What does Shin Splints feel like?

[JungleJim]

Cos i think it might be what I have.

I play five-a-side football, and for the last couple of days after playing I have had a sort of bruise-y feeling midway up my shin, slightly worse on one leg than the other and I know for sure it wasn't caused by being knocked (I've had it before).

Anyway the feeling i have is like I have a tender bruise halfway down the shin, slightly to the left of centre on the right leg and right of centre on the left leg. In a weird way it also feels like my leg has snapped.

Is this shin splints do you think?

[lawrence567]

Sounds like shin splints, i had them a few years back after training on Astro every week.
Nothing you can do except stop doing what your doing for about 6 months! ( I Think)!

[paulmurr]

Sounds like it to me. My shin splints are caused by flat feet. Go to your GP and ask to be referred to the local biomechanical clinic where you'll get exercises, stretches and possibly orthotics depending on the severity... I ended up with all three as I have 'profoundly' flat feet.

[shouldbworking]

shin splints is a vague term often improperly used to cover a variety of problems.

http://www.drpribut.com/sports/spshin.html

I am presently having fun with anterior shin splints which feels like cramp in the front of my shin.

[JungleJim]

I have had this feeling before (many times in fact!) but it's never been too bad. Last night it actually stopped me sleeping as I couldn't get comfortable.

[VXED]

I suffer from them off and on, but never particularly painful fortunately. I asked my physio a couple of weeks ago what exercises i could do to prevent them and she suggested the following.
1. Stand leaning back against a wall with your feet about a foot from the wall, and lift the front of your feet up and down until you can do no more.
2. Kneel on the floor with the tops of your feet to the floor and sit back on your legs, if that makes sense. Doesn't feel like it's doing much but you can feel it stretching around the front of your ankles.

HTH

[Ordinary_Chap]

I get them too from too many years running in hard boots in the military.

When they have gotten really bad in the past my shins are actually very painful to touch as well as just a general pain up the shins.

Oh and there's some good advice above! The only thing that really helps me is to use good footware (from a running specialist) and to keep any running to soft surfaces and avoid concrete and the like.

[Easty-5]

I also get them sometimes after playing football. Sometimes I get them randomly,

I get a very sharp, shooting pain up my shin whenever I put weight on it. Makes walking very, very difficult.

[GMJ]

It's a good chance you have tight calf muscles which will inhibit/weaken the tibialis anterior.

Obviously, it's easy to find if you've got tight calf muscles. Perform a stretch and if you find you have a limited range of motion. Bobs your uncle. Don't forget you have two calf muscles, gastrocnemius stetched with leg extended and soleus which is stretched by bending the knee.

So as always, stretch the tight and strengthen the weak. In that order.

However, it could be a sign of problems further up or down the kinetic chain. So a postural assessment would be the best recommendation.

[Original Poster]

I can sympathise with you, they are a horrible thing to have.