I’m currently training for my PST for OCS. I’ve been having a lot of trouble with my shins from all of the running I’ve been doing. Any runners on here have any advice??
Also anybodsy know what causes shin splints? I play highschool lacrosse and every summer when i go to camp and play on turf i get them but i am fine on grass.
Also, the season just started and one of my teammates who is pretty large- 260 at 6’1" is having a heck of a time with his shins- does weight contribute to the problem or is it more poor conditioning and general lack of preparedness?
The major areas to be concerned with are:
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Always wear quality shoes.
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Try to run on the softest (least impact) surface as possible.
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Do Anterior Tibialis work (your shin muscle), variations of toe raises, example: sit on a bench with your heels on it only, “pinch” a dumbbell between your feet and raise your toes as high as possible then lower/stretch down as far as possible.
Issues can be old shoes as well as new shoes.
Gradually change any training work… do not change anything to quickly
There are so many things that can predispose you to shinsplints (flat feet, high arches, leg length discrepancies, bowlegged, etc.)
If you are going to be doing alot of work on your feet the best thing I could suggest is a nice pair of orthotics. This will eliminate most of the issues that lead to shinsplints (except those of simply increasing intensity/duration too fast)
TriDub
[quote]ailax12 wrote:
Also anybodsy know what causes shin splints? I play highschool lacrosse and every summer when i go to camp and play on turf i get them but i am fine on grass.
Also, the season just started and one of my teammates who is pretty large- 260 at 6’1" is having a heck of a time with his shins- does weight contribute to the problem or is it more poor conditioning and general lack of preparedness?[/quote]
i have played lacrosse my whole life and played at Ohio State for four years and i had the same problem. it is almost unavoidable and it is caused by the muscle that connects to the shin bone becoming inflamed and slightly tearing while separating itslef from the bone. this cause “pockets” where fluid runs in (at least mine did and mine were on the inside of my shin bones). a good start is to ice them before and after workouts. do this: buy small styrofoam cups and freeze water in them. then, once froaen, peel some of the styrofoam away and use the exposed ice to “massage” the sore area. this helps ALOT, trust me. another more painful route is to havge someone rub the shins where the pockets are very hard until they are no longer there. this is very painful but gets rid of them. after a while, your body will adjust and you will be fine. good luck!!!
[quote]spartanpower wrote:
I’m currently training for my PST for OCS. I’ve been having a lot of trouble with my shins from all of the running I’ve been doing. Any runners on here have any advice??[/quote]
Although you are Sig Chi, i guess I’ll still help 
Do duck walks, basically on your heels with your tows off the ground. 400-800 m twice a day should do the trick, atleast it did for me. Also, make sure you have the proper shoes for your foot, it would be worth it to do some research and learn wether or not your overpronate… etc…
Hope that helps.
Trace the alphabet with your toes. I don’t really know why this works - maybe because it stretches your ankle through a wide range of angles. But It worked for me and many other skiers, track athletes, and lacrosse players.