wossoyi said:I've been suffering from a bad bout of shin splints for
the last 2 weeks or so and I'm not liking it. I think i've
tried everything, in terms of stretching, applying cold
after the run, etc.. And I rarely keep running when the
pain hits (which it hits quickly), i just switch to a fast
stride (3.5 - 4.0mph) on an incline (i've been running on
a treadmill since the pain started) and the pain stops.
In the last week, i started to notice that my claves were
tight too, so i've been trying to stretch them (slowly)
about three times per day so that i can get back out and
running.
My question is this, after failing to get enough stretch
out of my calf muscles, I decided to apply heat, stretch
with the heat on and keep applying the heat for about 2
hours a day (while at my desk). Is this likely to work, or
is there a better solution?
btw, i already have good shoes with not much wear on
them, as well as orthotics (That have never given me
problems before)
Massage and walk and spin (high cadence cycling with toe
clips) to heal the lower leg. Spinning has to be the big
surprise cure for sore calf and shin. Get a "real" cyclist
to demonstrate cycling form and learn how to apply pedal
pressure at high rpm throughout the full pedal rotation. If
not dressed for cycling, you can set up the Gold's Gym
recumbent Lifecycle for spinning by finding the rubber
footstraps and adjusting for snug fit. Start out on Level 3
(or whatever seems very easy) and gradually work your rpm up
above 90. Then step the Levels up briefly to break a sweat
and get your pulse up. Back off the load and repeat, but
always keep the rpm up. Flex those ankles to apply pedal
pressure through the full 360 degrees of pedal crank
rotation. Do this for 30 minutes until drenched, then do
some walking. Even if your legs feel great the next day,
resist the urge to start running for a week or two,
depending on the history.
When you start running again, warm up the lower leg with toe
walking drills, heel walking drills, walking, massage,
CRAC/CR/PNF stretching only after the run, etc.
Do the shin splint therapies to build strength as well as
flexibility, as insurance against future problems.
Check your shoes for sufficient support.
Shin material and links:
sportsinjurybulletin.com0161 shinOpen ↗
splints-treatment.htm Shin splints treatment - exercise to
strengthen the lower legs, prevent, repair and care for shin
splints problems.
When you decided to get really serious about your training
earlier this year, everything went smoothly for several
weeks, but one day you felt a dull ache on the inside, lower
portion of your shin as you began your workout. The
discomfort went away once you had warmed up, so you weren't
overly concerned.
Unfortunately, the pain returned on the following day - and
lasted for a longer portion of your workout. As the days
went by, pain was present for the whole training session, as
well as your cool-down - and even hung around during your
regular daily activities. When you used your fingers to
probe the area near the back, inside edge of the lower part
of your tibia (the main bone in the lower part of the leg),
you felt tenderness but no major swelling, and the pain
seemed to centre in the tissues (muscles and tendons) near
the tibia, not the tibia itself. What was wrong?
Of course, you had developed a classic case of 'shin
splints', an injury which is more accurately called medial
tibial stress syndrome (MTSS). Many experts believe that
shin splints (MTSS) is the most common injury among
athletes whose sports involve extensive amounts of running
(e.g., runners, soccer players, rugby players and other
participants in field sports); indeed, research shows that
up to one in five injured runners are 'on the shelf'
because of shin splints ('Relieving Painful Shin Splints,'
The Physician and Sportsmedicine, vol. 20(12), pp. 105-113,
1992). And it's an especially troubling injury, because it
can stop quality training in its tracks and also tends to
recur, defying conventional treatments. The actual site of
injury in the shin area can be muscle, tendon, bone - or
the connective-tissue wrappings which surround your muscles
and bones.
Some exercise scientists contend that MTSS is almost
inevitable, since each shin absorbs a force equal to two to
three times body weight with every footfall during running -
about 700 times per shin per mile, mile after
mile. The cumulative effect of this repetitive stress on the
muscles and connective tissues in the shin area is
believed to be the origin of MTSS. For that reason,
MTSS is often called an 'overuse' injury, although as
you'll see in a minute, the real problem is not so
much overuse as it is a lack of preparation for use.
