Jonathan Webber I have a problem that I believe is shin splints.
I went out for a run 3 hrs on Saturday. A little while into it, I don't remember exactly when, I felt a little tweak in my right leg midway up the shin. I didn't think much of it and finished the run.
The next day, I went out for an hour. It was a little more sore the next day and bothered me most of the way, kind of a nagging pain, nothing to slow me down though.
I took Monday off and Tuesday at work, I found I could barely walk without excruciating pain. It is centered about midway up the leg, outside of the tibia or behind it, I'm not exactly sure. I can walk for about 50 yards before the stabbing knife carves out my leg. There is no touch tenderness in the area and pushing on the face of the tibia causes no problems, but just try and walk a few feet!
Does this sound like normal shin splint activity? How long before I can run again?
I am using the RICE therapy and when quiet there is no discomfort. I had to drop out of VT for heart problems so that is not a concern, but I am still hoping for Wasatch. Is this unrealistic?
Dave Hurd;
I don't have a comprehensive reply. I do know that one can stave off shin splint problems by sitting on a countertop, legs dangling, and dorsiflex the feet (raising the toes toward the ceiling), say 25 times. Once one can do this, begin to add weight. How? Use one gallon paint cans, EMPTY-, two of them, one for each foot. Wrap the handles with clothes line. Dorsiflex 25 times. Stop momentarily at the top each time, and at the bottom each time. Once one can do this, begin to fill the cans with sand. On reaching full cans, one has strengthened the attachment of the muscle to the shin enough that many people will not have shin splints. Clearly, one can not begin this preventive treatment while in pain. I saw this years ago in a column by George Sheehan, and it sure works for me. Now I do once per week.
Jim Stephenson
Jonathan Webber asked about shin splints. One thing that can give rise to these symptoms is a stress fracture. The posterior tibular tendon can become tough enough to crack the tibia, I think particularly
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