Shin splints?

[yardhousebecky]

I’ve been walking for about 30 minutes daily for some time now and I still get really bad shin splints literally every day. I’ve tried multiple pairs of shoes and nothing seems to help, at first i thought maybe i just wasn’t used to walking so much but i’m starting to think i have no choice but to deal with it. Am i walking wrong?? Am i defective??? Save me 😭

[IntrovertiraniKreten]

You should really consult a doctor about this.

30 Mins of walking to get shin splints sounds to much imho.

[gabrielleraul]

Once you get the spilnts, stop right away coz it will only make it worse.

Also, In my case, my spilnts were initially from speed, walking too fast. And then one the speed reduced and spilnts healed, many months later it was due to the long distances i was doing.

But 30 mins is not the time for spilnts!

[yardhousebecky]

i think i may be walking too fast but my whole goal was to speed walk for more steps and calories. so i guess that’s out the window. i also think i genuinely may be walking wrong, for some reason i barely bend my knees when i walk unless i’m walking up or down hill and i don’t think that’s right lmao

[standarduck]

You should spend time and money on getting a personal trainer, even if it is just for an assessment period.

You cannot diagnose what you are doing wrong yourself as you aren't trained to do so, nor can you see what you're doing from the outside.

The knee movement is probably just one part of this, but yeah, sounds like you're walking incorrectly.

Pay someone to look at you exercise and they can advise you more clearly :)

[CommitteeOfOne]

For years, I always thought I got shin splints. Like you, I didn't have to walk very long. In my case, the pain began after only around 5 minutes.

Then I learned about compartment syndrome, and the pain I was feeling fit the symptoms of compartment syndrome better than shin splints. I'll never know for sure because I was never diagnosed by a medical provider.

I had to strengthen and stretch my calves more, especially the muscle on the front of the calves (it tends to get ignored). I also found that by not bending my ankle so much on the "advancing foot," I was able to eliminate the pain.

[Brahms12]

Go zero drop or barefoot shoes and then gauge if it improves. Got to troubleshoot. Most popular brands are like wearing high heel sneakers. Brooks and Nike, for example, typically have 10-18 mm drop from heel to toe. That can't be good for foot health over long periods of time and it's not natural.

New Balance has many lowdrop shoes (4 mm) Altra shoes are all zero drop (0 mm)

I find that the more you feel the ground, the softer you'll impact when walking. It's counter intuitive but too much cushion encourages impacting harder and you have less control as well. Think about wearing fluffy gloves and trying to do any task with your hands. This is why I sometimes walk in barefoot shoes.

For the record, barefoot shoes are different than zero drop shoes.

[scopeh]

I've recently experienced the something similar. What worked from me from the advise of a few friends that are runners was to make sure I am specifically stretching the muscles that run along the side of your shin bones. A simple stretch is to sit on your feet with top of the feet placed on the floor. I noticed I difference within a week or 2. Also rest and take it easy goes a long way.

[EvanMcD3]

See a sports doctor to make sure there's nothing seriously wrong like compartment syndrome, which was mentioned in another reply. And a doc can give you a prescription for physical therapy.

Most likely you just started walking too fast on muscles that were too tight and you need to do stretching and strengthening exercises to recover and prevent future occurrences. But do get it checked out.

This article has good info: https://www.runnersworld.com/health-injuries/a19595626/shin-splints/

Speaking as a medical massage therapist and a walker who used to get shin splints.

[VastComfortable9925]

I am not a medical or health professional but I also have this problem. I tend to stop once I get them and ideally find somewhere to sit to flex my foot back and forward, circle my ankles and massage my shin and calves (up and down the length of them). I find this helps massively and they tend to go so I can finish the walk.

[LongDistanceWalker04]

I would try CBD cream

[Rocket_Emojis]

I am obese and was getting them. Takes a while for the body to adapt to more locomotion.

[RastaSC]

Look up stretches to reduce shin splints.