Don’t Let Shin Splints Stop You From Running

Shin splints tend to be a frequent beginner’s injury, so numerous experienced athletes believe they are invulnerable. However tibial strain is probably the prime cause |associated with shin splints and generally is caused by over-stressing your legs, a side effect that can happen even in seasoned athletes. In case you experience pain in your shinbone while running, check your training log for increment of intensity or distance. Running on hard or uneven surfaces can also be factors for shin splints. Also, wearing old shoes can cause shin splints.

Taking a rest for a few days, stretching, icing and strengthening your legs are some of the effective strategies to help you in the shin splints treatment process.

Shin splints treatment:

– At the initial indication involving soreness, take some time off from running. Instead, you can do low impact exercises like cycling or swimming.

– Take anti-inflammatory medical treatments and put a bag with ice on your shins after the workout.

– Apply ice to the painful spot after the workout.

– The following stage of treatment (after the first 48 to 72 hours) consists of a number of physical rehabilitation techniques. The application of heat and massage is one of the most effective treatments amd brings probably the best results in speeding up the healing process of the muscles and tendons. Make sure to massage the calves and front tibia prior and after your workout.

Preventing shin splints from developing:

Prevention is actually a more important step than the treatment itself. Before any sign of shin splints appears, there are a few simple preventive actions that can be easily applied:

– Always warm up well before you start running. With the warm up exercises you actually pump blood which carries oxygen and nutrients into lower leg muscles. This way the muscles will be ready for intense running instead of being stiff and tight.

– Strengthen your calves and shin muscles and tendons with appropriate exercises.

– Stretch your muscles and tendons regularly and make them more flexible.When the muscles are flexible and elastic, they are able to move and perform without being over-stretched. Use exercises like Achilles stretches to stretch your lower legs.

– To prevent the reoccurring of the pain, continue to stretch out and doing the calve exercises even after the pain is gone.

– Be sure to change your running sneakers if they are worn out.


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