Shin splints? What are the symptoms & what's the answer?

I have a lot of pain from my knees to my ankles. Also a burning/prickling sensation. I graduated 3 weeks ago, have had my gait done & now have the right trainers. Would shin splints happen after all this training? I don't run long distances.

[Heartboy Graduate]

I got shin splints at week 5. I ended up having almost 6 weeks off (mainly as I kept starting back before my legs had recovered). I knew I was having problems because I couldn't touch my shins and if I knocked them ... ouch!! My tips - plenty of rest first; elevate your legs and ice them after running; I now take at least two days off between runs (or longer if I feel a niggle); I slowed down a lot and thought about the way I was running too - I try not to bounce up and down as much as I used to so there is less impact. There are also some exercises you can do - if you google search you should find them.

[Colin-H Graduate]

I suffered with them from week 3 onwards, but being a typical male carried on regardless. The combination of being overweight 78 Kg and old trainers didn't help. I found buying some proper running shoes with lots of cushioning on the heal helped. 4 runs later I no longer get any problems, just finished week 7. I would not recommend this way of dealing with it but it worked for me.

[sfb350 Graduate]

When I had extremely painful shin splints it wasn't from running, it was from lots of downhill walking - I was on holiday in Wales in a cottage at the top of a hill and kept walking down to the beach along a very steep road (I'd then get a lift back up because my partner at the time wouldn't walk that far). I've also read that downhill running can aggravate the pain - I suppose the impact can be greater, especially if you allow the momentum on a steep hill to make you run a lot faster. I took painkillers (not very effective) and carried on walking because I didn't want to ruin the rest of the holiday.

I've just been reading about this today from two different sources so hope the following will be useful:

An article in Runner's World this month says the cause is that the muscle is weak so you need to strengthen it. They recommend "standing with your back flat against a wall then step roughly 30cm away from it keeping both legs straight and together. With your heels on the floor, raise both sets of toes up and down simultaneously." Start with three sets of 20 reps, always last thing at night to give your muscles maximum recovery time afterwards.

Jeff Galloway says that you can run gently while your shin splints heal, the greatest pain or irritation is at the beginning of the run and usually lessens or goes away during the workout. It will take several weeks to heal so all the running should be gentle. If the pain is on the inside of the leg, coming up from the ankle it is often due to over pronation of the foot but if you have chosen your shoes after gait analysis that should be unlikely. If the pain is at the front of the shin it is often due to having too long a stride when running and walking. You should avoid downhill terrain as much as possible during the healing process.

If the pain is in a specific place and increases as you run, you could have a stress fracture and should see your doctor. This will need rest in order to recover.

I hope your shins feel better soon, good luck

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You are all so kind & informative. Thankyou so much