Exercises to strengthen shins?

[TINKRD]

Shin splints are getting old fast. Any excerices besides tapping your toes?

[Ruffdaddy]

Heel walks. Walk around on your heels with your toes pointed as high in the air as you can.

[TeeShock]

What are you putting your shins through that is causing splints?

[Broncojohnny]

Anything that makes you raise your toes. Mostly you are going to have to tough it out though, they can take months to go away.

[BadCompanyVPWS6]

Keep running.

[TINKRD]

What are you putting your shins through that is causing splints?

recently took up running outdoors several times a week.

[Ruffdaddy]

Keep running.

Not always the answer...

[Vertnut]

I learned an exercise back in high school from my old football trainer: slip the front of your feet under a sofa, and try to lift the sofa with the tops of your feet. You can instantly feel the muscles in your shins flex. I never had any more shin splint issues. Be aware though, that sometimes in the case of chronic shin splints, there are actually stress fractures in the shin bones.

[ThreeFingerPete]

Run differently or get better shoes.

[SlowLX]

http://www.sportsinjurybulletin.com/archive/0161-shin-splints-treatment.htm

First thing I would do is evaluate your running form to make sure you're not running like a tard. Otherwise maybe you increased your mileage or time running hills quicker than your legs were ready for? Also I like to keep little dixie cups full of frozen water around to ice down my shins after a hard run.

[jdgregory84]

From wikipedia:

Most shin splints can be attributed to overloading the muscles of the lower extremities or biomechanical irregularities. Muscle imbalance, including weakened core muscles lead to more lower-extremity injuries; also the inflexibility and tightness of the gastrocnemius, soleus, and plantar muscles can contribute to shin splints. [1] Increasing activity, intensity, and duration too quickly leads to shin splints because the tendons and muscles are unable to absorb the impact of the shock force as they become fatigued; also, the tibial bone-remodeling capabilities are overloaded. Some experts believe that this pain is caused from disruption of Sharpey fibers that connect the medial soleus fascia through the periosteum of the tibia to insert into the bone.[2] With repetitive stress, the impact forces eccentrically fatigue the soleus and create repeated tibial bending or bowing; thus, contributing to MTSS. The impact is made worse by running on uneven terrain, uphill, downhill, or hard surfaces. Improper footwear, including worn-out shoes can also contribute to shin splints.

While MTSS is the most common name, other conditions often overlap as causes including compartment syndrome and stress fractures. Females are 1.5 to 3.5 times more likely to progress to stress fractures from shin splints, but this is mostly due in part to females having a higher incidence of diminished bone density and osteoporosis. Shin splint pain is described as a recurring dull ache along the posteromedial aspect of the distal two-thirds of the tibia[3]; the difference in stress fracture pain is that it is typically localized to the fracture site and is more proximal than the pain caused by MTSS.[4] Studies have found that there are no neurological or vascular abnormalities associated with MTSS.

Flat feet are prone to shin splints. Bio-mechanically, over-pronation is the common cause for medial tibial stress syndrome. It involves excessive inward rolling that causes tibial twisting and overstretching of the lower extremity muscles. Having poor form, such as leaning forward or backward too much, as well as landing on the balls of your feet and running with toes pointing outwards all contribute to the causation of shin splints.

Sounds like shin splints come from weighing too much impact on those muscles. So either you're too fat, you're workouts or just too hardcore, or your running form sucks. Just a suggestion, but if you're yogging, you're supposed to land softly on the back of your foot and roll onto the front. Sprinters apparently have a lot of problems because they're on the front of their feet so much.

[Jonny00GT]

"Can of Worms"

I eliminated my shin splints, arch pain, calf fatigue, knee pain, hip pain and lower back tightness by taking off my shoes before I run.(after learning correct form to do so and easing into it.) ;o)

RuffDaddy should have some sage advice for running properly in shoes, though. Heal striking is jarring and the heavier you are, the worse it is. Prior to Nike inventing the fat heal running shoe for "Jogging", everyone ran the same way...Mid and forefoot landing in flat sole canvas shoes or leather slipper looking track shoes. When done correctly, this will eliminate the initial impact AND you won't be pulling up hard on your toes to stretch your heal out in front of you, wearing out that muscle. There is plenty of research on this.

You can look into the Pose Method, Chi Running or Barefoot style. They encourage a mid to forefoot landing with feet touching down under you, not out front. Even if you don't go barefoot, it's my opinion, the form used will prevent both shin splints and joint pain.

You can check out some info and research here: http://barefootrunners.org/story/bar...unning-library
Apply it how you like.

If you want to be a runner, it's my advice to become a student of the activity and look at it from all angles and see what works for you.

Hope that helps.

-Jonny

[TINKRD]

Just a suggestion, but if you're yogging, you're supposed to land softly on the back of your foot and roll onto the front.

This goes against anything i've ever been told by any runner or running clinic i've been to. Heel striking is a big no-no.

[Cobraman]

This will work.

To lazy to embed. skip to 20sec.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0siGwGL5dk8

[TeeShock]

recently took up running outdoors several times a week.

Run differently or get better shoes.

^^^
I have shin splints and they only come around when I run a lot. stretching before you exercise is pretty f'n key too.

Try different shoes. I get splints in nikes. I have had great luck with running in my reebok zig techs. but shoes are all relative to the user.

maybe some shin braces (neoprene tubes) until you build up some running beef.