How to Avoid Shin Splints While Running

How to Avoid Shin Splints While Running

Here at Crail’s Running Company, we know just how much fun running is! However, we also know how easy it is to get injured when running on a regular basis. Today’s article is about how to avoid common running injuries, specifically the nasty injury known as shin splints. We’ll cover what they are, how to treat them, and how to prevent them from happening in the first place. Let’s get started!

To begin, let’s discuss what shin splints even are in the first place. Shin splints happen when repetitive stress occurs on your shin bones and their connective tissue (and you guessed it, running regularly qualifies as repetitive stress!). This stress can cause a lot of pain, and, if not treated, could turn into more serious injuries such as stress fractures on your shins. 

Shin splints are a common running-related injury, so luckily, that means treating it is just as common. Treatments include rest, icing, and over-the-counter pain relievers. The best pain relievers for shin splints include ibuprofen (such as Advil or Motrin IB), naproxen sodium (think Aleve), and acetaminophen (like Tylenol), and all of these can be found in your local drugstore. If you’re planning on icing your shin splints, put an ice pack on the affected shin for 15 to 20 minutes at a time, four to eight times a day for several days. To make sure your skin is protected from the ice, make sure that a thin towel is covering the ice pack before it makes contact with your skin. 

But how can you avoid shin splints in the first place? There are many things you can do to avoid this pesky running-related injury, such as building strength, cross training, flexibility exercises, exercising on softer surfaces (such as running on a track over a road), and wearing the right supportive shoes for you. It is important to make sure you’re staying flexible and wearing the correct running gear, as wearing the wrong running shoes can create a LOT of unintended, nasty consequences. But by doing just a few simple exercises to stretch out your calves and wearing supportive shoes, you’re going to save yourself from a lot of pain in the long run, and you can keep enjoying running pain-free for years to come. 

This means you should do your research on what kind of shoe works for you in order to avoid shin splints and other injuries related to not wearing the right type of running shoe. Everyone’s feet and bodies are different, so try a couple shoes until you find what’s right for you! Don’t worry if the first shoe you try doesn’t work; there are so many shoes out there that you’ll be able to find the correct one for you. 

Crail’s Running Company is just as supportive as your perfect pair of running shoes! With weekly check ins and personalized training plans, we’ll be sure to ease you into running without any pain at all, unlike shin splints. If you’re interested in becoming a member of CRC, click (www.crailsrunning.com , to learn more about us and our mission. Enjoy your newly pain-free runs with us toda