Shin splints can be painful/unpleasent sure, but perhaps they would also be an indication that your shins are adapting or getting stronger no? So just take rest when it occurs.
Kind of similar to the soreness of muscles, known to be an indication that they will grow back stronger?[/quote]
Nope. Pain doesn't necessarily mean you are getting stronger. There is a distinct type of pain at a muscle belly, the so-called "burn" which is now considered an antiquated and unreliable of productive muscular work, perhaps conductive of sarcoplasmic (size) hypertrophy, but usually not for myofibliar (strength) hypertrophy.
That is very distinct from the pain experienced during a repetitive/overuse injury. In the very worse of cases, a shin splint is an inflammation of the connective tissue between the tibialis anterior muscle and the tibia bone. This is an onset that can actually lead to SEPARATION of the muscle from tibia in very extreme, rare, but
real cases.
Even worse, it could lead to compartment syndrome. It is important not to confuse muscular pain from pain in the connective tissue. Muscle recovers in days or weeks. Connective tissue takes months, years, and almost never recovers fully.
For most people, shin splints or pain due to ligament/bone overuse is something that can be dealt with rest as you suggested combined with nutrition, rehab exercises, proper footwear and a change in running stride/tempo.
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Originally Posted by Linda
Sadly, once you have this pain you are beyond training and are forced to take some time off to rest, this is the only way to fix things. Shin splint pain is a sign from your body that you have overdone things and will only get worse if pushed any further. Other injuries can occur if you force your joint to compensate, and you would have to have an iron will for pain. Shin splints usually force you into rest with the level of pain it can cause. Rest is the best treatment. Ice is also used and later you can use stretching to help the healing process.
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Originally Posted by BonesX
I remember having shin splits one time many years ago. I think it resulted as a combination of doing leg exercises like squats, along with spending too much time bending down in a "frog" like position (if you know what I mean) due to a job I had.
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I would not think squats (if done properly) would cause you the shin splints... I might be wrong. The "frog" sitting, though, that certainly could lead to it, specially with wrong footwear.
I've found, purely by half-assed observation, that ankle dorsiflexion inflexibility usually exists with a propensity of shin splints. Whether both are symptoms from a common source, or if there is a causation relation between the two, that I'm not sure. But tackling ankle dorsiflexion inflexibility helps with shin splints. And frog sitting for long periods of times without stretching the shins could lead to that I think.
Shin splints fyi
