shinsplints
How I Treated My Own Shinsplints
Why am I making claims of a great shinsplints cure when so many of you have tried everything and had no luck fixing them?
I guess it is because I have been in the very situation you are, and what I know now, does not equal what I knew when I first had shinsplints. I took the same old advice and followed the same exercises that I see people following to this day - rest, stretch and do some toe pointing exercises. By doing this I was hoping something would fix the problem more than anything.
What I know now comes from diplomas in sports and remedial massage and working on hundreds of clients with shinsplints and other soft tissue injuries. It comes from being an athlete that was determined to beat this problem and apply the best techniques I learnt in the physiotherapy clinic. I had to take note of what really produced the result for people and how individual cases would differ. When I pieced everything together, I treated my shinsplints within 3 days and have not had a single re-occurrence.
shinsplints are a soft tissue injury too!
I will tell you upfront one of the keys to treatment. So many people miss this vital point. Shinsplints are as much of a soft tissue injury as anything else. You must correct the soft tissue imbalances! Not only will it balance the problem long term, it will provide you with more short term relief than just about anything else.
A simple “rub down” will not get this effect. But if you take the time to learn some massage techniques, similar to those a sports therapist would use, then you can get some real results at home. The best thing is you can actually feel these working strait away. If you can not feel relief then you may be doing something wrong.
As it is very hard, if not impossible, to stretch the muscles involved in shin splints, remedial massage techniques become twice as important. It is the only way to lengthen the soft tissue.
Without effective massage techniques, I could not have cured my shin splints. You either need to learn how to do this or pay someone to do it for you. The only problem with the latter is the frequency of treatment can add up costing you too much money.
As long as you don’t do this…
You do not want to simply perform toe pointing exercises and keep running with the same form, for the same distance, as you have been up until now. I am not saying to completely stop these exercises as they are part of the overall treatment plan. But they are not the plan alone.
Whatever treatment routine you go for, you have to feel it working. If you cant feel an improvement beyond doubt in response to your treatment plan, then proceed with caution. Shinsplints have a way of going somewhat dormant so you start to think the problem has gone away. Then when you least expect it, they resurface worse than ever.
I have found shinsplints do not tend to fix themselves without the person actively following a treatment plan and monitoring the results. A good plan will involve soft tissue manipulation, a change in activity, making sure your shoes are right and closely monitoring your running action.
You can treat and manage shinsplints by following the right plan but just remember that it must involve effective soft tissue massage.
1 year ago