Shin splints or stress fracture?

[Susannah Hurst]

I just recovered from a shin splint, and a few days ago it was coming back for the third time in the last few months.  I think the cause was that I hadn't iced in a while and that I have really bad pronation.  I got some new shoes, the Mizuno Wave Alchemy 8, and they seem to helping, along with ice.  Just an idea that might help some of you with your shins.

[seesuerun]

Thanks everyone. Just the info I needed!

[James Winzenz]

I think there are a lot of factors that go into getting shin splints, not the least of which may include:

1.  Poor biomechanics (i.e. extreme overpronation, poor footstrike - landing too hard on the heel and forcing the tib. ant. to work very hard to slow down your footstrike)
2.  Wrong shoes for your feet.  Everyone has different feet and needs different shoes (brand and type).  Getting fixated on a certain brand for whatever reason may lead you down the road to injury.  Find the brand that works best for you.  I can tick off a ton of things I have noticed over the years about different shoe brands, including Nike, Brooks, New Balance, Saucony and Mizuno.  A "real" specialty running store is not going to pressure you into buying the most expensive, top-of-the-line most popular brand - they will work with you to find the shoe that is best for you.  If your store doesn't do that, go find a different store.
3.  Shoes are too dang cushioned!  This leads to some muscles actually atrophying because their fuction is being replaced by the shoe.  Think about this - when Roger Bannister broke 4:00 for the mile, what was he wearing on his feet?  Basically a thin slab of leather with spikes on it.  I only run in lightweight stability shoes now so that I can better feel how I am running.

One other suggestion:  Try a bit of barefoot running (or if your feet are real sensitive, try and find some wal-mart variety "aquasocks" to protect your feet.  This helps to promote proper footstrike and stride.  I incorporate a bit of barefoot (read: wal-mart brand aquasock) running and have found my stride has changed, and I have not had a recurrence of shin splints for several years.  It also has the added benefit of strengthening the muscles in your feet.  If you have lots of grass nearby, that would be the best place to start - maybe even just doing barefoot strides or something.

[adam]

I was hit hard with shin splints during my high school running. The main cause was overstriding, and wrong type of spikes (thats a combination for PAIN). Later, I fixed the issue by running in lighter shoes and running on grass. But, all it took was one wrong pair of shoes to bring it back. Asics Gel-Lyte DS 6. 1 mile in I knew they were the wrong shoes for me. Unfortunately, I had ordered 2 pairs of them and waited to long to return them. They were in a box for the last 6 years until today when I finally dropped them off at DI.

[James Winzenz]

my big poor choice in HS was the Brooks Beast.  Here I was, a 130 lb skinny beanpole, wearing these monsters of shoes that were meant for severe motion control.  And I would be considered a mild overpronator.  That was the year I got shin splints pretty bad in High School.  Probably more due to the clunky shoes causing me to change my stride.