3 STRETCHES AND EXERCISES TREAT AND HEAL SHIN SPLINTS
You want to get off to a flying start and hit the road full of energy and motivation. But right from the beginning, you feel pain running up the inside of your lower leg. Most of the time, the pain goes away while you are running.
But frequently, the pain lasts for several days, making it difficult to keep training. “These symptoms are a sign of medial tibial stress syndrome (MTSS), or what is known as shin splints. Nearly a quarter of all interruptions in training can be traced back to this overloading syndrome.
The pain usually builds up for weeks and, in severe cases, can make running virtually impossible,” explains running expert and coach Sascha Wingenfeld.
The following three exercises help prevent shin splints
These exercises and stretches will help heal shin splints and decrease the likelihood of them happening to you again.
1. Heel-to-toe raise:
3×30 repetitions per day
Instructions:
Rock back on your heels and pull your toes up. Bend your knees and roll forward up onto the tips of your toes. Focus on a smooth transition from heel to toe.
Benefits:
Stretching and strengthening the shin muscles will help prevent shin splints from keeping you from exercising.
About 2-3 minutes per day
Instructions:
Raise your heel and relax your forefoot and toes on the ball. Roll the ball of your foot from left to right, starting from your big toe, slowly stretching your joints.
Instructions:
Slowly roll the sole of your foot down the ball and increase the pressure on sensitive spots for about 60 seconds.
Benefits: Foot rolling reduces tension in foot muscles to relieve pain from shin splints. Doing it for a few minutes daily is an excellent exercise to prevent shin splints from reoccurring. Plus, it feels fantastic on your feet—a bonus!
3. Foot and lower leg strengthening:
3×30 repetitions per day
Instructions:
Wrap a resistance band around your forefoot and push your ankle down as far as possible. Extend your foot through your big toe and get as much power out of your foot muscles as possible.
Benefits:
Strong foot and shinbone muscles are less likely to be injured. They will also help you run further and more often without pain in your shins.
Five tips to recover from shin splints
Act quickly once you start to feel pain. Ignoring shin splints will make them worse. They can even limit or even stop your running training for months. This kind of overuse injury often results from a combination of different factors in your training program and running technique.
The following five tips can help you identify the source of the problem and get you rerunning pain-free:
Tip 1: Recovery from shin splints means rest
Pain is a sign that your body needs rest. Short and easy runs are fine if your shin pain is not severe. The only thing that can help stop severe pain is to take a few days off from running. Since this is an overuse injury, you must give the affected muscles time to recover.
Tip 2: Use your break for something new
Just because shin splints have forced you to interrupt your training doesn’t mean you must stop exercising. Low-impact sports are a great way to recover from injury and return more vital than ever. Swimming, aqua jogging, cycling, or inline skating offer a welcome change of pace. The Runtastic Training app also has workouts to help you build muscle in neglected areas, which is good when you can’t run anyway.
Tip 3: Focus on running technique
Shin splints are a sign that you should improve your running technique. Maintaining ground contact too long under the total weight of your body can overload your foot and lower leg. Likewise, if your foot lands too far before your body (overstriding). These specific running drills can help you avoid shin splints when you are healed enough to exercise.
Tip 4: Strengthen your feet
Shin splints often affect people with poor foot stability. Overpronation (excessive inward roll of the foot after landing) puts tremendous stress on the foot muscles. Choose running shoes with the proper support for your foot to compensate for any potential weak spots.
Tip 5: Take care of your body
After the pain from shin splints subsides, calf and foot stretching and strengthening exercises can help you stay pain-free. You should perform these before and after your run. These exercises help warm the muscles that keep your foot stable when you run. Running barefoot is also an excellent way to improve foot strength, but be careful.
Where does the pain come from?
Your leg hurts where your calf muscles connect to your shinbone. In technical terms, the pain occurs at the insertion point where the tibialis posterior and soleus muscles attach to the shinbone via the bone’s periosteum or outer surface. These muscles are responsible for maintaining proper tension in the foot arch, which is essential for running.
The muscle cells around your shins can harden if irritated and overworked. This causes radiating pain in your lower leg, so it is difficult to describe and pinpoint the source of lower leg pain.
How to (safely) return to exercise after shin splints
Rethink your training (and cut back)
Shin splints tend to occur when you rapidly increase running intensity and volume. Focus on recovery best practices, especially after long runs and challenging workouts. Don’t ramp up training too much for too long. Better yet, follow a training plan tailored to you that balances fitness gains with appropriate recovery.
Change your route
Running downhill has the most significant impact on your body. Without proper form, the foot tends to land too far in front of the knee (overstriding), which puts a lot of strain on your muscles. You should choose a level surface to run on when your shin splints are terrible.
Start slowly and carefully.
Return to exercise and training only when the pain from shin splints has faded. Follow a professionally structured training plan tailored to your fitness needs and goals. Incorporate stretches for shin splints and strengthen neglected muscles. You only have one body—take care of it, and it will take care of you.
Another Tips About 3 Stretches and Exercises to Treat and Heal Shin Splints
Shin splints can be a painful and frustrating condition that affects many athletes and runners. The good news is that there are stretches and exercises you can do to help treat and heal shin splints. By incorporating these stretches and exercises into your routine you can help alleviate the pain and prevent further injury.
1. Calf Stretch
One of the main causes of shin splints is tight calf muscles. By stretching the calf muscles you can help alleviate the strain on the shin muscles.
- Stand facing a wall with your hands on the wall for support.
- Step one foot back keeping it straight and bend the front knee slightly.
- Lean into the wall keeping the back heel on the ground until you feel a stretch in the calf muscle.
- Hold the stretch for 30 seconds then switch legs and repeat.
By doing this stretch regularly you can help prevent shin splints and improve flexibility in your lower legs.
2. Toe Taps
Toe taps are a great exercise to strengthen the muscles in the front of the shin. By strengthening these muscles you can help prevent shin splints and improve your overall lower leg strength.
- Sit on the floor with your legs straight out in front of you.
- Point your toes down towards the ground as far as you can.
- Then lift your toes up towards the ceiling as high as you can.
- Tap your toes on the ground in a quick and controlled motion for 30 seconds.
- Rest for a few seconds then repeat for 3 sets.
By incorporating toe taps into your routine you can help strengthen the muscles that support the shin and prevent shin splints.
3. Seated Calf Raises
Seated calf raises are another great exercise to strengthen the calf muscles which can help prevent shin splints.
- Sit on a chair with your feet flat on the ground.
- Place a weight on your knees for added resistance if desired.
- Raise your heels off the ground as high as you can then lower them back down.
- Do 3 sets of 15 20 reps.
By strengthening the calf muscles with seated calf raises you can help prevent shin splints and improve your lower leg strength.
Overall shin splints can be a painful and frustrating condition but by incorporating these stretches and exercises into your routine you can help treat and heal shin splints. Remember to listen to your body and stop any exercises if you experience pain.
Consult a medical professional if your symptoms persist or worsen. With dedication and consistency you can overcome shin splints and get back to doing what you love.