Specifically, shin splints occurs because the ankle
dorsiflexors - the shin muscles which in effect pull
the top surface of the foot toward the shin and also
(as part of their eccentric functioning) keep the foot
from being pulled away from the shin too rapidly - are
not functioning as well as they should.
The key role of these ankle dorsiflexors during running is
in fact to control and limit plantar flexion - the movement
of the foot away from the shin. During the very earliest
part of the footstrike portion of the gait cycle - right
after the foot makes contact with the ground, there's a
tendency for the foot to slap hard against terra firma. In a
'heel-striker,' for example (a runner who first makes
contact with the ground with his heel), forward momentum
tries to slap the rest of the bottom of the foot against the
ground very quickly and forcefully, an uncoordinated and energy-
wasting action which is resisted by eccentric contractions
of the dorsiflexors.
The sound of slapping feet If a runner has weak ankle
dorsiflexors, you can often 'hear him coming a mile away',
because his feet actually make slapping sounds against the
pavement (of course, such a runner will be at high risk for
MTSS, because the rapid downward movement of the foot will
tear at and overstress the dorsiflexors). In contrast, the
runner with strong, functional dorsiflexors will seem to pad
softly along, even if he is running on rock-solid concrete.
Watch some of the elite Kenyans running, for example, and
compare their foot-to-ground patterns with those of elite
Brits or Americans or the average recreational athlete. The
Kenyans build up tremendous dorsiflexor strength and
functionality because they spend their initial years of life
running and walking endless miles while barefooted, instead
of moving around with their feet clamped into fluffy
midsoles which shield the feet from hard work - or sitting
around with feet propped up on a soft hassock. As a result,
the Kenyans waste very little energy during the stance phase
of the gait cycle - and seldom hobble off the track or roads
with a shin injury.
In addition to controlling plantar flexion, the
dorsiflexors must also deal with side to side motions of
the foot and ankle during running - as well as the
rotational motions which are a natural part of the gait
cycle. Any tendency of the foot to pronate must be
controlled by the shin muscles. Any tendency of the foot
to supinate must also be reined in by the dorsiflexors.
If there is relentless, stressful motion in any
direction, the shin muscles can be damaged. That's why
many of the shin splints exercise routines which
supposedly prevent shin splints don't work so well; they
often emphasize only front-and-back motions, rather than
the side-to-side and rotational activities which are
routine aspects of the biomechanics of running. The
bottom line is that if you want to prevent shin splints,
you can't merely develop general strength in your
dorsiflexors - or strength which exhibits itself in only
one plane of motion: your dorsiflexors must actually be
stronger while you are running. More on that in a
moment! That's why the classical mode of treatment for
shin splints - RECEIPT (rest, elevation, compression,
easy stretching of the muscles, icing, and possibly
taping) - works fairly well at relieving symptoms but
does a very poor job of keeping the injury from
recurring. Only by improving the functional strength of
the dorsiflexors and the strength and coordination of
the entire ankle area can one be confident that MTSS
will be held at bay. If your dorsiflexors are strong
enough to handle your total training load, and they
aren't yanked around too badly by poorly controlled
ankle movements, your training year should be un-marked
by the pain and disruption of shin splints.
Try these MTSS-preventing exercises So what should you
actually do to lower your risk of MTSS? Well, simply utilize
our shin-splint-preventing exercises, outlined below:
1. Wall Shin Raises. Simply stand with your back to a wall,
with your heels about the length of your feet away from
the wall. Then, lean back until your buttocks and
shoulders rest against the wall. Dorsiflex both ankles
simultaneously, while your heels remain in contact with
the ground. Bring your toes as far toward your shins as
you can, and then lower your feet back toward the ground,
but do not allow your forefeet to contact the ground
before beginning the next repeat. Simply lower them until
they are close to the ground, and then begin another
repetition. Complete about 12 to 15 reps.
