Protecting My Shins from Injury?

[JenniferAnn]

Now that I've committed myself to doing mostly Cathe tapes, I'm worried about getting shin splints. I had some minor shin pain when I started doing Intense Moves (my first tape with power stepping) about a month and a half ago. It got better when I got the mats from QVC but every once in awhile I still get some minor shin pain. I'm particularly concerned about hurting my shins doing traditional high impact hi/lo. I don't mind pylos or power stepping but if I start jumping around on one foot I have a tendency to favor the balls of my foot which I'm afraid could lead to shin splints.

Are there any special warm-ups I could do for my shins? Or stretches?

 

[munchkin928]

I got really bad shin splints from jogging a while back and posted a question at VF. A really helpful poster suggested "alphabet toes" as a remedy (and I think she thought they might help prevent them as well). Basically all you do is point your toe and then spell the alphabet in the air using as big of motions as you can. I'm not sure if that's helpful to you, but it did help my shins feel better faster, and it's really easy to do. I also think that making sure that your shoes are in good condition will help too, and of course landing as softly as you can so you aren't jarring things too terribly much.

Anyways, I'm not really an expert, but I hope some of this is helpful! Good luck!

Amanda

 

[Aquajock]

RE: Seated Toe Pulls

There is a good shin-strengthener that you can do, which is just as important as a good warm-up or stretches; it's called Seated Toe Pulls:

Sit on the floor with your legs extended out in front of you but keeping a modest bend in the knees, feet flexed;

Place the heel of your flexed left foot into the toe bed of your flexed right foot;

Press down through the heel of your left foot while resisting with the right foot, and then flex the right foot while resisting with the left heel;

Repeat that 12X on that side; then perform the entire set in reverse, right heel into left toe bed.

Hope this helps -

Annette Q. Aquajock

 

[Aquajock]

RE: Seated Toe Pulls

Bumping - for Naughtoj

 

[naughtoj]

RE: Seated Toe Pulls

JenniferAnn..

I am glad SOMEONE on this forum has this annoying ailment as well. I was starting to think I was the only one. I assume mine are pretty mild but they can get so bad that every strike of my foot to the floor during a Cathe cardio can feel like a blow to the shins with a blunt object!!! That is when they are really inflamed. I do those alphabet things at my desk during the day. Long time ago I think I had compartment sydrome..possibly still do...and I thought maybe this contributed to it or was exacerbated by it. Of course, that is my own self diagnosis!!

Good Luck rehabilitating yourself!!

Janice
Thanks for the BUMP Annette!!!