Try These Exercises to Correct Shin Splints | ISSA

Consistency is a key to success when it comes to exercise and fitness goals, however, there is a limit to what the body can recover from. Too much activity with insufficient stretching and recovery can lead to an overuse injury. Shin splint pain is a common example of a preventable and curable overuse injury that can be addressed with corrective stretches and strengthening.

What Are Shin Splints?

Often referred to as medial tibial stress syndrome (MTSS), shin splints are a cumulative stress disorder of the lower leg. The pain and inflammation occur between the knee and the ankle and can be in one of two anatomical locations.

Posterior shin splints involve the tibialis posterior muscle, which controls the medial arch of the foot. Over-pronation of the foot is known commonly as collapsed arches and will lead to shin pain and discomfort.

Anterior shin splints arise from the tibialis anterior on the front lower leg, which controls plantar flexion and dorsiflexion of the foot. Excessive dorsiflexion will irritate and cause progressively worse shin pain.In both cases, the stress, tension, and inflammation of the tibialis muscles lead to tibial stress—actual stress on the bone itself. It can manifest as acute or chronic and, when left untreated, can lead to a more serious stress fracture of the tibia. It is important to identify symptoms of shin splints as early as possible and begin to address them with corrective stretches or physical therapy to avoid the development of a more serious condition.

Symptoms of Shin Splints

The symptoms of shin splints commonly include some or all of the following:

• Pain ranging from dull to sharp on either side of the tibia
• Pain that arises during exercise
• Inflammation, tenderness, or soreness in the lower leg

Some people will work right through the symptoms and others may be unable to continue activity due to the pain. Corrective exercises and stretching will typically relieve shin splint pain but have your client consult a physician if the pain continues despite treatment.

Source: Try These Exercises to Correct Shin Splints | ISSA

Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness

Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) is part of the iron game. But how do you manage DOMS? Here's how.

Anybody who's ever worked out with weights or experienced gravity knows about muscle soreness.

But did you know? There are 3 types of muscle pain.

Today, we talk about one of them: Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness, or “DOMS.”

I thought I'd already written some material about this but after searching the archives, I hadn't. So here's an article that's long overdue. Apologies!

3 Types of Muscle Pain

1. Acute muscle pain or soreness
2. Injury
3. DOMS

The first one is simply the pain you feel when you exercise a muscle. Some attribute the pain to lactic acid build up. But it's that pain you feel when you do a fair- to high number of reps. The muscle aches during the last few reps as well as a few minutes (sometimes even hours) afterward.

The second kind of muscle pain is actual injury. I don't think I need to describe it to you. It's one of those things: You know it when you feel it.

Sometimes it's even accompanied by noise. When I injured my elbow years ago, I heard, “POP POP POP POP,” along with a LOT of searing pain. I knew immediately that this wasn't good.

However, a few trips to the chiro, rest, and some therapy got me back to the gym.

What is DOMS?

Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness is a different beast altogether. You usually don't experience it with every workout, nor do you experience it immediately after working out. It usually takes at least 12 hours to appear. Sometimes, you may not feel sore after an especially hard workout until 48 or even 72 hours later (IMHO, that's when it's really bad).

There are differing opinions on why delayed soreness sets in. Some think it's due to the aforementioned lactic acid build up that causes pain during an exercise. Others think that it's the metabolites that accrue due to the lactic acid buildup. Either way, it happens.

But more prevalent is the opinion that it's actually caused by the eccentric part of an exercise. This is what we call the “negative,” or lowering of the bar.

Exercise physiologists don't really fully understand why DOMS sets in, but we know it when we feel it.

And most of the time, it's glorious.

Yes, that's right – I love it when I'm sore after a workout. I know I had a good workout.

Now, it's sometimes difficult to move after DOMS sets in, especially after an intense leg workout.

But the worst really is the core.

Think about it: You can't sit, stand, or lie down (and then get up) without using your core. It's the worst when DOMS is really hitting you hard.

Which brings up…

How do you relieve DOMS? How do you get rid of it or lessen it?

That's the real question, right?

We know we had a great workout if we get DOMS. But how do you get past the pain and get through your day, much less work out later?

There are a few things that help. I'll share them below in no particular order. (You may be asking why? Which ONE below is most effective? I can't give you an answer. Even for myself, different therapies work to varying degrees each time out. So what do I do? All of them.)

1. Alternating hot and cold therapy. Take a hot shower for 2-3 minutes, then turn the hot water down as far as you can stand it and shower for 1-2 minutes. Alternate 3-5 times. Concentrate the shower head on the sore muscles. If your chest is sore, concentrate the water there; if it's your legs, focus the stream on them.
   Use the water massage feature of the shower head, if available. Which leads to the next two:
2. Get a massage. Hell yeah, it will hurt. But a good gentle massage will do wonders for DOMS. Don't get a deep massage unless you're a masochist.
3. Foam roll. I hate this, probably because it hurts so damned much. And I think sometimes I feel better afterwards just because I stopped. It's like banging your head with a hammer – it feels so good when you quit. But, like a massage, it does seem to work.
4. Take a hot bath, loaded with epsom salts. This is one of those “home remedies” that actually works. Very well. Finish off, though, with a cold shower. You can get epsom salts almost anywhere. I get mine here.
5. Do a light workout using the same muscle. I mean really light. Don't do a lot of reps, either. If your legs are sore, just do a few squats with the bar or even bodyweight – just get the blood pumping. That really seems to be the key – increased blood flow. The theory being that there's damage in the muscles (not an injury, mind you) and the blood carries out the toxins and carries in the nutrients that repair the muscles.
6. Last, try citrulline malate. I use this every day. What I've found is that it cuts way down on DOMS (so I don't get it in the first place).