Once you have finished the reps, maintain your basic
position with your back against the wall, dorsiflex your
ankles to close to their fullest extent, and then
quickly dorsiflex and plantar flex your ankles 15 times
over a very small range of motion (smaller than the
nearly full range you use for the basic reps; the
emphasis here is on quickness). These short, quick ankle
movements are called pulses.
As you gain strength over time, make the wall shin raises
progressively more difficult by advancing from one set of 15
reps to two and then three sets of 15 (for the basic raises
and the pulses). It's OK to walk around for 15 to 30 seconds
between sets.
Now the single-leg raise Once you can quite comfortably
complete 3 x 15 of the double-leg raises (both basic and
quick), progress to the single-leg wall shin raise. The
basic position for this exercise is as before, except that
you begin with only one foot in contact with the ground; the
other foot rests lightly on the wall behind you. Now, full
body weight is on one foot - as it is during running - as
you carry out the overall routine, and the exercises are
considerably more difficult. Begin with 12 to 15 reps per
foot (both for the basic exercise and pulses), and progress
to 3 x 15 (basic and pulse) on each foot as your strength
increases. There's no need to rest between sets; simply
carry out 15 reps on one foot plus the pulses, shift over to
the other for 15 repetitions and pulses, return to the
original foot, and so on until you have completed three sets
with each foot.
2. Heel Step-Downs These are simple but devastatingly
effective exercises for preventing MTSS. Begin with a
natural, erect body position, with your feet about shoulder-
width apart, and then step forward with one foot. The
length of the step should be moderate - as though you
were walking in your normal manner. When your heel makes
contact with the ground, stop the foot from fully plantar
flexing, ie, use your shin muscles to keep the sole of
the foot from making contact with the ground. After heel
contact, the ball of your foot should descend no more
than an inch toward the floor or ground; your foot is
held in check by the eccentric contractions of your
dorsiflexors (shin muscles). Return your foot to the
starting position (back by the other foot), and repeat
this basic stepping action a total of 15 times. Then,
shift over to the other foot and complete 15 steps. As
with the wall shin raises, progress to three sets of 15
reps over time.
Now with longer steps Once you have mastered the basic heel
step-downs, perform the same exercise - but with
dramatically longer steps. Using lengthier steps will
increase the accelerating forces placed on the dorsiflexors
and force them to work more forcefully and quickly, as they
must do during running. Start with one set of 15 reps of
long steps per foot, and progress to 3 x 15 on each foot
over time.
Finally, you will be ready to carry out the heel step-downs
from a high step, which will increase the forces on your
shin muscles to the greatest extent - and build the greatest
amount of strength. Use a bench or exercise platform which
is about four inches off the ground to carry out your
stepping. Aside from beginning each step from a bench, your
movements are the same as they are in the basic step-downs;
the idea is to land on the heel of the forward foot and then
to use the shin muscles to prevent the sole of the foot from
making contact with the ground (again, don't let the ball of
the foot move downward by more than an inch). The actual
length of the step is moderate at first (you can progress to
long steps later). As before, begin with 15 reps per foot,
and progress to three sets of 15 reps as you gain strength
and coordination.
Both the wall shin raises and heel step-downs can be carried
out three to four times a week, along with your other strength-
building exercises (you can complete them more often if
you've had lots of problems with MTSS in the past; don't do
them to the point of pain, however).
Warm up to stronger shins The following portion of the shin-splint-
preventing routine can be completed during the warm-ups
preceding your regular workouts. The prescribed exercises
develop shin strength and resiliency, as well as overall
ankle coordination, and thus are great antidotes for your
ankles' desires to begin hurting during strenuous
training. It's also a good idea to include the exercises
in your warm-ups; doing so transforms the warm-up from
humdrum routine into an important strength and
coordination session. Here's what to
do:
1. Walk on your toes with your toes pointed straight ahead
for about 20 metres, getting as high up on your toes as
you possibly can. Your legs should be relatively straight
as you do this, and you should - at least initially -
take fairly small steps.
