Shin Splints are a condition that result in pain along the boarder of the tibia

(shinbone). Shin Splints can be taken care of with a little TLC. The pain is a result of the muscles pulling on the lining of your shinbone. If the stress of running exceeds your body’s ability to strengthen the area, your shin will start to hurt. Training errors and foot mechanics affect this area substantially. To correct these training errors visit Principles of Recovery. There are a couple of locations that shin splints develop; and treatment is a little bit different for each location.

A) Medial tibial stress syndrome is the term for shin splints that affect the inner border of the tibia (shinbone). If you rub your finger firmly along the inner border of your tibia you should be able to locate the sore area. Pain is more commonly felt in the middle third of the shin but can be higher or lower.

Treatments:

• Principles of Recovery.
• Insoles, or orthotics (custom foot supports) may help support the foot so that the muscles that attach to the shin don’t have to work as hard or as long.
• Carefully stretching the calf muscles two or three times per day can often speed recovery. The bent knee calf stretch is particularly effective, you should stretch firmly enough to notice a gentle stretch in the area of pain. See bent knee calf stretches and straight knee calf stretches.
• Ice is effective and should be applied after each run. For a fast and furious approach, try an ice massage as described in Principles of Recovery.
• Don’t forget strengthening and balance training. It is amazing how well this works, especially if you have been dealing with shin splints for a while. The Injured Runner – A Balanced Solution explains specifics to get over shin splints.
• An anti-inflammatory can be used to reduce the pain and inflammation. Ibunex is a new product that contains ibuprofen as well as a blend of glucosamine and MSN.
• Massaging the muscle tissue along the border of the shin often speeds recovery. Use your thumb and some lotion to stroke upward along the shinbone. Some have success doing this in the shower or tub to loosen their shins up at the start of the day. I haven’t had much success doing this prior to a run – it seems to make it more sore.
• Walking bare-foot for 2-5 minutes helps to strengthening the muscles in the feet which will decrease the strain on the area of the shin. This works best in a grassy area but is also benificial if a sidewalk is your only option.

B) Anterior lateral tibial stress syndrome is the term for shin splints that affect the outer border of the tibia (shinbone). If you rub your finger firmly along the front, outer border of the tibia you should be able to locate the sore area. The muscles that attach to this portion of the tibia (dorsiflexors) lift your toes toward your shin. This group of muscles are the most used muscles while running – they are active for a greater portion of the running cycle than any other muscle.

Treatments:

• See Principles of Recovery.
• Stretching does wonders to improve these shin splints. If your calf muscles are tight there will be more work for these muscles (dorsiflexors) and also more stress on the bone. The bent knee calf stretches and straight knee calf stretches two to three times per day should be done. Stretching the dorsiflexor muscles will also help workout the soreness in this area. See bent knee calf stretches and straight knee calf stretches. as well as dorsiflexor stretch.
• Ice is effective and should be applied after each run. Again for a fast and furious approach, try ice massage as described in Principles of Recovery”.
• Strengthening of the dorsiflexors is often very effective for these shin splints. A way of strengthening them is walking on your heels for a couple of minutes. If walking on your heels is painful, try doing the same movement while seated in a chair. Perform several repetitions – these are endurance muscles. The Injured Runner – A Balanced Solution also presents a strengthening exercise for these muscles.
• Massaging the muscle on the front of the shin helps reduce the pain. You can massage your self by sliding your fingers along the front, outer border of the shin working upwards towards your knee.
• An anti-inflammatory can be used to reduce the pain and inflammation. See Ibunex. It is a new product that contains ibuprofen as well as a blend of glucosamine and MSN.
• Insoles, or orthotics (custom foot supports) may help support the foot so that the muscles that attach to the shin don’t have to work as hard or as long.

Things you might want to eat during running are sports gels and bars, and sports drinks or water.

Water

Runners should eat more high-carbohydrate foods to keep their muscles fueled and avoid sugary foods, such as candy and soda, within an hour before hard exercise. 

Pasta

Chocolate

What food do you eat before and during your running? Happy running!