You will find that as you progress, you will experience DOMS less and less. You'll only get it when you vary your workouts so much that your muscles are caught a little off-guard.

Below is a video from Lee Hayward about DOMS and how to help reduce it once you've got it.

Back Pain Relief Supplementation

In the recent past, I've been lax on being consistent with my supplementation. I could make excuses: Work, vacation, kids, etc. Those all come into play, but it's really just laziness. And my back paid for it. I have been experiencing some pretty severe discomfort in my lower back (from numerous injuries, poor posture at work, sitting at the computer for 12-15 hours per day sometimes).

So I got consistent for a week. And my back pain vanished. The back pain resurfaced (because that's just what my back does — it's a real bitch sometimes), but it never got to the point of bothering me. That discomfort comes and goes, and I'm okay with that. I've lived with pain for many years; hours or even minutes without pain are incredible.

In all honesty, my back feels better now at 43 than it has for the last 30 years. My first memory of really bad back pain was at the age of 12. Then it got worse at 14. So, I've dealt with it for over 30 years. Trust me when I say that any amount of time that passes without pain or even discomfort is simply AWESOME. So you might be wondering what I am taking.

Zero medication. All supplements. Here's the list, all bought at Costco, Prograde, or Life Extension. Each dose is per MAJOR meal (breakfast, lunch, and dinner)

• Men's Multi-vitamin/mineral – 1 tablet
• Calcium complex – 2 tablets
• Fish Oil capsules – 2 capsules
• Ginko Biloba – 1 capsule
• TripleFlex (glucosamin, condroitin, MSM) – 2 capsules
• Vitamin C – 1 tablet

NOTE: These are 2-3 times the recommended dosages per the manufacturer's recommendations, and about 50x the RDA. Please don't construe this as medical advice and certainly don't try this without your doctor's approval. I am not a doctor, just a guy who's experimented a LOT with supplements over the past 20-25 years and knows what works for him. I could die tomorrow, too, so what the heck do I know?

You may want to give this book a read if you suffer from chronic low back pain.

The Rotater – The #1 Shoulder Rehab and Stretching Device

by Chris Melton

Shoulder Rehab & Athletic Performance

The Rotater allows you to passively self-stretch internal & external shoulder rotation to increase shoulder function, range of motion and performance.

Joint Mechanix, LLC was founded in August of 2007 by long-time friends Scott Kay and Chris Melton. We created this company to manufacture and market the Rotater, a shoulder rehab and stretching device that Scott invented so that he could return to racing. We never imagined the Rotater would touch people all over the world!

We’re not Health Professionals!

That surprises some people – but they’re even more surprised to learn that we’re really industrial mechanics. That’s right, we fix machines – BIG machines.

For more about us, check out The Rotater.

Just a few of hundreds of satisfied customers say:

…I must say that the simplicity of the tool almost lends itself to skepticism but one try and any athlete will appreciate the benefit of the stretch. It’s so simple but effective. I use it all the time to relieve the shoulder stress of bench pressing and after seeing how effective it is I have introduced other lifters to it as well…

– Mike Bridges – 14 time World Champion Powerlifter

The nicest thing about the Rotater is that the athlete has total control of the stretch.

– Tamara Copes, M.S, ATC, LAT

…therapist, patients and families are pleased with the results – the orthopedists will be also when check-up time comes. Thank you for your great tool!

– Jane Davis, PT

I have been meaning to send you guys a message because your product is amazing!..

– Brent Crangle

If you place a premium on healthy shoulders, you owe it to yourself to try the Rotater.

Watch this brief video to see how it works:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWSlmfJLX_c

Cure Back Pain in 7 Days?

Is it possible to cure back pain in 7 days?

As a long-time sufferer of chronic low back pain, I was curious when I read about the Back Pain Cure.

Once I got the book, though, I was a believer. After only a few days, I have seriously less back pain than I've had in years.

Really.

As you may guess, especially if you've been here before, I like to lift weights. I've recently gotten the “heavy bug” too, so having lower back pain has really put a damper on my enthusiasm for lifting heavy. Especially my newly beloved deadlifts. But now I can.

When I was 12, I strained my back doing some hokey homemade hack squats. When I was 14, I could barely walk after a flare up. I distinctly remember gym class, trying to run pass routes during football games. It was horrible.

About 10 years ago I had a bad injury from poor form on some really heavy leg presses.

In fact, I was nearly off my feet for 8 months. I was diagnosed with a bulging disk and spinal stenosis (a narrowing of the spinal column). Short of surgery, there was no cure.

At least according to the “experts.”

I've had quite a few bouts with these types of painful episodes over the past 30 years that I cannot remember a day without back pain.

Until yesterday.

I am so pissed, actually, that I didn't seek out this book sooner. But I guess I couldn't, since it was just published this year.

The author, Jesse Cannone, gives a complete analysis of all the things that could be wrong with your body, mind, and diet. And then he tells you how to deal with very specific back problems.

This book is literally worth its weight in gold. Actually, that's way off the mark. It's a paperback, so it doesn't weigh much, but it sure is worth a ton of money.

But by clicking this “back pain cure” link, it's free (you pay for shipping and handling).

I really dig this book. It simply talks about the issues, the causes, and the cures. Stuff you won't get from your doctor, therapist, or chiropractor.

NOTE: The links above are MY affiliate links. I liked the product so much because of what it did for me that I became an affiliate. I simply want to pass this information onto as many people as I can. Buy it from me or don't. But buy it.