Then, cover 20 metres high up on your toes, but with your
toes pointed outward. Your legs should rotate outward from
the hips when you perform this movement; don't merely turn
each foot at the ankle - the whole leg is involved.
Finally, walk 20 metres high on your toes, but with your
toes pointed inward. As you do so, rotate the entire leg in
from the hip, not just the ankle. Repeat each of these
activities (toes pointed ahead, toes pointed out, toes
pointed in) at least one more time before going on to the
second exercise.
2. Walk on your heels with your toes pointed straight ahead
for about 20 metres, getting as high up on your heels as
you possibly can. Your legs should be relatively straight
as you do this, and you should - at least initially -
take fairly small steps.
Then, simply proceed as you did with the toe walks, walking
20 metres on your heels with toes pointed outward and then
20 metres on heels with toes pointed inward. Repeat each of
the heel walks (toes straight ahead, toes pointed outward,
toes in) at least one more time.
As the toe and heel walks become easy for you, graduate to
doing the three variations of each exercise while jogging
lightly, instead of walking! At least at first, you should
make certain you are on a padded or grassy surface when you
jog on toes and heels.
3. Skip for 20 metres, landing in the mid-foot area with
each contact with the ground, and with toes pointed
straight ahead. Then, do the same, but with toes pointed
out for 20 metres, and then with toes pointed in for 20
metres. Repeat the sequence at least one more time.
4. Then, get well up on your toes and skip for 20 metres
with toes straight ahead, pointed out, and pointed in.
Now skip on your heels Once the skipping exercises are
comfortable, try some light skipping on your heels.
Gradually build up your ability to heel-skip with toes
straight ahead, pointed out, and pointed in for 20 metres at
a time. Heel skipping is a great way to build dorsiflexor
strength, but carry it out only on a padded or grassy
surface to avoid impact injury to your heels.
5. Once you've completed your walking, jogging, and skipping
routines, it's time for rhythm bounding. This isn't the
kind of bounding you're probably envisioning - we don't
mean progressing forward with extra-long strides, at
least not at first. Rather, you should jog along with
very springy, short steps, landing on the mid-foot area
with each contact and springing upward after impact. As
you rhythm bound, your ankles should act like coiled
springs, compressing slightly as you make your mid-foot
landing and then recoiling quickly - causing you to bound
upward and forward. Move along for 20 metres or so with
these quick, little, spring-like strides, alternating
right and left feet as you would during running. After 10
to 20 metres of regular jogging, rhythm bound for 20 more
metres, alternating three consecutive spring-like
contacts with the right foot with three with the left.
After 10 to 20 more metres of regular jogging, close the
set by bounding along for the full 20 metres on your
right foot only, followed by 20 metres on the left
(making certain that you land on the mid-foot area with
each ground contact and that your ankle area, not your
knee or hip, is doing most of the work). Make sure (at
least at first) that all of this is done on a padded
surface or soft grass. As you become stronger and more
skilled, you can increase the length and amplitude
(vertical height) of each bound and include additional
sets of bounds (work your way up to four sets).
6. Complete some 'dorsiflexion bounces'. To do these, simply
begin jumping vertically and repetitively at close to
maximal height, landing in the mid-foot area with both
feet and then springing upward quickly after each contact
with the ground. The interesting part of this exercise is
that you should dorsiflex your ankles - pulling the tops
of your feet toward your shins - on each ascent, before
plummeting back toward earth and plantar flexing your
ankles just before making contact with the ground. Do 10
dorsiflexion bounces, rest for 10 seconds or so, and then
repeat. Over time, you can add additional sets and
increase the number of reps to 30. When you are really
strong and skilled, perform this exercise on just one
foot at a time, but only on a low-impact surface.
7. Finally, carry out rhythm bouncing. Rhythm bouncing is
actually just jumping around, but what jumping! You
should start with 10 jumps in place, moderately fast,
with medium height, and with maximal motion at the ankles
- but little flexion and extension at the knees and hips
(over time, you can work up to 30 jumps). Then, after
resting for a few seconds, change the amplitude (height)
of your jumps to less than an inch, and complete 20 jumps
as fast as you possibly can (pretend that your feet are
hitting a hot stove - so that you must minimize your
impact time with the ground). Again, almost all of the
action should take place at your ankles, not at your
knees and hips. As you become more skilled, work up to 40
quicksilver jumps.
