Shin splints, a painful condition in the lower leg, can occur with overuse or after extensive running on hard surfaces such as concrete. The condition, also known as medial tibial stress syndrome, occurs when the muscles and tendons of the lower leg stress the tibia bone in the front of the lower leg, along the shin. Choosing the right shoes to support your feet and arches can help you avoid shin splints, as can certain stretches and exercises.
Warm Up
Warming up before exercise helps to increase blood flow to the muscles used in exercise, providing those muscles with necessary oxygen and nutrients. Warm up for 5 to 10 minutes before you exercise. Your warm up should elevate your heart rate and cause you to sweat lightly. Good warm up exercises include walking, jogging, skipping or performing jumping jacks.
Standing Calf Stretches
Stand with your hands against a wall, and place one foot close to the wall and the other foot behind you. Point your toes on both feet toward the wall. Bend your front knee, lean into the wall and keep your back leg straight. Keep the heels of both feet on the ground. You should feel this position stretching the upper calf muscle in your back leg. Hold and repeat the stretch with the other leg. To stretch the lower calf, assume the same position but bend the back leg's knee slightly as well.
Shin Stretches
Place a mat on the floor and lie on one side on the mat. Straighten the leg resting against the floor and pull the opposite foot toward your bottom. Hold and repeat the stretch with the other leg. For another shin stretch, kneel on the ground with your toes pointing behind you. Gently sit on your heels to press the tops of your feet toward the ground.
Stair Stretch
Place the ball of one foot on the first step of a group of stairs or a raised object such as a stack of books. Place the other foot behind you with the toes pointing forward. Keep the back leg straight and lean forward with your front knee bent. Lower the heel of the foot on the step to gently stretch your lower calf muscle.
Toe and Heel Raises
Stand up and lift your heels into the air, rising up on your toes. Then slowly return your heels to the ground. Repeat this exercise at least 10 times. You can also perform this exercise, known as toe raises or calf raises, while holding a weight to make the exercise more difficult. To exercise the muscles in the front of the lower leg, perform heel raises. Stand up with a partner holding down your feet flat against the ground. Lift your toes up against this resistance. Repeat at least 10 times.
Cross Training
Alternate high-impact workouts such as running with lower impact or non-impact workouts such as swimming or biking. Avoid increasing your running distance too sharply from one week to the next.
