Painful shins!

[Sarahebo]

Hi I've just started ct5k about to do week2 1st run. My problem is I feel very heavy when running (weight is 11st) but get such pain in my shins and slightly in ankles. My shins throb and are painful to touch for the first couple of days. It does ease off but starts up again with another run. Any advice?

[misswobble Graduate]

Hmm. Firstly, what running shoes have you got?

Are you running too quick?

The programme is fine to be done very slowly

You do get Niggles at first but they usually clear up as you get stronger

Shin splint is serious and shouldn't be ignored

[Sarahebo in reply to misswobble]

Hi am using Karrimor Run. Have had Plantar Fascitis a couple of years and had 2 cortisone injections into heel these were the only things I could wear. I tried wk2r4 today but pulled up half way through. I used to be a sprinter at school (100 mtrs) very fast but now just turned 50 and need to excercise. Jogging hurts. Go on holiday in 2 weeks so going to hold off running till after holiday but will try riding my bike till then.

[davelinks Graduate]

Don't try and run through pain, restup, and go with what MW say's.

Make sure you have good cushioning trainers. Would be beneficial to have a gait analysis and fitting for shoes done at a reputable running shop..

[Millsie-J Graduate]

i had a very bad case of PF some while back, not running related. Even the injections did not help.

Daily controlled heel lifts/dips eventually sorted it out, plus I never ever wear completly flat shoes anymore.

For those of us prone to PF a running shoe with heel to toe drop of 10-12 mm is recommended. Mine are 10mm and I have had no problems with PF during the past year of graduation and ongoing running three times weekly.

If the shoes you are wearing are few years old, even if they have the correct drop they may no longer have any support, or are the wrong ones for your gait. I would therefore suggest you get a gait analysis at a good independent running shop and ensure you get get the right shoes for you.

Good luck on your running journey🏃🏻‍♀️

[MarkyD Graduate]

I'm a believer in the 'over-striding' philosophy of shin-splints. If you land with your foot in front of you (normally on your heel) then the impact of landing is passed through your leg, and shin-bone in particular. Your leg is jarred, there is a great compressive force in your bones and it all hurts. Whilst your leg bones are compressing, your weight is simultaneously moving forwards towards your knees, increasing the pressure.

With a shorter stride (landing on your mid-foot with your hips over your knees) you'll put less stress on your legs, and their natural 'spring' will cushion your running. And your weight is moving away from your knees, allowing the spring to push you forwards.

So the message is: run with a shorter stride.

That's pretty hard to accomplish, and so the technique is to try and run quietly and stealthily. If you concentrate on running quietly, you naturally take shorter steps. And if you are concerned that shorter steps means slower, well you can always increase your running cadence (Steps per minute) to speed up.

Folks will get bored of this story - I tell it a lot.

The running shop that taught me all this had me pretending to be an assassin, running up behind my victims, stealthily, with a short, quiet stride. I still have a short stride, but my running cadence is 180-210 steps per minute.

[Gillma Graduate in reply to MarkyD]

Love it! I find stories like that very helpful. I reckon I could run so stealthily no one would know I was running at all!

[roseabi]

Those exercises mentioned by Millsie-J for PF are also helpful for the shins, because they work on strengthening the calf muscles. Also an increased heel to toe drop may help with pain, although not so much with the strength.

It all starts to seem a bit complicated, and maybe not what you signed up for. But working on the strength of your calves, thigh backs (hamstrings), bottom (glutes), and hips, will help you with your running and much more!

And I even gave you a little jargon-buster there