leg pain (Read 1138 times)

i have a lot of problems with shin splints because of the way i run... I have always been a sprinter so i run on my toes with a higher than normal knee lift... the side effect of running like this is my calf muscles have outgrown the sheaths that house them (compartmentalization i think is the proper term)... the calf puts more strain on the shin muscle pulling it away from the bone... i use to get cortisone shots every three months in my shins, wear compression sleeves around my shins, tape them on sprint days, had the expensive orthodic shoe inserts that were custom made for my foot/stride/impact zone, and would ice, shock, ultrasound, heat them 7 days a week on top of taking anti-inflammatory drugs.. in the end, what made the biggest difference for me was a specific type of exercises that focus on the shin muscle itself...(i found this out when i severely sprained my ankle.. teh dr wanted to break it) basically its like a toe raise.. i would stand on a box or curb.. just something elevated that you dangle one leg off the side... with the leg that is dangling, pull your toe up while leaving your leg fulling extended. hold it for one second and push it down and point your toe to the floor, hold for one second.. so yeah, it doesn't sound like much, but the focus here is the shin muscle, so if you feel yourself working another muscle, other than your calf, then reevaluate what you are doing... repeat that 10 times for 3 sets every day... one note about doing these, your shins will be sore afterwords... after a week or two, increase to 3 sets of 15, then after another week or two go to 3 sets of 20... as far as stretching.. make sure you stretch you calves out really well and do a couple sets of push pull stretches for your shins.. sitting with your legs fully extended in front of you, push your toes away from you (dont bend the knees) hold for 10 seconds then pull your toes toward you (dont bend your knees or flex your quads) hold for 10 secs.. then relax... repeat 1-3 times... a note about these... when you first start doing them, they can make your shines and calves a bit sore.... another contributing factor is your arch supports... what kind of arch support are you using? its possible the arch support you have is to aggressive and as your foot strikes the ground, its causing you some discomfort.. its also possible the support is to squishy and allowing your arches to flatten out.. some inserts have rigid arch supports, some are soft.. you might try some different ones and see if it helps you out... also.. you said you had the coach check your gate.. was it checked when you were fresh or after you had already ran a mile? its possible that as you fatigue you start to lose your form and it could be causing you some discomfort... you might spend a little bit of time and monitor yourself while you run to see if you can detect any changes in your form as you fatigue... at the park where i run i have caught up with some people to let them know they have some form issues... some appreciate the info, some get pretty mad.... hope that helps a bit.