After resting for a few seconds, complete five 'high-impact'
jumps, increasing the amplitude (vertical height) of your
jumping as much as possible. Over time, progress to 30 of
these maxi-jumps.
So far, all of the rhythm bounces have been carried out in
place, so make things interesting by jumping forward and
then backward as quickly as possible. After you have made 20
'contacts' (each time your feet strike the ground is one
contact), rest for a few seconds and then jump from side to
side for 20 contacts. Rest again, and then jump in a
direction which is about 45 degrees from straight ahead,
alternating directions (first towards the right, then
towards the left) for 20 contacts as you move ahead in a zig-
zag manner. Remember to use your ankle muscles to propel
you, not the big muscles at the knees and hips.
As you gain skill and strength, you can increase the number
of sets of each type of rhythm bouncing from one to three,
and then - the fun part - carry out each type of bouncing on
one foot only. Moving in different directions as you bounce
increases the ability of your shin muscles to handle all of
the forces created during running - the side-to-side and
rotational stresses, in addition to the less-overlooked
front and back forces.
Other considerations Of course, carrying out these
exercises doesn't mean that your risk of MTSS is zero. If
you suddenly change your weekly volume of running from 25
to 75 miles because you've been bitten by the marathon bug,
for example, something will have to give, and it might well
be your shin muscles and tendons. So, be certain to avoid
dramatic changes in the frequency, volume, or intensity of
your training; always gradually progress to more difficult
levels of work.
Sports-medicine experts often recommend stretching the ankle
area by slowly moving the ankle to 'each' end of its range
of motion in the straight-back and straight-ahead plane, eg,
to the fully dorsiflexed and then completely plantar-flexed
positions, holding each position for anywhere from five to
60 seconds. The problem with that, of course, is that you
are only stretching your muscles in one plane of motion and
thus not adequately mimicking the stretching which takes
place during running. At the very least, in addition to
carrying out the plantar-flexed and dorsiflexed stretches,
you should also stretch each ankle by fully rotating it
outward and inward - and by plantar flexing and dorsiflexing
the ankle while the foot is pointed both outward and inward
to various degrees - not just straight ahead.
The experts also recommend strengthening the ankle area by
adding resistance to the above stretching movements with the
use of surgical tubing or elastic bands. That is indeed a
way to increase general strength of the ankle, and it will
certainly make you stronger when you carry out surgical-
tubing exercises in the future. The problem, of course, is
that you run with your feet on the ground - not poised in
the air in the clutches of elastic bands. So, to fully
prepare your ankles and shins for the rigours of running,
you're better off focussing on the specific exercises we are
recommending.
Does stretching actually help to prevent MTSS? No
scientific evidence indicates that it does, but the idea
that stretching might be protective is a logical one
(overly taut muscles seem more likely to be damaged by
pulling forces, compared to relaxed fibres). Don't stretch
your ankle area until after your muscles are warm, however;
a good time would be after a warm-up and/or at the end of
your training session.
Other lower leg injuries Of course, all problems in the
lower part of the leg are not necessarily examples of MTSS.
In particular, two conditions - compartment syndromes and
tibial stress fractures - can sometimes be confused with
shin splints.
Compartment syndromes owe their name and origin to the fact
that the leg muscles are not simply loose straps which run
from bone to bone. In reality, the muscles are often grouped
together into little sections of the leg which are enclosed
by a tough wrapper of connective tissue. Such an arrangement
of muscles tucked into a wrapper is called a 'compartment'.
During the act of running, excess fluid can build up within
one of these compartments, putting pressure on muscle
fibres, nerve cells, and blood vessels - and also causing a
great deal of pain. Frequently, the pain will be so severe
that a runner must curtail a workout or come to a standstill
during a race. And the pain will usually be accompanied by
the two telltale symptoms of a compartment syndrome -
numbness and weakness.
