[Closed] Shin splints

Stretch, go easy, make sure your shoes fit and aren't worn out and run off the tarmac if you can!

Make sure you're not overstriding. Look at pose/chi/barefoot running 'styles' to see what I mean. Basically shorter, higher cadence strides landing mid foot rather than heel first.

I got them when I pushed through the c25k and ended up doing the last bits on grass which helped a lot. They eventually went away. I got some compression sock things as well which I don’t know how effective they were but every little helps. I ended up running regularly for a while and even did a few 10k events which I enjoyed. I lapsed a bit though as we had another baby and work got busy, usual excuses and then ended up with plantar fasciitis when I started again at the start of lockdown. It’s finally gone after at least a yr. I’ve bought some new shoes and am about to get back on the c25k for the same reasons as you! Good luck.

Get some decent running shoes, my son had a similar problem and the shoes were the culprit.

Yeah, trainers wear out quickly if you're a big fella (I'm of similar stature to you OP 🙂 ).

If you've just started running in the trainers you'd had for a while, you probably need new ones.

New trainers

Run off road

yep. another one for trainers here.
I had same issue on C25K last year, could manage the runs but aches in shins were killer for the next two days, so just assumed it was part of building muscle up.
To me the old trainers looked fine and I didn't think I'd used them that much but got some decent new trainers and problem vanished instantly.
Ideally find a good place that does gait analysis as well, think that was 20quid, but redeemed against the price of new trainers.

I suffered so badly with this for years. For me the answer was simply to increase the cadence to 170-180 bpm.
I'm still fat and slow, but did manage to complete a 10K the other day with no pain. It would have been absolutely unthinkable a few years back.

To achieve this I just changed my playlist to one of the 170bpm+ DNB spotify ones and run to that, but you could equally use a metronome app if you 'int a junglist

Calf sleeves are worth a look, there's debate about their effectiveness but they don't cost much so are worth a go.
Soft surfaces definitely help, running on grass or trails takes some of the impact away.
As a man with a severe running shoe habit, then yes, shoes are worth looking at too. Some max-cushioned shoes may well help. Look at NB FreshFoam More, Nike Invincible, Hoka Bondi, ASICS Novablast are all super cushioned.
I'm not sure gait analysis is going to fix shin splints, in fact I'm not sure it's anything more than a way to sell expensive running shoes if I'm honest...

Typical for new runners. I had them on and off for many years when I was younger and running competitively. These are the the things I learned, many the hard way.

If you have them (and not just some shin/calf soreness) then you cant really train or run through them. Unlike some injuries IME and the advice I was given by friends and medics you have to stop running. If you dont (this is my experience!!) they develop into fractures and you will end up in plaster.

Running on softer surfaces is more fun but there is little evidence you get more "cushioning" if you have them, as above you have to stop, wait until you are symptom free then build up slowly. Your body takes care of the majority of cushioning, the forces through your body are immense. The only way to handle this is your bodies adaptation over many months of building mileage.

IME its simply impact and volume of running that triggers it. If you have them, changing shoes will not help although when you are symptom free you may change to alternative shoes. Again its adaption. We ran in crap shoes in the 70's and 80's, many no better than plimsoles. I knew lots of good runners running 100 miles per week. They got their share of injuries but for all the shoe tech and development we havent eradicated injuries.

As far as treatment goes NSAIDS are useful as long as you have stopped training and not masking pain. Ice is very helpful. If you have a tender spot between the calf and shin bone try to focus n that. You will get relief from this but just dont get frostbite (more experience here...) in your enthusiasm to be injury free.. You also need to be honest about returning to running too early. You probably need a couple or more weeks totally pain free before you think of any running.

No comments on sleeves etc never tried them. I would focus on building the strength in you calves with raises and weighted raises as long as they are pain free. I wouldnt do anything that trigged anything but mild discomfort.

Stretch if you want to, it wont do any harm but I think it is useless.

I used to get them 20 years ago when I got back into running. Here's what worked for me:

1. Walk the first 10 minutes, upping the pace. Run for a few mins then walk. Run some more than walk at the end to warm down.
2. Get home, apply ice packs to shins while elevating them.
3. Ride your bike to build strength without that stress of running.

Step 1 made a big difference immediately because previously I had gone straight into running mode and getting pains.

Step 2 was something I'd read about and gave it a go. I think it helped a bit, but not as much as 1 and 3.

Step 3 worked because I then decided to get back into riding and ended up replacing a few runs with rides. This definitely helped build muscles/strength around shins/calves in a less stressful way.

Just my tuppence.

every couple of years i have a go at running. good aerobic fitness means i go too fast too soon and get terrible shinslints, then give up after a few weeks.
this year i did it more sensibly. i found that short strides, much slower, mostly on grass (laps of the local park), and building gradually form there, made a huge difference.

As someone who took up running last year and suffered the exact same thing (I used to get shin splints if I walked too far!) I would recommend Hoka Bondi shoes and the following stretch helped so much!

Kneel down with your toes pointing away from you so the tops of your feet are facing the floor. Gently sit back on your heels and feel the stretch on your shins. I can’t emphasise enough how much this stretch worked. Suggested by someone on the running thread.

I’ve got new shoes, I’ve been stretching and I’ve got some compression socks. We’ll see what tomoz holds. If not it’ll be a week off to recover

You're likely going some combination of too hard, too far, too fast, too soon. Dial it back a bit, C25K programme or no.

Also, as others have said, and you've done, decent shoes.

I'd made sporadic attempts to start running in the years prior to lockdown but shin splints always put a stop to it. I persisted last year, read about stretches, cadence, form etc. Every run was always on the lookout for shin splints having read the advice to immediately stop running for two+ weeks if you experience it. Managed to persist running/walking. Did over do it at times and had to take a break, but eventually little by little got to the point where maybe it was probably only a similar feeling so was able to relax and run through it. In the beginning I would try to do all sorts of warm up exercises before going out, walking, then the run/walk/run, etc. Then I went to warm-up exercises and just running, and after a while realized some of the warm up exercises may have been less than ideal so mostly ditched them and just went out for the run using a slow pace to warm up. Guess it took about a year for me to get to that point. You just have to figure it out as you go along really, what works for some doesn't for others.

So you're saying...

... just take it one step at a time?

I used to get pretty bad shins as well but the biggest change for me was to tie my shoes less tight - there’s a big tendon/muscle/body thing running all the way down your shin and along the top of your foot and I found that tying my laces even tight enough to stop my feet moving around would compress that enough and lead to sore shins

So started using this lacing method which allows you to loosely tie your shoes whilst still feeling quite snug around your heel :

I'm mid C25K plan also. I love running, but always manage to bugger it up doing too much too soon. Will I manage this time to be restrained? We'll see...

I think maybe just slow right down on the run bits, just an easy jog. I was getting really sore calf muscles, but was running a bit quick on the run intervals, slowed it down and it was a lot better. As cyclsits, we're always a bit too keen!

You need to stop running for a few weeks and let your legs recover and heal. In the meantime, get a wobble board and use for 10mins a day. It will improve lowered leg strength and flexibility.
This, as well as proper running shoes, worked for me. My shin splints got so bad that walking quickly or stepping down off a kerb was agony.