I ran the Lake Grapevine Runners and Walkers Double Trouble
5K/10K duo this weekend. Fun! Crazy weather! It started out at 78 degrees and
was down to 52 when we finished the 10K portion. Got to love a good cold front! A good time
was had by all, and it’s great to see everyone out at the lake.
My funny story for the day was that one of the runners
sidled up next to me and asked, “Why do you think my shins hurt after I run?”
and “How come they don’t hurt when I’m running?” Of course, my first reaction
was “It depends….”, and “Good question. Let me catch my breath and I might have an intelligent
answer for you.”
Here was my answer:
Your shins can hurt after running for a variety of reasons.
The most common is a shin splint. This is actually a term commonly used to
describe medial tibial stress syndrome. What? Yes, stress causes pain along your shin
bone and can even cause a stress fracture. In the early stages the painis
actually myositis (irriation of the muscle that runs along the shin bone) and
this will “warm up” when you run. Stress fractures don’t “warm up.”
Why does this happen? Most common reason is either worn out
running shoes or inappropriate shoes to start with. If you have a very high
arch, you need a more cushioned shoe. If you have a flat or low arched foot,
you need a more stable shoe. Lots of times you just need to part with your old
beloved super worn-out running shoes.
Other reasons can be a change in surface like going from the
treadmill to concrete. Or a rapid increase in training mileage or increased
speed.
When is it time to stop the home remedies and go to the
doctor?
Pain 5-7/10 or in a pinpoint spot
can indicated a stress fracture!
Pain that has lasted more than a
few weeks with rest, ice and over-the-counter anti-inflammatories.
Lastly, if you have changed shoes,
tried stretching and icing and still have pain daily….time to come in for a
visit.
Some people need help buying shoes, some people need
functional foot orthotics to re-align their gait and some people need to rehab
their injury with physical therapy.
So the take home point is that your shins shouldn’t hurt
after you run!! If they do, you should take a look at you shoes and training
patterns! When in doubt, give us a call so we can take a look and make your
shin pain go away!
FAANT gave away cute little Body Glide buddies for your gym bag at the race! Adorable!
1 comment:
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