Don’t Just Shin And Bear It! 5 ways to relieve the boredom of recovering from shin splints!
Shin splints are a painful condition affecting the bone tissue and the thin membranes surrounding the tibia, commonly referred to as the shin bone. At best, the inflammation causing the pain will respond well to appropriate treatment and a short period of rest. At worst, the damage done may require further investigation and treatment along with a much lengthier period of rest. However, all is not lost. Listed below are 5 ways to make the most of your recovery time:
Shop
Well, window-shop at least! Buy a few running magazines and put your feet up as you read up on all the latest, innovative running shoes on the market. You may prefer to run in a more traditional running shoe but it’s more than likely a change of footwear will be prescribed as part of your future prevention plan - unless you like enforced rest!
Shop
Yes, more shopping, but this time you need to visit an actual shop, preferably a specialist running footwear store. Armed with all the knowledge you’ve gleaned through reading every running magazine you could lay your hands on, proceed to try on every single pair of running shoes in the shop. This isn’t an exercise in winding up shop assistants but an ideal opportunity to allow yourself to think outside the box. Be honest, do you tend to be a creature of habit? Many runners are. They stick to the same old make and model of running shoe for superstitious reasons - or no reason at all. With so many running shoes on the market, you may just find a pair that do more for you than just keep you in this season’s colour!
Stay Cool
Get creative with your regular ice treatments to reduce inflammation. Bags of frozen peas are a well-known suitable substitute in place of ice-packs but how about getting a little more exotic. Start a game of ice treatment ‘top trumps’ with fellow sufferers by swapping your bag of peas for a bag of petit-pois…if that fails try mange tout…can you get frozen kumquats?
Shop
Yes, shopping again but this time you’re actually going to buy instead of try! Once a suitable period of rest and treatment has passed and all inflammation has gone, it’s time to return to the specialist running shoe store, if you dare, to take a few pairs for a ‘test drive.’ Be honest with the staff about the sort of running you do, let them look at the wear on your old trainers; have your biomechanics analysed if they have the equipment in store, and never buy a pair of running shoes that don’t feel instantly comfortable - they can’t be ‘worn in’ like a pair of leather boots.
Reflect
Learn from the experience! Take a long hard look at your running habits and question why you may have ended up with shin splints in the first place. ‘No pain, no gain’ is a popular expression in the running world but the pain of shin splints - that’s a heel strike too far!