With that said, we have created a DVD, The Injured Runner – A Balanced Solution to enhance your running adventures.

This DVD was developed to help create core stability, strength, balance and flexibility. You’ll learn the eight most important exercises to prevent injury and speed recovery, as well as 26 stretches to incorporate into your daily routine.

There is over 2 hrs. and 15 min. of helpful tips and instruction on leading a happy running journey as well it can prevent injury in other sports.

Currently the The Injured Runner – A Balanced Solution is only $18.95.

This DVD was created by Brian Whitesides, who has been a physical therapist for over 12 years and has helped treat hundreds of runners.

You can access more information about the DVD, and the research done to create the DVD by going to this link.

Enjoy! Let us know if this DVD has helped you.

We found that stretching after running has produced the best results. If stretching before as a warm up, stretch each area for five to ten seconds.

Injured from running? We recommend stretching twice a day to speed up the recovery process. Gently stretching the injured area for 30 seconds before you run will help loosen tight muscles.

What do you think is best? Have favorite stretches? We would love to hear about them on our blog.

A slight strain will allow you to continue running, but will recur if you begin speed training too soon. You are best off eliminating speed workouts for a week then resume gradually.

Here are 3 quick tips on stopping the hamstrings from flaming up?

1. Often people will take oral medicine for their flare ups, like Ibuprofen. We find using a Ibunex would be better than an oral medicine because this is a spray and doesn’t cause harmful side effects. This spray (Ibunex) absorbs more quickly than other topical sprays and includes Ibuprofen, Glucosamine Sulfate, Chondroitin Sulfate, MSM and Bromelain.
2. Another tip is icing your hamstrings, which is also an anti-inflammatory solution.
3. Stretching out hamstrings are another great way to solve the problem. We have two links of stretching tips. Click here or check out this link.

On those links are other tips on how to stop and prevent inflamed hamstrings.

Hope these help. Let us know what you do to stop inflamed hamstrings. Thanks!

There are five elements runners should pay attention to. By following these five actions, runners will be safer during their running journey.

Toe Up- lift your toes when performing the running action at the same time to decrease the angle of the foot from the front of the legs

Heel Up- pull the foot straight up

Knee Up- keeps the leg parallel to the ground

Reach Out- foot should move vertical to the direction you are running

Claw Back- move foot in the opposite direction to which you are running

Please leave us feedback if this information is useful for you. We would love to see your comments.

Three basic foot types:

High arch

Normal arch

Flat foot

If you know your foot type, find it on the chart and match it to the alignment and shoe type to find your favorite running shoes.

After figuring out which shoe you need, go to this link to find the best shoe for you.

Tell us about your favorite running shoe. Why is it your favorite? How much is it? What brand is it?

Thanks and happy running!

• A side ache or side stitch is a pain in the abdominal region that is associated with exercise.
• Runners are ten times more likely to experience side aches than cyclists.
• Running, endurance horseback riding and swimming are the sports with the most reported side aches.
• Younger runners get side aches / stitches more often than adults.

6 point program to eliminate side aches.

1. Learn what the real cause of a side ache / stitch is.
2. Learn the most effective stretches for side aches with detailed descriptions.
3. Learn the most effective abdominal strengthening exercises for side aches.
4. Learn principles of relaxation to improve your running form and reduce side aches.
5. Learn which factors make you more likely to get a side ache.
6. Learn how to ease a side ache once it happens

*Chart your performance to ensure success.*

The Side Ache Solution eBook doesn’t require any awkward alterations to your running (like some popular sports medicine physicians have recommended), extra equipment or swallowing a magic pill. This program is based on sound principles of sports medicine.

You can buy the Side Ache Solution eBook by clicking on the title. It is only $9.95.

Give us feedback if these tips helped you by posting a comment.

Injured Runner Home Page

At injuredrunner.com you will find comprehensive information to manage your running injury.  Our goal is to get runners back to what they love to do…run! We want to know, how do you feel about the injured runner.com website. Leave your comments. What can we do better and what information do you want that we don’t have? Leave a comment, and don’t forget to check out our DVD, “A Balanced Solution”.

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