Shin Splints

paulieb2006

Does anybody know anything about Shin Splints. Was out on the bike yesterday and everything was fine. About 90min after I got home my right leg started to hurt at my shin bone. It throbbed all night but the pain now is a couple of inches above my ankle bone on the inside of my leg. I have pulled calf muscles in the past and this pain does not seem like it is muscular. Any advice would be great.
Thanks

Anonymous

Only that they are agony.

When I was young I used to get them all the time when running, so much so that after each fitness test for work I was unable to walk more than a few hundred yards at once for a few days. Utter hell.

Consequently, after I no longer had need to I stopped running and the weight piled on...

Then I had to start again because a new post I wanted required a hard fitness test. I actually went to a running shop and spoke about the shin splints. They looked at my running and recommended me some trainers. It was heaven. Shin splints no longer.
A couple of years later I needed some new trainers and got some on the cheap that I thought would be ok. Within three runs I had shin splints again! Went back to said running shop, got sorted again.

I just wish I had got this advice in my early twenties!

Don't know how it translates to cycling but it may be worth speaking to a physio...

alfablue

Shin splints usually occurs with weight bearing exercise rather than cycling, though not unheard of. I wonder if your cleat position is too far forward (if using clipless pedals) or if you pedal with your foot too far back so the pivot point is in front of the ball of your foot. Info about shin splints here (many other sources on the web).

iain_j

I've had it a couple of times, most seriously about 6 years ago, I think it was down to overly heavy and stiff walking boots for the walking I was doing at the time. The muscle alongside my shinbone felt solid, and even a 5 minute walk to the shops was agony. However I found I could cycle without any trouble, although I kept off the long weekend rides until my leg was better (about 3 weeks).

Headhuunter

"Shin splints" is a generic non-medical term that often gets used for any manner of injuries in the shin/calf/lower leg area. This can be muscular, to do with joints or as in my case, a stress fracture in the bone.

I used to run quite a lot and some days I would run to and from work (a round trip of about 12 miles) often with a rucksack. Then my shin started to hurt and a stress fracture was diagnosed. Apparently I had increased my running mileage too quickly and running with the extra weight of a ruck sack on concrete was bad. The pain was exactly where you describe - on the inner side of my shin bone a couple of inches up from the ankle joint. It seemed to be along the edge of the bone.

Stress fractures mean you need to stop running (if you run that is) completely for 3 months, then slowly, oh so slowly, start up again, initially on grass for about 2 mins, and over the following year increase bit by bit. It's very frustrating, believe me

To find out exactly what it is, you may need to see a speclialist of some kind.

Stewie Griffin

NapoleonD wrote:

Only that they are agony.

When I was young I used to get them all the time when running, so much so that after each fitness test for work I was unable to walk more than a few hundred yards at once for a few days. Utter hell.

Consequently, after I no longer had need to I stopped running and the weight piled on...

Then I had to start again because a new post I wanted required a hard fitness test. I actually went to a running shop and spoke about the shin splints. They looked at my running and recommended me some trainers. It was heaven. Shin splints no longer.
A couple of years later I needed some new trainers and got some on the cheap that I thought would be ok. Within three runs I had shin splints again! Went back to said running shop, got sorted again.

I just wish I had got this advice in my early twenties!

Don't know how it translates to cycling but it may be worth speaking to a physio...

Agreed, I used to play basketball and suffered with shin splints for most of the rest of the week. A friend who also played advised I buy a pair of proper basketball boots, which I duly did and I never suffered from them again. Never had them on the bike though, can only agree with alfablue that perhaps your feet arent in the "right" position on your pedals.

DomPro

Drummers can get shin splints apparently.

Thats all I have to offer on the subject.

Monty Dog

As cycling is non-load bearing, i doubt it would cause shin-splints per se, but you could be suffering from an inflammation of the muscle sheath

paulieb2006

Thanks for all the advice. Took some anti-inflameries this morning and am fine now. I dont do any running so will try moving my cleats on my pedals. Alfablue, should the pedal be back further into the middle of my foot. Am going back out tomorrow evening and will try it then. Thanks

adeyboy

Shin splints have nothing to do with cracking, or splintering of bone... a deceptive name. The pain associated with shin splints generally comes from the interaction of the muscles, ligaments etc and the bone. As many folks have said, impact is usually the decisive factor in bringing them on, but it sounds like you have them some how.
Drop in on your doc if you can!

adeyboy

adeyboy wrote:

Shin splints have nothing to do with cracking, or splintering of bone... a deceptive name. The pain associated with shin splints generally comes from the interaction of the muscles, ligaments etc and the bone. As many folks have said, impact is usually the decisive factor in bringing them on, but it sounds like you have them some how.
Drop in on your doc if you can!

I'm going to hold my hands up and correct myself actually - with apologies to some of the posters above. My original post was along the lines of what I was told a few years ago by the doc. It appears the term refers to a broader range of conditions, which can include tiny cracks etc to the bone.

BUPAs take on the subject...

http://hcd2.bupa.co.uk/fact_sheets/html ... lints.html

kingrollo

Over use and saddle to high seemed to cause it for me - Ibuprofen gel is good for releif. I also found that a good massge *Before* I went out cured it for me.

In my experience there are two aspects:-

Dealing with the current inflamation (Ibuprofen, Gel)

Prevention - pre ride massage - and stretching