One of the most common injuries associated with figure or endurance training is shin splints. The pain will stop your cardio program in its tracks. Even one simple step; produces a feeling of broken glass rubbing in your shins. Shin splints are simple to diagnose and even more simple to treat.
The most common cause of shin splints is a weakening and a drop in your foots' arch. Once the foot arch drops, the shin muscle, called the Tibalis Anterior and its' tendon will stretch and tear. This results in the loss of normal blood supply and the tendon will start to inflame and after a couple of weeks, results in painful degeneration. That is all it takes and you will have significant sharp bites in the front of your shin when you walk or run.
A simple test - You can do a simple test to determine if a weak arch is the cause of your shin splints.
Ask: Does it hurt more with or without shoes?
If The Answer Is: More pain without shoes, then you are likely a candidate
Step One : Picking out the right shoe
It sounds simple, but getting the right shoe is about as difficult as finding the right person to be your mate for life. Various shoe categories exist, since everyone's feet and gait are different. This helps provide you with the proper type of shoe. Most shoes if you are running about 30 miles a week, will last you about two months, however, there are some ways to stretch that time.
Step Two: Orthotics
Orthotics fit inside of your shoe to provide a platform for your foot to rest in, while in the shoe. Ha, you say, "My shoes have an arch support!" Most manufactures (99.9%) spend a whole .50 cents on their insoles.
Need I say more?!
Additional Suggestions :
* Try the Towel Lift!
Take a towel and sit on a chair with your feet on a smooth surface. Place the towel on the ground and use your toes to grip the towel and practice lifting it up. Repeat about 100 times. This will help develop the supportive muscles in the bottom of your foot and the front of your shin.
After performing this function, move to the stairs and place your heel on the stair, then allow your foot to point down, while maintaining pressure on your heel. This will allow your shins to stretch. Hold for 30 seconds and repeat 5 times.
* Try switching up your cardio. Make a cardio program that allows you to use lower impact equipment. An example is, 5 minutes of recumbent bike, 5 minutes of stair climber and 10 minutes of elliptical.
* Do not use NSAID's after two weeks, it just complicates the problem of healing.
(What Is A NSAID? A nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, such as aspirin or ibuprofen)
* Use topical pain killers like Icy Hot, Medic Ice, Bio Freeze on the shins prior to exercise.
* See a physician for help, if you don't get better in a couple of weeks, find a new physician.
Eat lots of sulfur content foods, Onion, Garlic, etc.
Shoe Information:
There are three groups of running shoes; cushioned, stability and motion control.
Cushioned: Obviously provides maximal shock absorption, not much support.
Stability: Very strong mid-sole material, best choice if you weigh over 200 pounds for a male or 150 for female.
Motion Control: Very firm shoe, best if you have wider feet or flat feet.
* Most shoes don't last longer than 1000km.
* To tell if your shoes are worn out, look at the mid-sole. If there are two or more creases over top of each other, then your shoe has likely lost over 50% of its ability to support your foot from running.
* Don't use your running shoes to train calves, since this breaks them down too quickly.
* If you weigh over 250 lbs, most shoes will last no longer than 60 days without breaking down.
Visit dieting site for more information. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Chrisitne_Breen |
RSS Feed (xml)
No comments:
Post a Comment