ow, my shins hurt :(

[respectred]

well, here's another "ow" post by me :)

i must say, all the stretching tips on the "ow, stretching hurts :(" thread were awesome. now, i feel much better. my legs no longer hurt from stretching, yet i still stretch as far as i used to when i forced it, so everything is wonderful, no sacrifices. so, thanks :).

BUT, this time...
in the beginning of my class, we start off by doing the basic line drills (like yan mings and prob some other classes). in these line drills are jumps and different types of jump kicks and whatnot (ie: tornado kick). although i'm getting better at them, it seems as if my shins (like to the sides of them, the muscle-y area, i dunno...front of calf?) are getting worse. after we get done with all the jumps and aerial kicks and whatnot, my shins are always in pain, and i don't know what it's from. i believe i do everything correctly, i don't land with much of a "slap" to the ground, i land pretty smoothly, or so i think, so i don't know what it could be. all i know is that it's painful and sometimes it even hurts the day after.

any and all suggestions/comments are welcome.

thanks a lot (again)
:)

-matt

[yu shan]

respectred

Shin-splints maybe? Are you sure your landing lightly? Land with no sound, light gung. If there are any massage people out there, do we suggest this? I personally believe in massage therapy with MA aches and pains.

[respectred]

well i wouldn't say i'm landing with no sound whatsoever, but i'm definitely not pounding the ground when i come down.

SHIN SPLINTS!!? AHHH
i just did some reading on health.msn.com and they don't sound too good :(
take it easy for 2-3 weeks!?
eek, that sounds horrible, i don't think i could possibly do it.
is there anything it could be other than shin splints? is there any way to help it or tone it down a bit without having to stop training for a couple weeks?
maybe i'm not stretching...my...shin enough? if stretching a shin
is possible (lol)?

they say shin splints lead to stress fractures, anybody got the skinny on them? is it like just a regular broken bone? does it heal ok? will i have problems with it as i get older? oh man, this is making me nervous.

anyway, all comments/suggestions welcome, please don't tell me it could be shin splints :(.

-matt

[IronFist]

As far as I know, shin splints are just when your tibialis anterior (the muscle in the front next to your shins) gets sore. I don't know anything about stress fractures related to it.

Just stretch out that muscle. Sit Japanese style (with your shins on the floor, and your butt on your heels) and lean back a bit. This will elongate the tibialis anterior and should help it to feel better.

Definately take it easy until they go away.

Good luck.

IronFist

[BSH]

I have found the following to be true always:

1) If you are training correctly and it hurts for more than 18 days, you are not training correctly.

2) Every traditional CMA includes Dit Da. If you are not using Dit Da, you are not training traditional CMA.

IMHO, there is training that causes pain that leads to better martial arts and there is pain that causes long term problems because you are dealing with a schlock art that isn't traditional.

[psychojack]

i had a REALLY bad case of it last summer, so allow me to adivse you....

shin splints result when the back of your calf gets stronger than the front (which result from all the jumping you've been doing. running is also notoriuous in causing shin splints).

it is advised that you stop, cold turkey, all activities that aggreviate your shins. if you rest, you'll get better so much faster (doesn't take 2-3 weeks if you rest. if this is early in the symptoms you might get away with 2-3 days of rest).

anti-inflammatories, especially ibprofrin can really help if you're in a pinch.

to fix the problem, do the following exercise as many times a day as you can.

calf raises. you can do this either sitting in a chair, standing up, or lying/sitting along the ground where your knees point to the sky. all you have to do is pull your feet into you (using your ankle joint) so that your toes try to touch the front of your calf (clearly they won't, but you need to move them in that direction). this will build up the muscle on the front of the shins (so it should eventually burn there). do as many as you can, 3 sets, at least 3 times a day (do in chair while you are working/watching tv).

good luck, and i hope this helps.

ps: what you described is definately shin splints, and i have also heard they can lead to bone stress fracture (increased stress on the front of the shin). takes a lot to do that though.

[fmann]

If it's just muscle pain and not stress fractures (which can cause "shin splint" pain), I agree with all the above. Stretching, massage, and relaxation are the most important.

The worst case scenario would be if the blood flow to the muscle was blocked due to damage to the point where ischemia and necrosis can occur, leading to gangrene and your limb rotting off. :D

There's no bruising or swelling is there?

[Ford Prefect]

Definately sounds like shin splints. When I was a jogging nut, I got these a few times. Basically, just soaked my legs in hot bath water and massaged them every night while I had them. I still went about my daily business and workouts, and the pain eventually subsided.

[Brian_CA]

Try HOT epson salt bathes, dit da jow and rest. Sounds like you are straining you body. Go slower in your work outs, remember it was the tortise who won the race.

When you do your exercise routine, try to relax and focus on your technique, alignment, weight distrution and breathing

Brian
San Francisco, CA

[IronFist]

Originally posted by psychojack
and i have also heard they can lead to bone stress fracture (increased stress on the front of the shin). takes a lot to do that though.

I heard that being hit in the shins with a baseball bat can also lead to fractures :D

IronFist

[respectred]

ok well i've read all of the posts here and i think you all for your help :), i guess i do have shin splints after all. i've also done some other research on websites and whatnot, and found that running on the balls of your feet, running on hard surfaces, landing on the balls of your feet, and running on tight turns are all bad for you, and i do all of them :(. in the beginning of class we run around our room, which is a wood floor, and when i go on turns i always end up running around them on the balls of my feet, so that can't be good.

if i continue my training, but stop doing everything on the balls of my feet, will i be ok?

or, dif scenario:

if i continue training, but don't do the running in the beginning of class or the jumps and whatnot during class, will i be ok?

also, i'm going to kung fu tomorrow, and i'm planning on running over to bok lei po (or blt, if they have better) down in chinatown a couple blocks away from my school, can anybody recommend some good dit da jow i can get from there? how much does it cost?

thanks again :)

-matt

[respectred]

ah, also...might it be recommended that i go see a doctor about it or try to cure it myself a bit?

[xiong]

Yes you can keep on training, just follow the advice that everybody already gave you as to massaging with Jow and the like.

I also had some shin pain from doing alot on the balls of my feet. I was able to work through the pain, modifying my jumps and kicks if it hurt too bad. It all worked itself out.