Numbness occurs because the excess pressure within a
compartment hampers the activity of sensory nerves carrying
messages to the brain. As a result, the runner with
compartment syndrome may lose feeling in the 'web' of the
foot - between the first and second toes, or the
insensitivity may extend up the foot toward the ankle.
Weakness is experienced because motor nerves carrying
impulses towards the muscles are also damaged by the high
pressures within the compartment. If a compartment in the
front of the leg is involved, a runner may have trouble
dorsiflexing the ankle, and the foot may seem to flop
loosely. In a posterior-compartment problem involving
muscles in the back of the leg, there is often weakness when
an individual tries to 'toe off'.
If you truly have a compartment syndrome, you will usually
observe swelling in your lower leg which tends to subside
when your leg is elevated. A doctor can tell for sure if you
have this troubling problem by placing a catheter into one
of your compartments and measuring pressure before, during,
and after running (you will usually have to run long enough
to produce pain during this test).
What about stress fractures? Stress fractures are small
breakdowns in bony tissue, and tibial stress fractures,
which are sometimes confused with MTSS, are the most common
of all stress fractures in athletes, accounting for about 50
per cent of the total. In addition to producing a lot of
pain, stress fractures can actually progress into
dislocation fractures, in which two parts of the bone
actually separate. Stress fractures also may be 'warning
signals' for an underlying nutritional or hormonal problem.
Unfortunately, traditional X-rays often fail to detect
stress fractures, so a more costly procedure called a bone
scan must frequently be performed to confirm the diagnosis.
In a bone scan, radioactive material is actually injected
into the blood. Bony tissue which is remodelling and
rebuilding itself at the site of a stress fracture will
accumulate more of this infused radioisotope, causing the
affected bony area to show up as a dark splotch on a
'scintigram'. While it's often said that stress fractures
take two to three months to heal, up to six months may be
required to restore the bone to normal and remove most
traces of pain, and a few athletes need more than a year to
fully recover.
Sometimes called 'crescendo pain,' the agony associated
with stress fractures tends to build up steadily during
running, beginning as an annoying irritation and becoming a
throbbing torment as an individual continues to run. There
is usually little of the numbness, weakness, and swelling
associated with compartment syndrome, and pain is usually
not present when an athlete is at rest. Often, the bone
will hurt when it is tapped near the damaged area, and
occasionally a hard nodule will appear on the surface of
the bone at the trouble site.
If you're diagnosed with a stress fracture, you should be
sure to have a nutritional analysis carried out (your
problem might be the result of inadequate calcium intake or
poor calcium absorption). In addition, athletes
(adequate testosterone concen-trations in males and
oestrogen levels in females are required for optimal bone
maintenance).
How can you differentiate MTSS from stress fractures and
compartment syndromes? The pain of MTSS is usually less
localized, compared to stress-fracture pain (it tends to run
up and down a region of the lower leg near the tibia), and
usually can't be produced merely by tapping on the tibia. In
addition, MTSS produces none of the numbness associated with
compartment syndromes.
How long does MTSS last? If you are unfortunate enough to
come down with MTSS, your recovery period will usually last
from one to six weeks, depending on how severely you are
stricken. If you have a mild case of MTSS (your shin hurts
moderately, and only after workouts), immediately cut your
weekly mileage by about 30 per cent, and start doing our
recommended exercises (we're assuming that your busy
schedule prevented you from carrying out the routines
faithfully, allowing MTSS to crop up). Start easily with the
exercises, doing only one set of each, and stop if you feel
any pain. Ice the affected area down thoroughly after
activity, and of course keep the whole area as loose and
flexible as possible. Within a week or two, you should be
able to get back to your normal training, but be sure to
carry out the shin-splint-preventing exercises steadfastly.
