Get back to your game or workout in no time with these beneficial home-remedies for shin splints

Shin splints are a very common problem for runners, gymnasts and people who regularly participate in contact sports with constant stops and starts; such as football, netball, basketball to name a few. You’ll know if you experience the condition when you’re deep into your game, workout or walk and a sharp stabbing pain instantly hits the front of your lower legs.

In medical terms, shin splints are referred to as Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome (MTSS) and usually occur when people overdo exercise. The condition develops when the muscles attached to your two leg bones (tibia and fibula) become inflamed which catalyses the intense and unbearable pain. But if you can understand shin splints and how to prevent and treat them, they will no longer take over your life.

Shin Splint Causes

Muscle and Tendon Overload – If a person performs excessive running and weight bearing activities, the sudden shock force of repeated landings will take its toll on your lower legs. Exercising on hard surfaces, uneven ground, excessive uphill or downhill running, wearing the wrong shoes and increasing exercise intensity too quickly are also contributing factors.

Biomechanical Form – Flat feet and over-pronation occurs when the foot and ankle continuously roll excessively inward. This added pressure causes the tibia to twist and therefore over stretches the lower leg muscles. So poor running techniques including excessive forward and backwards lean, running with outward toes and landing on the balls of your feet all take their toll on your lower leg causing shin splints.

Prevention and Remedies

Your best bet for preventing shin splints is to choose high-quality footwear that suits your foot type; whether you roll-in, roll-out or have flat feet. It’s also important to update your shoes and refrain from using old, worn-out pairs that offer no protection and support. Athletic shoe insoles will also help.

Don’t forget warming and stretching your lower legs and feet is an essential before you commence physical activity. It’s also worthwhile to do specific Achilles tendon strengthening exercises to condition the muscles of the lower leg. If at any time you experience sharp pains when exercising, consult a podiatrist to learn more about your foot structure.

If shin splints are a recurring problem, then its best to stop exercising and rest to allow the injury to heal. Apply an ice pack when the pain becomes too intense in a bid to reduce pain and inflammation. It’s also wise to wear shock absorbing insoles in your shoes to reduce the amount of shock on your lower leg and prevent further injury.

Sometimes a podiatrist will tape your shin to alleviate added pressure on attached muscles. But if things aren’t too bad, you can maintain fitness by doing non-weight bearing excises such as swimming or cycling.

Check out these exercises you can do to maintain fitness and physique while you’re jetsetting.

It’s not worth letting your fitness and physique slip just because you’re jet setting around the country – or the world. Whether you travel frequently, are posted abroad for work or are on a road trip and your local gym is out of the question, there are many exercise tips you can try in order to stay in shape. And it doesn’t matter what kind of exerciser you are either!

Go for a run
Why don’t you start your day with a crisp early morning run? It’s the best way to prepare your mind and physique and stay fit, too. Consider running to a nearby beach, through iconic parks or whatever else attractions are on offer that are scenic and encouraging.

Exercise in your room
If you forgot to pack your favourite workout DVD or resistance bands in your luggage, it’s always possible to achieve a great workout in your room thanks to bodyweight training exercises. Begin with a few sets of sit-ups, push-ups and planking. You can also keep it creative and use your bed to perform triceps dips, a wall for wall squats. or even hold a water bottle in each hand to substitute weights while lunging or squatting.

Find a local gym
If your hotel accommodation doesn’t offer an in-house gym facility with basic equipment, your next bet is to locate a fitness centre nearby. Sometimes you may even find that your gym pass back home has locations in the area you’ll be travelling to, so it’s worth paying attention.

Sight see on foot
If your keen on seeing the city or area you’re staying in, then why not explore it on foot? Walking everywhere is a lot more healthier then hopping on trains or busses for a few stops. And driving hire cars and taking taxis can be expensive anyway.

Hire a bike
Bike riding is just as effective as opting to stay on foot. Except with biking, you’re burning a lot more calories. It’s a cheap alternative to using public transport or driving to explore a city. And let’s face it: There are many cities in the world that are made to be seen by bike. Think of Paris and Berlin.

Keep your abs
All of your basic abdominal workouts can still be performed anywhere, since leg raises, crunches and sit-ups do not necessarily need weights to still be effective. If you really want to up the intensity, run up a set of stairs between sets in order to keep your heart rate up.

Sometimes boot camp exercise classes are really group injury classes.

The dangers of injuries associated with fitness boot camp classes are increasingly becoming more apparent. The popularity surrounding such classes is progressing at an exponential rate and so has the amount of exercise induced injuries I have been seeing. And I don’t believe it is a coincidence. There is an intimate link between boot camp classes and soaring injury levels.

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Nothing beats the feeling of wearing a perfectly fit running shoe.

When it’s time to buy a new pair of running shoes, brand, style and colour all matter. But what’s even more important is the actual fit of the shoe. Forget about price. If you focus on bagging a bargain runner on the discount table, then it will most likely lead to an injury. You need to buy the right shoe for your individual foot, regardless if it’s the most expensive or the cheapest as long as support is there.

I don’t blame you if you feel somewhat confused when entering sports stores looking for your ideal shoe. There are so many special high-tech features each running shoe claims to have that you’re left questioning if the feature has any benefit in your life. But if you stick to a few of the following tips, locating your perfect runner will be a much easier task.

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Ok, so you want to get fit. Well, here’s the good news – you don’t have to run a marathon every week to do so, you don’t have to torture yourself each and every day until your body aches and you don’t have to starve yourself until it hurts. A lot of people are confused over how they should start their new health and fitness plan and it’s this confusion which is stopping them in the first place.

The first step is making a change, no matter how small, purely to motivate yourself into wanting to do more, and to see more results. It’s a rather simple process that people tend to over complicate in the beginning stages.

There’s a certain simplicity to being healthy – firstly, it’s as easy as moving. You just have to get your body moving, that’s it. Move a little more each day and you’ll burn more than normal. Secondly, it’s about having an all-round healthy attitude which influences all aspects of your life – not the belief that if you can do one painful session in the gym, then act as you please for the next week.

 In an episode of A Current Affair last week, a 250kg man does just this. At first he was barely able to walk down the street, and barely wanted to. However, when training in a pool, his attitude changed. The fact that his body weight was somewhat supported by the water made this beginning process a lot easier for him. He didn’t feel as self-conscious and spent 20 minutes exercising in the pool. An amazing start to what will eventually be 100kg loss.