Stenghtening &Stretching Shins

[YasB]

Hi Cathe & Friends!
I need some advice on stretches or exercises for the shins. I have pain in my shins and ankles whenever I do hi-lo or walking/jogging, basically any lateral or high impact movements.

I bought good aerobic shoes and also ankle support;but, I was wondering if there is a way to strengthen the shins or maybe stretch them b/c they are too tight.

I know from my past experience that the shin pain becomes less of any issue as I become more conditioned, but it never entirely goes away. Please help! I want to add jogging to my cross-training and I also want to avoid getting shin splints.

Thanks for the help!
Yas

 

[Aquajock]

RE: Try Seated Toe Pulls . . .

Hi, Yas! I'm not Cathe, but . . . you may want to try seated to pulls as a shin strengthener:

Sit on the floor with both legs long in front of you and legs only slightly bent. Flex your right foot, and place the heel of your flexed LEFT foot just underneath the toes of the right foot. Press against the right foot with the left heel, while at the same time resisting the press with the right foot. Keep flexing and controlled-pointing the right foot while pushing with the left foot; complete 12-16 reps of this, then do the exact same on the other side.

That's a strengthener; the only thing I could think of to stretch the shin muscle is to do a quad stretch by grasping the foot and pointing its toes gently as you draw the foot back toward the buttock.

Hope this helps . . .

Annette

 

[kathryn]

Variations

If you don't like the way it feels to have your heel digging into the top of your foot, you can also use a stretch band (tie it in a circle, around the leg of your couch) or sit in a chair, cross your legs, and use an ankle weight on the front of your foot. Pull up against that weight.

 

[mogambo]

RE: Variations

Something I learned in a running clinic: walk around the house on your heels, with your toes off the ground. this way, you don't have to stop whatever you're doing, and the shin muscles (anterior tibialis) get worked really well. It helped me a lot and it's easy.

 

[AlisonK]

I also seem to be very prone to shin splints so here are a few tips Ive picked up from various people. One is to not run or walk on an incline (like on a treadmill or hills) until the shin splints are totally healed. Also, building up the strength in your calf muscles can help. One stretch that feels really good on my shins is to simply sit down on my knees with my toes pointed back underneath. It stretches out the shins and quads. Lastly check out Runners World online they have some good tips there on shin splints. I hope you recover fast they sure aren't fun to have :-( Keep us posted.

Alison

 

[YasB]

Thank you all for your advice. I will definitely focus on strengthening the muscles to prevent injury. I think the Runners world article summarized my problem the best :"Too much, Too soon". I need to remember that you can't rush fitness!

Yas B

 

[Cathe Friedrich]

Hi Yas! I'll just add a couple here. For shin conditioning, simply tap your toe for about 60 to 90 seconds repetitively per foot. Your toe tap pace should be steady and not too slow. You will experience quite a heat sensation in the shin.

Then to stretch out your shins, sit in a chair and cross your right foot over your left leg (so that the right side of your right ankle is resting just above your left knee). Now take your left hand and grasp all of your toes of your right foot and pull your toes downward (towards the ball of the right foot), feeling an elongation and stretch up the right shin. Repeat other side.

 

[Kay]

Hi Yas,
While sitting on the recliner/couch in the evening I use my yoga strap around the ball of my foot & do up & down flexing/stretching movements. You could use a resistance band instead of a yoga strap. Makes good use of "down" time & helps my feet, shins & calves feel better.
Kay