I'm going to share 5 tips that will help you prevent shin splints from running. It's also critical that you have a basic understanding as to why you keep getting shin splints. Once you know the cause it will help you understand the prevention strategies better.
It Isn't Really Shin Splints After All
True shin splints are tiny fractures located in the main weight bearing bone in the lower leg known in clinical terms as the tibia.
Just because you feel pain in your shins doesn't automatically mean it's from shin splints. This is especially true if the pain goes away in a couple of days after you rest.
What's Really Happening
When you feel pain in your shins every time you run, it's probably not from actual shin splints but from repetitive stress of the shin muscle called the tibialis anterior.
The tibialis anterior is a muscle that helps prepare your foot for landing after each stride. It functions by pulling your ankle upward so you land with proper heel strike.
But, the actual repetitive stress results from overusing the tibialis anterior. It starts to get fatigued to the point that pain results.
The Causes Of Shin Splint Type Pain
The main cause for so-called shin splints that I've assessed in working with runners for nearly 9 years is hip weakness. The hips and glutes in particular are meant to help push off the ground with each stride.
When you have weak glutes you can't effectively push off the ground from the hips and other muscles have to pick up the slack. Because these muscles aren't meant to do the work they are doing they end up over working which results in pain.
Some of these muscles include the hamstrings (back of your thighs), quadriceps (front of your thighs), calves, plantar muscles underneath the foot (plantar fasciatis) and the tibialis anterior.
5 Ways To Prevent Shin Splint Pain
Now that you have an understanding of shin pain and its causes we can focus on how to prevent shin splint pain.
1. Strengthen your hips- The best exercises for preventing shin splints are basic squats, deadlifts and lunges. But, your focus should be on using your glutes.
2. Minimize using machines- Machine based exercises are some of the least effective for treating shin splints. The reason is because most machine-based exercises are performed while sitting down and in an apparatus that provides all of the stability for you.
When you run you're standing not sitting. So, your own body has to stabilize itself as you are on one leg the majority of the time. If you aren't training the actual movements and positions similar to running then you are making yourself prone to injuries to your shins, ankles, knees, hips and lower back.
3. Stop running on the treadmill- Treadmills are a great piece of equipment to run indoors or while you watch TV at the gym. But, if you are trying to avoid shin splints then you'll want to avoid the treadmill as much as you can and run on a solid surface instead.
Treadmills operate with a belt so it's harder to get a solid push off the ground because it's moving underneath you. When you run on a solid surface like outdoors you can push off the ground which also helps activate the hips more effectively than on a moving surface.
4. If using a treadmill use incline rather than speed- If your only option is using a treadmill then keep the speed down a bit from your normal pace and substitue by increasing the incline slightly.
Running on an incline can help reduce shin splint pain because you naturally have to push off the ground harder using your hips to move uphill. When running on a flat surface your shin muscles can take over since the hips aren't forced to work very hard to move your body.
5. Use effective training combos- There are a number of exercises and sequences that can help you prevent shin splint pain if you know how to do them.
An effective training combo can be performing 1 set of squats for 10 repetitions per set, then follow that up with a 5-minute run. Repeat this circuit 3-5 times.
The reason this is so effective is because performing a set of squats will activate your glutes and hip muscles in a way that programs them to work during the run. Think of it as turning on "switches" that tell your body what muscles to use.
With your glutes "on" they are primed for the run. You should be able to feel them working for the 5-minute period. Then you rest and repeat another set of squats followed by another run.
There are many different ways you can do this and these 5 tips can effectively help prevent shin splints and other painful conditions. It's just a matter of re-programming your muscles to work differently.
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