You are not alone. This is a common running complaint, and one that increases at this time of the year as runners work towards their New Year challenges, and in London, the mileage rises for those training for the London Marathon.
Take a simple look at the technical side of your running to find underlying potential risks for your tissues. Shins splints causes runners huge problems, and can really affect your ability to run.
However it is not just as simple as settling down the pain you need to understand the causes of your problem, and then address them. one commonly seen problem is runners who have become \\\’Bouncers\\\’ – a term used for runners that tend to move up and down through their running stride. This vertical motion is not only inefficient, it also increases the loading and work of other muscles and tissues through the lower leg.
One of the changes can lead to increased work through the calves to keep the forward propulsion of your running motion. As a side effect runners tend to end up pointing their toes behind them, then having to draw through ankle range to obtain heel strike at impact. This creates increased work work for the lower leg muscles and over time can lead to shin splints.
Shin Splints:
Pain on either lateral or medial side of the shin bone.
Will be stiff first thing in the morning.
Painful to run however will remain painful when walking after time too.
Can be worse in summer if wearing sandals or flip flops more frequently.
Early diagnosis via a physiotherapist will help early management.
Taping can unload the pressure early on.
You should adjust your running according to the level of pain you are experiencing.
Once pain settles get to the bottom of the cause!
Build A Better Runner