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Running can be hard on your body. Getting shin splints makes running harder. I’ve only had shin splints a couple of times. Shin Splints (weird name) are pains along the Tibialis anterior muscles, i.e., the shin bone.
But apparently, running isn’t the only way you can get shin splints. The injury from running comes from essentially slapping your forefoot down. This can happen in any sport involved with running, i.e., tennis, basketball, etc.
I found this out last weekend when I was hiking down the east side of Pikes Peak on Barr Trail. After hiking 7.5 miles up to Barr Camp, I hiked down. During my descent, I noticed that my left shin kept getting sorer and sorer. I knew what it was and what I used to do to fix it.
Suggestions to help
Before writing this, I went to Youtube and looked at a number of videos with recommendations for dealing with the pain. Some said to wear compression socks. Another said to take acetaminophen (for the pain.) The trouble is you don’t want to really mask the pain because you might make it worse. Another said, to roll your shins. That might work, too. But I found out what works for me.
How to help it heal
Actually, I determined that the muscle soreness comes from the Tibialis anterior muscles cramping. Or so it seems. So what I do is sit in a chair and extend my leg. Now point your toes until you feel the pain in your shin. At the point of pain or a little further, rotate your foot in a clockwise manner ten times. Then, while still keeping the toes extended, rotate your foot in a counter-clockwise direction ten times. Do this a couple of times a day.
When I do this, I usually get almost immediate relief. With all the pain gone within a day or so. It’s like the muscle is stuck in cramping mode and you need to stretch it out. For me, the pain is from the cramping. So give this a try and let me know how it works for you.
Here’s a link to a video of the exercise.