If your lower right leg hurts after running, you may have shin splints , a common runner injury. Pimple splints are inflammation of the muscles, tendons, and tissues in the lower leg. The tibia bone, a large bone in the lower leg, may also be affected. Splints on the shins cause pain along or behind the tibia. This pain usually occurs after running or possibly the next day.
What are the causes?
Pimples are especially common in beginner runners who may be training beyond their means or who may have foot placement errors. Common causes of jog splints in runners are overpronation or an excessive inward turn of the foot during the stride; excess supination or excessive outward rolling; inappropriate shoes ; running too long or too hard; running on hard surfaces ; and having minimal flexibility in the ankle joint.
What treatment is there?
The exact treatment required depends on the severity and cause of the pimple splints. If your injury is severe, you may need a rest period, ice, and medicine to reduce pain and swelling. You may need to use crutches and avoid putting weight on the area for a short period. In milder cases, you may just need to avoid activities that make your symptoms worse. If there is a structural problem with your feet, braces, arch supports, or inserts may be prescribed. Once the symptoms disappear, you should return to a walking routine very slowly.
Pain in the lower leg from shin splints can be mild to severe. The most important thing to speed up the healing process is to rest your leg . Experts recommend a full rest for at least five days or more if you still feel pain. Apply ice packs to the lower leg for 15 minutes straight and raise the leg to decrease swelling. Wrap your leg in a compression bandage and wear new running shoes, sports braces, and insoles to aid the healing process. If self-treatment does not relieve pain, see a doctor.
Can it be prevented?
First, to prevent a functioning injury from occurring, such as shin splints, determine the cause of the injury. Insoles can be useful for overpronation or over supination. Experts recommend not increasing your running distance by more than 10 percent a week so that your muscles don’t overwork. Vary your running surfaces occasionally on softer, grassy terrain for better shock absorption, and stretch and warm up your muscles before running so you don’t have tense muscles in your lower legs.
Your best option is to take steps to avoid this discomfort while walking. Visit a sporting goods store and try various sneakers to find the right fit and support for your feet. There are sports shoes specifically designed for walking or running.
Use good training habits like warming up and stretching slightly before walking or running and cooling off afterward. Additionally, performing a strength training routine on the lower legs will help relieve pressure from the soft tissues so they are less prone to injury. If you are at risk for shin splints, a physical therapist can design an appropriate program based on your general health and walking routine.
It is important that you also avoid going too far and moving with the heel, as well as walking at too fast a pace. Every stride, no matter how fast you move, must involve hip rotation.
How do you know if you have blackhead splints?
Determine the type of pain you have in your lower leg
Shin splint pain can be dull or sharp, stabbing pain . It can occur in one or both legs and the pain can extend throughout the entire shin. The median shin splints have pain that can be felt at the inner edge of the shin bone, or tibia, where it joins with the calf muscle. The anterior splints of the shin are felt on the outer front of the shin, and pain can spread to the ankle and foot.
Control your pain while exercising
The pain will develop as you continue the exercise. If you don’t feel pain in your shins at the beginning of your exercise but do so as you continue to move, you may have splints on your shin. The pain may also continue until the day after exercise.
Feel your pimples to signal your pain
Specific pain from a point along the tibia bone may be a sign of a stress fracture . Pain can be felt when pressing on the tibia and standing. If you suspect you have a stress fracture, you should consult your doctor to confirm it. New stress fractures, which are only 2 to 3 weeks old, don’t usually show up on an x-ray and will require a bone scan or MRI for diagnosis.
6 stretches to improve shin pain
In addition to the tips above for injury prevention, we show you some stretches and exercises for the shin splint that you can do to both prevent and treat lower leg pain.
Calf stretch
Sometimes you can feel the first sign of the splints on the calves. Running can cause stiff calves, which in turn pull on the front shins or shins. This calf stretch can help loosen those muscles.
- Stand near a wall, curb, or step.
- With your heel down, lift your toes up the wall or curb at an angle of 45 degrees or more.
- Keep your leg straight, with a smooth bend at the knee.
- Add or remove pressure by leaning slightly forward or back. If you’re on a sidewalk, hang your heel off the edge, letting your body weight help with the stretch.
- Hold for 30 seconds on each foot.
ABC
Using your ABC is a quick way to help stretch your foot and ankle. This can be done preventively or as pimple splints develop. I suggest you do it in the morning. This keeps circulation going, keeps the ankle flexible and stretches the fibula, the muscle on the side of the calf that attaches to the ankle.
- Sit or stand and write the alphabet with your foot.
- Use only the foot and ankle, not the entire lower leg.
- Once you have completed the entire alphabet, repeat with the opposite foot.
Stretch with resistance band
To help keep shin splints at bay, I recommend using resistance bands in your routine. This material primarily works the peroneal muscles and helps develop strength in the lower leg.
- Put a resistance band around both feet.
- Then, using one foot as an anchor, rotate the other from side to side like a windshield wiper.
- Try doing this 20 times with one foot before switching to the other.
Foam Roller Massage
The tightness in the calf causes changes in gait while running that can cause not only splints on the shin, but also plantar fasciitis. That is why a foam roller session is important after long runs.
You should do a total leg balancing session one to three times a week, as long as it is not causing more pain. By extending the legs, you will help release the muscles and fascia around the calf.
- Kneel down on the roller.
- Gently roll down the front of the shin (anterior tibial).
- Then roll an inch up.
- Do this from the bottom of the knee to the ankle.
Lacrosse Ball Trigger Point Massage
Like the foam roller, the use of a yoga block and lacrosse ball also helps to release tight muscles and fascia to help prevent shin splints. The harder the ball, the deeper you can get into the belly of the muscle. Make sure to breathe deeply during this intense exercise.
- Place a trigger point therapy ball, lacrosse ball, or tennis ball on a yoga block and rest the calf muscle on the ball.
- Stretch the calf muscle from the ankle to the knee. Use the same method as with the foam roller.
- Make sure to breathe deeply when you get to any sore spot.
Active toe extension
The purpose of active toe extension is to help strengthen small foot muscles and keep them healthy. By working these muscles, you are increasing your balance and strength in your feet, directly affecting your ankles, calves, and shins.
- Stand barefoot on the ground.
- Spread your toes as far as possible before relaxing them.
- Repeat 10 times.
