I’m coming around to some slow acceptance of shin splints being a Fact if Life — running can be hard, running on hard surfaces can be very hard on the body of the non bionic kind. In a recent comment, John wrote:
I am a physical therapist and found your shin splint troubles quite interesting. I’m sure many folks have thrown in their two cents about how to care for your shin splints, so I hope you don’t mind if I do.
I’ve treated many cases of shin splints with traditional PT techniques – heat, ultrasound, electric stimulation, stretching, strengthening, etc. – and have had little success in having patients return to their sport without eventually having their pain return. I have, however, had great success using orthotics to correct the mechanics of the foot, which in turn takes care of the shin splints.
That pretty much describes my experience the last few weeks with Physical Therapy, which utilized all those methods. it brought some relief (when not running), but with just a few runs, the pain was right back where it was before. I really appreciate the care and attention at Foothills Sports Clinic, the folks there are great, and I was told at the beginning that orthotics might be something to consider. But having paid for half of the PT out of pocket (til I met my deductible) and the time it was taking away from work and other things I need to attend to, I am backing off from it and re-evaluating.
Maybe a switch to other activities is a better idea- biking, swimming? Maybe just more time. I’ve heard and read just about every suggestion under the sun, and then some. My new doctor strongly recommends icing before running — she says it will not cure the problem, but allow me perhaps to go a bit further before the pain returns.
To be continued? remains to be seen.
name: Alan Levine
All I can say is “ouch” — if running continues to be an exercise in pain for you, I’d definitely consider switching to other activities, at least part-time, to give your shins a rest. It can’t be fun to constantly run in pain, as I know from experience. But, for me the pain generally hasn’t been long-term. Hope yours isn’t either!
man, i’m sorry to hear you have reached this point. i have been going back through one of the books i use as a resource and it lists a litany of possible causes for shin splints. most likely, though, it’s a problem with your mechanics that has created additional injury issues.
one thing that struck me about the possible solutions was that it was pretty high on othopedics. the logic being that there is some flaw in the way you run and the most direct way to address it is through forcing it to permanently change.
which means a visit to a podiatrist would be the next step. of course, after you figure that out, you end up working on fixing the damage that has been caused… thus more physical therapy.
i know its an expense but do consider all of the upsides that come with the investment. i’m on a VERY fixed budget but i’ve never regretted the money i’ve put into my running. and it’s been quite a bit more than i ever expected, thats for sure.
in any case, i’ve been back on the pavement these last few weeks trying to see if i’ve made a recover from my own rendevous with abuse. not sure yet if i’m actually healed up or exactly what shape i’m in so it’s far to early to predict when i’ll be racing again.
but RNRAZ08 is looking more like a possibility every day.