where it really affects the activity you're doing? Have any suggestions for remedies? A guy that I practice with every Thursday mentioned compression sleeves for your legs... he said they helped him. I plan on asking the doc about this but I'm curious to see what some of you forum athletes might have to say.

Johnny Abruzzo

Shin splints should go away about 10-15 minutes into your workout, and should only last maybe a couple weeks before going away. It's a matter of muscle getting stronger before bone, so the bone can't quite take the impact and has to catch up.

Your problem sounds perhaps more serious - hopefully it's not a stress fracture.

You might be wearing the wrong kind of shoes, or worn out shoes. Make sure you bring your shoes to the podiatrist. Good luck!

dcfaithful

Johnny Abruzzo wrote:

Shin splints should go away about 10-15 minutes into your workout, and should only last maybe a couple weeks before going away. It's a matter of muscle getting stronger before bone, so the bone can't quite take the impact and has to catch up.

Your problem sounds perhaps more serious - hopefully it's not a stress fracture.

You might be wearing the wrong kind of shoes, or worn out shoes. Make sure you bring your shoes to the podiatrist. Good luck!

So in the situation that it is not a stress fracture or anything like that, would strengthening my calves help the problem?

conman

dcfaithful wrote:

Johnny Abruzzo wrote:

Shin splints should go away about 10-15 minutes into your workout, and should only last maybe a couple weeks before going away. It's a matter of muscle getting stronger before bone, so the bone can't quite take the impact and has to catch up.

Your problem sounds perhaps more serious - hopefully it's not a stress fracture.

You might be wearing the wrong kind of shoes, or worn out shoes. Make sure you bring your shoes to the podiatrist. Good luck!

So in the situation that it is not a stress fracture or anything like that, would strengthening my calves help the problem?

yes it should, also stretch your calves before your workout if you don't already

shin splints suck balls

Johnny Abruzzo

dcfaithful wrote:

Johnny Abruzzo wrote:

Shin splints should go away about 10-15 minutes into your workout, and should only last maybe a couple weeks before going away. It's a matter of muscle getting stronger before bone, so the bone can't quite take the impact and has to catch up.

Your problem sounds perhaps more serious - hopefully it's not a stress fracture.

You might be wearing the wrong kind of shoes, or worn out shoes. Make sure you bring your shoes to the podiatrist. Good luck!

So in the situation that it is not a stress fracture or anything like that, would strengthening my calves help the problem?

Should. For running, you can usually just plow through shin splints and eventually they get better.

Once again it's critical to wear good, proper footwear.

SP103068

Someone sent me this website not too long ago.

http://gizmodo.com/5902699/banish-shin- ... l-exercise

When I get shin splints I get them on the insides of my shins rather than the front, so this exercise didn't help me too much, but for pain in the front, this is supposed to be fantastic. Good luck.

jason

Shin splints are very painful, but just got to fight through it after a few weeks they should go away. Ice those babies several times a day with either a ice bath or rub a frozen Dixie Cup up and down your shins. That and stretch those shin and calf muscles. They hurt but go away.

green mountain man

Prior to the MD visits educate yourself. :idea:
Wikipedia (shin splints ) usually has comprehensive info on most medical conditions.
This will allow you to get the most out of your appointments. :?:
Many MDs do not spend enough time with patients . They are more concerned seeing as many people as possible to maximize profits. :nono:
Make sure your physical exam includes these steps.
INSPECTION : Ideally, the inspection the body part involved and also evaluation of the working conditions or actual performance of the sport in question. Exam of the shoes may give very important clues.
PALPATION : Localized tenderness is a very helpful sign in pinpointing the anatomic structure affected.
Swelling may be present. Exam of the swelling should include location , size, surface, consistency, edges, tenderness and tissues of origin.
RANGE of MOTION : Examination of ROM is very important. Active and passive ROM should be carried out.

PLAIN X -RAYS are done for a suspected stress fracture. They may not show anything for a few weeks, and later there may only be a faint fracture line which can be missed easily. After some months, these fractures form a very thick callus and are sometimes diagnosed retrospectively.
BONE SCANS pick up stress fractures earlier than plain x-rays. There is increased uptake at the fracture site.
MANAGEMENT : IT IS IMPORTANT TO AVOID OR COMPLETELY STOP THE ACTIVITY THAT AGGRAVATES PAIN AND SYMPTOMS. Physical therapy has treatment modalities that can help.

CLINICAL VARIETIES;
Anterior tibial compartment syndrome of the leg. Also known as anterior tibial syndrome and traumatic necrosis of pretibial muscles.
Make sure you bring this up during your visit. !!!!!!
This can be a cause of SHIN SPLINTS. Excessive physical activity is the usual precipitating cause.
Pain of varying severity is felt over the anterior aspect of the leg. The anterior muscle compartment feels tense and tender.skin over it is pink and warm.The patient is unable to dorsi-flex the foot and complains of severe pain on passive plantar flexion.