If you have a somewhat tougher case of MTSS (mild pain crops
up during workouts but doesn't seem to slow you down much),
trim weekly mileage by around 50 per cent, ice and stretch
religiously, consider taking non-steroidal anti-inflammatory
medications (but only if you are not prone to the
gastrointestinal upsets which have been linked with these
compounds), and become a devotee of our shin-strengthening
exercises (start gradually with them, though, since they can
further inflame tender shins if overdone). Use bicycling
workouts to maintain fitness. In two to three weeks, you
should be ready for regular training.
If your MTSS produces sharp pain while you are training,
stop all running workouts, ice and stretch, take NSAIDS as
directed by your doctor, and - when pain subsides -
systematically begin utilizing our exercises, starting with
a few two-legged wall shin raises at first and gradually
progressing to the others. Use the exercise bike to maintain
fitness, and return to normal training in four to six weeks.
Remember that if you carry out our shin splint routine
several times a week and refrain from making bizarre and
sudden changes in your training, your encounters with shin
splints should drop to a frequency rate of zero.
Owen Anderson and Walt Reynolds
Lisa P said:Hey all,
I've noticed an odd pain when running. Occasionally, when
I start a run, my right leg encounters a very strong pain
in the outside shin area. It becomes so weak that I can
barely lift my toes up, and I end up striking down on the
ground really hard for a while because I cannot roll my
foot through the stride. After 30 minutes of running, the
pain completely goes away and I will not feel it again for
the rest of the run.
This does not occur on every run... I never can predict
when it is coming, and it is only in the right leg. I
supinate a bit when running.
Thanks for any help! Lisa
(Opinions based on experience of one, only)
You may be describing a sore anterior tibialis (a shin
muscle that runs along the front of the lower leg just
outside the shin bone). It competes with the calf--it
dorsiflexes the foot and toes, while the calf plantarflexes
them. It also supinates the foot. When the calf contracts,
the tibialis should relax and vice versa. A supinator would
have less ROM of the ant. tib. to begin with--my own
rationale. Both the calf and the ant. tib. get their
greatest loads from eccentric contraction when running: they
absorb energy by elongating under impact load (eccentric,
vs. concentric--contracting under load).
If it cramps then you experience the behavior described. As
you gradually warm it up it relaxes. If it is weak in
relation to the calf, or the calf is very tight itself, then
it protects itself by contracting (muscle spindle fibers
play a key role in detecting vulnerability and signaling
contraction). As you warm up, both muscles become less
rigid, and the muscles less vulnerable and they relax. Also,
the very act of using the calf and tibialis should stimulate
natural stretching, in which the golgi tendon organ (from
memory) is successful in telling the muscles to elongate in
the proper order.
WARNING
You are probably going to tear muscles in your lower leg if
you do not find a way to eliminate this pain. You may need,
in some order, the following preventions:
Rest, or care, to reduce symptoms and allow healing of any
incipient damage. Massage, ART, trigger point, thumbnails,
The Stick, or whatever to loosen internal tissues of the
calf and ant. tib. Strengthen muscles of the lower leg in
ECCENTRIC contraction, especially the tibialis ant. Ask your
PT or trainer for drills. Increase ROM with contract-release
stretching, get a PT to demonstrate. Vigorous static
stretching followed by running might increase risk! Do some
walking or spinning, or both, before running. Using a
plyometric warmup would seem to increase risk substantially.
Both walking and spinning exercise the muscles in question
but without the plyometric (bounce) load.
Spinning can do wonders for a sore lower leg, for me. You
can attend spinning classes, or just pedal at 90-100+ rpm,
using toe clips or toe straps. I have used a recumbent
Lifecycle in the gym as well as proper bicycles. In the gym
you have to find and attach some foot straps. Starting at
level 3, the legs go slowly and eventually kick in after a
few minutes to exceed 90 rpm. In the beginning, concentrate
on form and relaxing. Once warmed up, do some pickups at
greater loads. You can consciously increase the contribution
of the ant. tib. by "ankling", a technique that applies foot
pressure to the pedal for a full 360 degree rotation
Learn how to use CRAC/CR/PNF methods for calf stretching,
instead of a static stretch.
