Earlier today a good friend of mine asked me for some advice on dealing with shin splints. I put together a list of things that have worked for me in the past and sent it over to him. A little while afterword I thought this would also be a good thing to share with others.
Shin Splints are often caused by increasing your running mileage too fast without properly cross training the muscles opposing the calf…therefore creating a muscle imbalance that leads to inflammation and discomfort.
You can reduce the inflammation by rest / ice / NSAIDs (advil, alleve, etc.), but strengthening exercises for the muscles in the shin will also help dramatically. Here are a few suggestions:
1. While sitting, tap out the ABCs with your big toe. You can do this while you are working, eating, whenever
2. Walk around on your heels with your toes off the ground. Do three sets of 25 steps. One with toes pointed in, one pointed out, one straight.
3. Lean against a wall, lift one leg a little off the ground, and then slowly flex your toe toward your shin (Dorsiflex) 25 times. Repeat with other leg.
4. Same as #3, but do it rapidly
5. Lay down flat on your back, and flex both feet (Dorsiflex), and hold for 5 minutes.
Hope this is useful for anyone else that is struggling with shin splints.