GOOD LUCK.
Remember that informed patients get the best outcomes and have an enhancement of shared decision making with the MD.This also helps keeps health care costs down :thumbup:

PNuttyJam

I dealt with shin splints for a long time and finally got over it by building my calf muscles by running in Vibrams. My running technique sucked ass in running shoes as I would heel strike and then slap my foot on the ground, which in turn creates stress on your shin. The Vibrams force you not heel strike, because it fucking hurts if you do. It took a few weeks of building up muscles in my lower legs, mainly my calves, but the shin splits have never returned.

If you don't like running, I suggest just doing some aerobic workouts in Vibrams or barefoot. That Gizmodo link is a great exercise. Stretching is extremely important.

dcfaithful

Just got back from the podiatrist. Great guy. I really liked him. He asked a lot of relevant questions, gave me his utmost attention, and actually bothered to strike up a casual, non-professional conversation with me. I love it when I encounter a doctor like this.

On to the feet/shins. He had me do a couple things as he watched my feet and he gave me very detailed feedback as to what he saw, what he thought could be influencing the pain, etc.

Thanks to whoever told me to bring in the shoes, cause he was very grateful that I did so. Especially since they are the shoes I wear when I conduct the activity that gives me the most pain. He requested that next time I come in I bring my hiking boots too, as I told him that during the spring/summer/fall, I am an avid hiker.

Right now I have supports (basically these cotton insoles) taped under the arch of my foot that I'm supposed to wear everyday until I see him next. He said he wants to see what my feet are doing during everyday activities and go from there. I told him I wear Chuck Taylor's as casual shoes and he seemed to think that wasn't the best idea (I agree, as they are pretty flat).

Greatest thing was when he said "I'm going to just assume that you experience some kind of back pain, maybe in your lower back." The answer to that is yes, and he seems to think that correcting whatever is happening to make my shins feel the way they do might help my back as well. He demonstrated that when your feet do particular motions, it makes a pelvic change which fatigues the back muscles. As he pointed out, when my feet roll inward (I can't remember the word he used to describe this motion), that my knees and hips are reacting in a more stressed manner than they should.

Either way, I liked the guy as a doc, and I think he'll be able to help me with this. He did mention the dixie cup w/ ice thing when they are sore.

He requested that I do not play in my basketball game tonight. :(

I asked quite a bit of questions, which I think was beneficial for me, but I forgot to ask these:

- When can I play again? We have a bye on Wednesday and the next game is Monday, but I always like to practice in between games to stay fresh.

Gotta give this guy a call...
- Should I play with these taped supports on?

dcfaithful

green mountain man wrote:

Prior to the MD visits educate yourself. :idea:
Wikipedia (shin splints ) usually has comprehensive info on most medical conditions.
This will allow you to get the most out of your appointments. :?:
Many MDs do not spend enough time with patients . They are more concerned seeing as many people as possible to maximize profits. :nono:
Make sure your physical exam includes these steps.
INSPECTION : Ideally, the inspection the body part involved and also evaluation of the working conditions or actual performance of the sport in question. Exam of the shoes may give very important clues.
PALPATION : Localized tenderness is a very helpful sign in pinpointing the anatomic structure affected.
Swelling may be present. Exam of the swelling should include location , size, surface, consistency, edges, tenderness and tissues of origin.
RANGE of MOTION : Examination of ROM is very important. Active and passive ROM should be carried out.

PLAIN X -RAYS are done for a suspected stress fracture. They may not show anything for a few weeks, and later there may only be a faint fracture line which can be missed easily. After some months, these fractures form a very thick callus and are sometimes diagnosed retrospectively.
BONE SCANS pick up stress fractures earlier than plain x-rays. There is increased uptake at the fracture site.
MANAGEMENT : IT IS IMPORTANT TO AVOID OR COMPLETELY STOP THE ACTIVITY THAT AGGRAVATES PAIN AND SYMPTOMS. Physical therapy has treatment modalities that can help.

CLINICAL VARIETIES;
Anterior tibial compartment syndrome of the leg. Also known as anterior tibial syndrome and traumatic necrosis of pretibial muscles.
Make sure you bring this up during your visit. !!!!!!
This can be a cause of SHIN SPLINTS. Excessive physical activity is the usual precipitating cause.
Pain of varying severity is felt over the anterior aspect of the leg. The anterior muscle compartment feels tense and tender.skin over it is pink and warm.The patient is unable to dorsi-flex the foot and complains of severe pain on passive plantar flexion.

GOOD LUCK.
Remember that informed patients get the best outcomes and have an enhancement of shared decision making with the MD.This also helps keeps health care costs down :thumbup:

Thanks for this post!

dcfaithful

SP103068 wrote:

Someone sent me this website not too long ago.

http://gizmodo.com/5902699/banish-shin- ... l-exercise

When I get shin splints I get them on the insides of my shins rather than the front, so this exercise didn't help me too much, but for pain in the front, this is supposed to be fantastic. Good luck.

