Shin Splints and Weight Loss

I only just realized that I am in love with running on the treadmill. I go to the gym four days a week and I try to make sure I'm on the treadmill at least twice, the other times I do elliptical or the bike. A few weeks ago I started getting pain in my shins and being a beginner I thought I should run through it... Now I realize it's shin splints and I can't do any cardio at all. I've been doing abs and arms for two straight weeks and not only am I getting bored but I haven't lost any weight. Any suggestions?

shin splits suck.  sorry about that.

do you have access to a pool?  it's probably the best way to continue to exercise and still allow yourself to heal.

My cross-country coach gave me some advise that really helped.  He had me walk forward on my heals with toes pointed upwards until i could no longer keep my toes off the ground.  Then repeat the same technique but now walking backwards.  This helped me lots.  And within a few weeks, i stopped getting shin splints all together.  It is my understanding that shin splints result from the muscle pulling on the bone harder than the tendon is used to, (b/c the muscle is getting stronger due to running), and this exercise helps to strengthen the tendon.

Other than that, try using the stairmaster.  it will actually increase your endurance for running. 

I have shin splints too...really bad! OUCH.i know the pain.

I went to see a sports medicine doctor and he made me custom made arch supports. He took like a plaster of my feet and sent them to some company that sent me custom made arch supports. i'm in nursing school and i work as a CNA in the hospital so im on my feet ALL the time. So i NEVER EVER leave the house with out them. I have not gotten shin splints since i got my arch supports. (the custom ones are the only ones that helped me). They just slide in your shoe and away you go! :-) My doctor also had me run on a treadmil to look at the way i run and he had to "reteach" me to run...its more of a heal to toe run like, heal toe heal toe, hard to explain when you type it out...but i was goig SMACK SMACK SMACK like falling flat on my feet. He explained to me since i have fallen arch (NO arch in my foot what so ever) that the "smacking" motion puts pressure on the nerve and on bones that normally isnt supposed to take that much pressure. as a result you feel it in your shin from the nerve. Shin splints can be caused by numerous things....but if you have fallen arch i'd suggest making an appointment with a sports medicine doctor or a podiatrist (foot doctor) to get you a set of arch supports. I can run for miles and miles without any issues to my shins.

In the mean time, do some work on the eliptical. I actually trained in the eliptical before i got my arch supports and i got a GREAT workout on it...before i could run about a mile and that was it. After training on the eliptical i was able to run about 3 miles. So I know it gives me a really good work out. I actually still do the eliptical more than the treadmil. My doctor also suggested trying to get into deep water aerobics class. Since im only 20 hes like i know your dont gonna want to do shallow water with the older ladies. But he told me you actualyl burn almost twice as mucha s running because they have you do runniing like motions in the water, and you also burn calories you dont realize you are burning because your holding yourself up out of the water.

hope that helps. Best of luck.

He also told me that when i do get them...sit down and spell out the alphabet with my foot. LIke use your ankle joint to move your foot to spell out alphabet big and small so it would be lik e

A-a- B-b -C-c -D-d- E-e and so on....i only ever used it twice and it seems to relieve the pain quite a bit for me.

Thanks all. I do have access to a pool and I think I'm going to try working swimming into my routine, I can't believe I didn't think of that. As for the walking on the heels thing, I have attempted to do so tonight, I can't exactly do it for very long because I have to do it inside walking from the kitchen to the dining room (its -39C outside with windchill). I'm going to try more of it tomorrow when there aren't children running around. I'm also going to do the spelling of the alphabet with my ankle thing tomorrow, I'm desperate for it to go away so I can finally get back to running. As for the elliptical and stair master, I'm afraid to do anything that will make it worse, will that kind of thing do so?

Ouch, been there, done that. Shine splints can be caused by many different things, wearing the wrong shoes, incorrect running techniques, over use or stress of the muscles, not stretching properly, flat feet. Here is some good information for you to read. http://www.thestretchinghandbook.com/archives /shin-splints.php 

Have you looked into massage? That has helped me a great deal not only for shine splints but everything. I train hard and consider massage as part of my training.

I'm glad you asked about shin splints.  I got really bad shin splints after one particularly longer run  (9 miles) on October 27th and they're still healing now.  I had been building up my mileage slowly enough, so I'm not sure if it was a longer run on pavement (I usually run on gravel roads) or just that I should get a new pair of shoes, or what.

I've been sidelined from running basically since then--I have gone a couple times, but everytime the pain came back.  So I haven't run at all for over a month and its driving me crazy too!  It's been feeling good especially this past week (as in no pain at all), but last night I went walking on the treadmill (incline and fast walk, no jogging or running) and now I can vaguely feel it again.

I really want to get healed and get going again....I'm was supposed to be training for a half-marathon at the end of May.  On the other hand, I know if I don't get better, then they'll just come back again. 

Good luck--I hope yours heal fast!

I did the spelling of the ABCs and the walking funny thing and my shin splints went away!! It was awesome for a few days until I got too excited about being able to do stuff and did the bike for 45 minutes and then skipped rope.... Bad idea :( So they're back but not nearly as bad and I'm hoping with the stretches I'll be back to normal within the week. So other than me doing too much too fast, great advice guys, thanks!