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getting back on the horse - avoiding shin splints again

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somersetslob Mar 2014 3:04pm, 19 Mar 2014 11 posts	Quote Pin somersetslob Hi there. After having to stop running after only two weeks due to unbelievably painful shin splints (I cried!), it's taken two months for the pain to go away. I'm now back on my training schedule - Couch to 5K - and on week two again. This is what I'm doing to try and avoid the shin splints coming back - am I doing the right thing and is there anything else I should be doing? - exercising on grass, not hard surfaces as before - wearing compression calf supports - having a hot bath on return, followed by icing my lower legs Many thanks for any feedback and advice!
ChrisHB Mar 2014 3:24pm, 19 Mar 2014 10,215 posts	Quote Pin ChrisHB Understand how shin splints occur and what you are doing to promote them. Change the way you run.
somersetslob Mar 2014 8:32am, 20 Mar 2014 14 posts	Quote Pin somersetslob Well, I'm no expert, even after researching online as much as I can, but all I can presume is that they were caused by doing too much too fast on a hard surface, which I'm already now addressing.
Ultracat Mar 2014 8:47am, 20 Mar 2014 10,690 posts	Quote Pin Ultracat Good luck. Just build up slowly.
somersetslob Mar 2014 9:24am, 20 Mar 2014 15 posts	Quote Pin somersetslob Thanks Ultracat
ChrisHB Mar 2014 10:23am, 20 Mar 2014 10,218 posts	Quote Pin ChrisHB It is said (and I'm deliberately not saying it's correct because I don't know, but it makes sense to me) that if you tense the muscles at the front of your shins, in order to lift up the front of your foot before it hits the ground, and while they are still tense you yank them by hitting the ground with your heel, that that is very bad for those muscles.
somersetslob Mar 2014 10:35am, 20 Mar 2014 16 posts	Quote Pin somersetslob Crikey, that's a lot of brain fodder for this time of day! So essentially you need to try and keep the shin area muscles relaxed as you drop your foot to the floor. I might have to practise that one a bit around the house....
ChrisHB Mar 2014 10:54am, 20 Mar 2014 10,220 posts	Quote Pin ChrisHB Learn what your body is doing at each part of a step, and see if it's fighting itself. If you're like me, what I wrote above could take months to understand!
somersetslob Mar 2014 10:54am, 20 Mar 2014 17 posts	Quote Pin somersetslob I had to read it about times just to start to figure it out
HowHardCanItBe Mar 2014 11:07am, 20 Mar 2014 7 posts	Quote Pin HowHardCanItBe As per ChrisHB - understanding how/why they've occurred. Plus daily strengthening exercises as prevention.