My shin splits happen on both legs and on the inside as well. Close towards the ankles... I was able to point out the exact location of them to the doc because they are still somewhat tender today. I feel them even as I climb stairs.

I'll have to give this exercise a shot. Thanks! :thumbup:

Johnny Abruzzo

Glad your appt went well.

Your feet rolling inwards, I believe, is pronating or overpronating.

Hope you're feeling better and back on the court soon!

dcfaithful

Johnny Abruzzo wrote:

Glad your appt went well.

Your feet rolling inwards, I believe, is pronating or overpronating.

Hope you're feeling better and back on the court soon!

Pronating! That's the word. Thank you.

Yeah, me too. I'm still going to the game tonight to support my team and help out as a cheerleader.

But damnit, I want to play so bad.

Johnny Abruzzo

dcfaithful wrote:

Johnny Abruzzo wrote:

Glad your appt went well.

Your feet rolling inwards, I believe, is pronating or overpronating.

Hope you're feeling better and back on the court soon!

Pronating! That's the word. Thank you.

Yeah, me too. I'm still going to the game tonight to support my team and help out as a cheerleader.

But damnit, I want to play so bad.

People who run are familiar with a lot of this shit.

Constant Recoil...

Something a college track runner told me once that her track coach told her to do was to trace the alphabet with your toe using your ankle. I don't really know what it does, maybe stretches? But it really worked for me. Plus that Dixie cup thing was like a miracle! I would do it ever day at night and my shin splits were gone in about 2 weeks!

JaneNY

dcfaithful wrote:

SP103068 wrote:

Someone sent me this website not too long ago.

http://gizmodo.com/5902699/banish-shin- ... l-exercise

When I get shin splints I get them on the insides of my shins rather than the front, so this exercise didn't help me too much, but for pain in the front, this is supposed to be fantastic. Good luck.

My shin splits happen on both legs and on the inside as well. Close towards the ankles... I was able to point out the exact location of them to the doc because they are still somewhat tender today. I feel them even as I climb stairs.

I'll have to give this exercise a shot. Thanks! :thumbup:

I can tell you after reading this exercise that I think it will work if you are diligent. I've done a variation of it, where you sit in a chair, and repeatedly tap your feet with your heels remaining on floor - you do it until the muscles in your shins get fatigued. I'm a fitness instructor who teaches 10 classes a week, and got shin splints when trying out a different company's shoes than I normally wear and the exercise I described cured it, and the one above looks good too.

dcfaithful

JaneNY wrote:

dcfaithful wrote:

SP103068 wrote:

Someone sent me this website not too long ago.

http://gizmodo.com/5902699/banish-shin- ... l-exercise

When I get shin splints I get them on the insides of my shins rather than the front, so this exercise didn't help me too much, but for pain in the front, this is supposed to be fantastic. Good luck.

My shin splits happen on both legs and on the inside as well. Close towards the ankles... I was able to point out the exact location of them to the doc because they are still somewhat tender today. I feel them even as I climb stairs.

I'll have to give this exercise a shot. Thanks! :thumbup:

I can tell you after reading this exercise that I think it will work if you are diligent. I've done a variation of it, where you sit in a chair, and repeatedly tap your feet with your heels remaining on floor - you do it until the muscles in your shins get fatigued. I'm a fitness instructor who teaches 10 classes a week, and got shin splints when trying out a different company's shoes than I normally wear and the exercise I described cured it, and the one above looks good too.

Doing your exercise as we speak while on the couch and watching basketball.

dcfaithful

Gotta come clean... I played tonight, but it's only because a player on our team was sick and chose not to play so I came off the bench.

I will say that, with the makeshift supports the doc put on my feet until I see him next time, the shin splints seemed to go away...

I really need to get rid of these all together though. My inability to run at full performance affects my ability to play, which ultimately affects the enjoyment I get out of the game. :x

Claireack

Podiatrists Rule!!!

Thoughts_Arrive

I suffer from them, in fact I did a run tonight and had slight discomfort then it went away a couple of minutes into my run. And I have properly fitted runners and sole inserts.

Riverrunner

My husband has had shin splints and I have had two tibial stress fractures which were first diagnosed as shin splints. The answers we got as to shin splints was anti-inflammatory (ibuprofen) and stretches/strengthening. You can google and get all sorts of exercises/stretches. I fell into the habit of doing my foot/shin exercises after I swim. I hold one foot up and then walk with the other foot - like a caterpillar. I do 60 steps each foot. Then I walk on my heels until point of exhaustion (doesn't take long until shins give out).

I also stretch before I run. One foot forward with heel on floor position toes/front part of foot on wall, curb, base of inversion table (in my case) and lean forward. Then do other foot.

As to stress fractures you have to do an MRI. X-rays will not show hairline cracks until they start to heal. After the treatment for shin splints didn't work I went to an orthopedist (instead of my PA) and he did an MRI. I had to wear a boot for a while and went back for regular x-rays to show healing. I am very careful now, because those two back to back stress fractures kept me out of a lot of activity for a while.