Help is needed please!

[n2mark]

Tuesday I went to the fitness center and walked 35 minutes on the treadmill, (the first time in 3 or four years), yesterday and today my shins hurt especially after sitting and resting. Should I wait until the pain stops or continue to visit the fitness center?

In years passed I could walk an hour on the treadmill with a 12 incline without a problem. but I was not 62 at the time. The rest of my is okay, just the shins.

[MichiganVote]

1. Ice up. Anti-inflammatory dope. Shin splints. They can occur anytime.

[liberalnurse]

4. A little late for that now.

Ice is best within the first 24 hours. Ice is always great for this too. Dang.....

[MichiganVote]

8. Actually not so. My family are all runners. They ice all the time and for

a week or more following shin splints. It does help.

[liberalnurse]

2. Rest......

walk about as tolerated around the house etc......give it a few days.

[meppie-meppie not]

3. you built up too much lactic acid in the shins...I would put a

heating ointment (tiger balm or such) on them. You could take Advil for the tissue inflammation and yes I would rest them 48 hrs. Next time, before your treadmill walk do major stretching of the shins. Hope this helps :-)

Edit: also strengthening the calves will help protect the shins.

[jody]

5. Shin splints hurt the most when going up or down stairs. You might

find some relief by using elastic calf supports.

What you didn't say was how fast you were walking or running. It sounds like your shoes did not cushion the foot and leg. The constant pounding even 35 minutes injured your calf muscles.

I hope you recover in a couple of weeks and then restart your program very slowly.

:hi:

ON EDIT ADD:
Suggest you visit the following link
http://www.sportsinjuryclinic.net/cybertherapist/front/lowerleg/shinsplints.htm

[n2mark]

9. I wasn't walking that fast...

3.3 for 15 minutes and 3.4 the remainder of the time (20 minutes). Maybe too fast for the first time in several years.

[n2mark]

10. Shoes

I have Nike running shoes!

[OhioBlue]

6. I agree with earlier posts - sounds like shin splints

Used to have them in track when I was in HS all the time - recommendation was always - ice (used to stand in a bucket of ice water) Anyway, they are painful, but if you take it a bit easy, should be gone pretty quickly. Get better shoes, try to watch your stride - heel to toe and not a pounding type of stride.

[NewHampshireDem]

7. Gently stretch before and after and get new sneakers

Based on my own experiences with shin pain, it probably isn't shin splints, which would take more than one day's worth of walking for 35 minutes on a treadmill to develop. However, if they really are shin splints and they occured that quickly, they are likely a result of poor arch support in your shoes. Either way, the easiest remedies are the same: stretch and get better fitting sneakers.

My own shin problems were a result of playing soccer on really crappy hard surfaces with poorly padded cleats. Once I put some decent inserts in them the problems pretty much resolved themselves. You might look into that. If inserts are not an option because of the fit of your sneakers, a good sporting goods store or a search on the internet (try running sites) should yeild recommendations for inexpensive (or, hey, expensive--it's your money!) sneakers with good arch support.

Here is the WebMD article about shin splints:

http://my.webmd.com/content/article/80/96441.htm

The stretch it describes is the same one that helped me out with my own shin pain.

[n2mark]

11. The one thing I don't do

is stretch. My daughter lectured me last night the importance of stretching.

[n2mark]

12. As long as I keep my legs moving I am find until

I sit down or lay down then get up!

[Moloch]

13. Locking...

DUers are not qualified to give medical advice. Please consult your nearest health care professional.

Damkira
DU Moderator