Another Tool for Shin Splints

[ToadyII]

Being a Triple Jumper, I am always pounding on the ground, and never had I ever had a season without shin splints. I have tried countless techniques to strengthen my shins and come to the conclusion that the best remedy is rest and ice. Unfortunetly, for athletes, we have to push through it many a times. It's just the nature of sports and the military.

Anyways, I have been trying this new technique given to me by my Athletic Trainer and it has been working pretty decently (even to be decent is hard to come by with me when I grade shin treatment). It is just two tennis balls wrapped together with athletic tape. The way it works is by pressure. You squeeze the tennis balls between your shins (it doesn't feel great at first) and you hold it for over a minute. Work your way up from 30secs if it hurts too bad. This technique presses up against the tight smaller and is held until they finally "give in" and relax. Below is the sheet the ATC gave me:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v193/joeshmoejr/shins0001.jpg


Hope it helps a bit like it did me.

[MeatHead08]

so is this technique like self myofascial release?

[ToadyII]

Bingo ;)

Hope it works for you

[leahy_j]

this is the second time i've heard of this, so i guess i ought to try it out. another thing with shin splints is the flat feet. i got some temporary orthotics today. they are just hard shoe soles with a curve at where the arch should be. they feel amazing, i envy people with normal feet. the podiatrist said that my ankles roll inward too, which stresses the shin muscles. she said to plantar flex my feet, hang a bucket with water on them, and then dorsi flex them. i guess this will eventually make the muscles tough enough to take the pounding of running.