Shin Splints

[LAXDawg14]

i broke my mid-shaft tibia [the big shin bone] my jr year in highschool and now i have a titanium rod in my shin from my knee to my ankle. and i have a huge lump on my leg that is from calcium deposits and after every practice i just have to ice it down pretty well.
i know its not shin splints but its shin related

[mholtz]

I agree with the arch support. My understanding (and don't ask me for sources) is that there is a muscle that attaches at the arch and runs up the side of the foot and the shin. When the arch does not have sufficient support, the muscle is stressed and the problems begin to arise as the muscle attachment higher up on the shin is stressed. This could of course be a load of crap but it sounds plausible.

Unfortunately I never had much luck with treatment, other than sucking it up and waiting till the end of the season. I don't know if this is the case for anyone else, but when i used to get them i was fine while i was running but they hurt like hell as soon as i stopped and walking was incredibly painful.

Fortunately pacing the sidelines isn't so hard on the feet.

I'll put in another vote for arch supports. I had this problem all through high school, and most of college. I went to some general practicioner type doctors, and even to trainers, and they never seemed to have any any answers. One day I was in a running shoe store, and asked the salesman, and he immediately gave me a free set of arch support inserts. I haven't had the problem since.

[TrojanLaxman5]

I endured moderate to severe shin splints for 2 years of HS lacrosse and my first 3 years of college lacrosse. I finally went to an orthopedic specialist two summers ago and recieved the following treatment/advice (echoing many others' statements here):

-Unfortunately you have to stay away from high impact activity until they heal, otherwise they never fully will

-I got custom orthotic inserts for both my walking shoes and running shoes which made an incredible difference. Also, investing in a good pair of running shoes specifically for overpronation (ie: Asics gel koji) will make a surprising difference.

-Strengthening exercises are crucial to do EVERY DAY (calf raises and exercises using therabands).

-Icing after activity, combined with anti-inflammatory drugs (Aleve, Advil) after you workout/run

-Try to stay off of hard surfaces (ie: don't run on pavement or similar surfaces if possible)

-The one thing that I didn't see on this thread that I think was an integral part of my shin splints going away completely was simply slimming down. Through diet and exercise (low impact cardio, some running, serious weight lifting program) I dropped about 20lbs which greatly reduced the strain I was putting on my legs. Some of you bulkier guys may want to consider that as a potential solution. It's not easy but it pays off on the field both in your play and not being in pain all the time. Since I did this I have not had a single problem with shin splints.

Hope this helps someone...

[asulax42]

it could be a stress fracture, that's what happened to me my sophomore year. I orginally thought it was shin splints too, go see a doctor and get an x-ray