“Shin splints, the catch-all term for lower leg pain that occurs below the knee either on the front outside part of the leg (anterior shin splints) or the inside of the leg (medial shin splints), are the bane of many athletes, runners, tennis players, even dancers. They often plague beginning runners who do not build their mileage gradually enough or seasoned runners who abruptly change their workout regimen, suddenly adding too much mileage, for example, or switching from running on flat surfaces to hills.
The nature of shin splints, also known as medial tibial stress syndrome (MTSS), most often can be captured in four words: too much, too soon.”
It has been really cold outside the past few mornings, so I took my running inside on the treadmill. The problem with that is my shins hate the treadmill for some reason. I do normally feel shin splints coming on when I feel like I’m pushing myself a little to hard day-to-day, but in just two days of running on the treadmill (the normal pace, and amount) IT HURTS! I have been trying to take the necessary precautions, stretching before and after, icing them after I run, and taking ibuprofen to stop any swelling. But still, they seem to bother me almost as soon as I start running on the treadmill. So today after a light jog accompanied by a lot of shin pain, I switched over to the elliptical. I would much rather just get in the cardio and avoid the pain. I’m not sure if my legs are just not used to the treadmill (not that I want them to be, I hate running inside) but I am afraid to find out. I don’t want to keep running, and cause damage, I would rather just cross train on the bike, elliptical, followed by some core strengthening.
More information on shin splints from Runners World
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