A TopFatLossTrainer Injury Prevention and Management Post…by Brad Campbell

I’ve been hearing from lots of readers lately who’re suffering from shin splints, so I thought I’d whip up a post that’ll show you how to cope with this dopey condition.

Shin splints refers to a general condition where pain is felt at the front part of your lower leg(s).  The fancy term for shin splints is called Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome.  I don’t know about you, but shin splints works just fine for me.

The pain that is felt from shin splint sufferers is the end result of fatigue and/or trauma of the tendons that attach your front lower leg muscles to the tibia bone.  So what causes this tendon fatigue and trauma?  Well, there’s many causes and all of them basically fit into one of two categories:

—> Biomechanical inefficiencies:  seen with poor exercise mechanics and often compounded or precipitated by having flat feet and a tendency to over-pronate during walking, running, jumping, etc

• Flat feet – most common cause under this category
• Over-pronation – generally a result of having flat feet; occurs when foot and ankle roll inward, causing a demanding stretch in the muscles of your lower legs
• Tight or stiff lower leg muscles
• Poor running form – leaning forward too much, leaning backwards too much, running with your toes pointed too far out, landing on the balls of your feet and not pushing off through your toes after each stride (too much ‘babying’ of the heel to toe transition)

—> Overload from exercise:  usually seen when muscles and tendons become fatigued (overloaded) and lose their ability to properly absorb and cushion the constant strikes seen with running, jumping, etc

• Exercising on uneven surfaces
• Trying to do too much too soon
• Running, walking or exercising on hard surfaces too frequently
• Working out in inappropriate shoes or shoes that have lost their support/cushioning
• Too much uphill or downhill running

Basically, there’s lots of ways to induce shin splints and the pain that comes with them.  Most people are guilty of committing several of the above, so it’s not hard to see why so many suffer from shin splints.  If you’ve been lucky enough to avoid this condition throughout your training, it’s important that you work to keep it that way.  Let’s take a look at prevention…

—> How to avoid shin splints:  ask anyone who suffers from shin splints and they’ll tell you…the absolute best treatment is to avoid getting them in the first place.  Shin splints can really cramp your workouts, so you’ll want to take these steps to avoid being sidelined…

• Get to a specialty running shoe store (or see a podiatrist) to have your feet analyzed, along with your foot strike during running and walking.  After this, have them recommend the most appropriate style of shoe and/or orthotic insert for your style of training.  This step should be a no-brainer, but I’m always surprised at how many people neglect to do this.  Don’t be stingy when selecting your workout shoes, either.
• Always use an appropriate warm-up routine before starting any training session (cold, tight muscles with limited blood flow will be much more susceptible to injuries).
• Stretch the lower leg muscles (and total body, for that matter) as often as possible – flexible muscles are much less likely to be over-stretched and over-worked during your fat loss workouts.  I’ll admit, stretching sounds boring and it’s definitely not very “sexy,” but it’ll make you feel, look and perform SO much better.
• Strengthen the lower leg muscles and correct imbalances.  Most people work their calves, but fail to work the front lower leg muscles, making them weak and prone to being overloaded during your workouts.  You’ll want to work the muscles responsible for lifting your toes up towards your shins.  Try these lower leg strengthening exercises while you’re at work or watching TV… 
  • Spell the alphabet with your big toe of each foot, while feet are raised off the ground slightly
  • With heels on the ground, flex your toes up and back as far as possible (towards your shins) and hold for 30-60 seconds.  Take small breaks and repeat as often as possible.  Can also do for reps (up, down, up, down as fast and hard as possible for a certain time period or number of reps)
  • Drop random items on the ground and pick them up several times with your toes
  • Walk short distances on your tip toes
  • Walk short distances on your heels
  • Walk up and down steep hills
  • Get creative – anything you can do to mimic the exercises I mentioned will help strengthen the front lower leg muscles

Okay, so those are some pretty hip tactics to avoid pesky shin splints altogether.  Now let’s take a look at how to treat shin splints when you already have this nagging condition.

—> How to treat shin splints:  if possible, try to identify which of the factors listed above (under biomechanical or overload issues) is most likely causing your shin splints, then fix or remove it.  Next, immediately after noticing the onset of shin splints, make sure to use the Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation (RICE) method.

Getting on this right away (rather than trying to train through it) will help to give you the best chance for quick and full recovery, with lower incidence of recurrences.  If severe enough, go ahead and schedule an appointment with a professional specialist, who can offer even more direct recommendations.

The next phase of treating shin splints (after 3-4 days of implementing the RICE method) should include the application of heat and massage over and around the shin area.  This is useful before, after and in between workout sessions.  Plus, it’s a good excuse to treat yourself to a massage (just tell ‘em to focus on the shins).

By now, the pain should be under control and you should be able to start easing back into your regular training routine.  However, at this point in time, it’s super important that you start incorporating the shin splint prevention strategies (listed above) into your overall lean body workout plan.

There you have it…that’s the down low on coping with the dopey condition known as shin splints.  Whether you’re currently suffering from them or have been fortunate enough to avoid shin splints thus far, I think everyone can learn something from this post.  I’d like to see everyone doing more stretching and more injury prevention – these are two elements that no one thinks about until it’s too late.

Coming from a guy who’s experienced major setbacks due to multiple stress fractures in my feet, I’m telling ya…it’s no fun to be sidelined with injuries and have to sit back and watch your hard work and progress slowly slip away while you wait to heal.  SUCKS.

A much better path is to take some extra time (stretching, strengthening weak muscles, doing specific drills, etc) and spend a little extra money (buying the appropriate running shoes and I also use an insert to support my high arches) to prevent these nagging injuries from occurring in the first place.

Be healthy so you can keep training hard, without setbacks.

Your Coach,

Brad Campbell

Posted in Warm Up | Cool Down | Stretching by Brad Campbell | 7 Comments