Are you suffering from shin splints? Most of you probably are. If so, Coach Sires found a website which details a lot of exercises that you need to perform. The site goes on to claim that if you perform these exercises regularly, you will not get shin splints at all! Here are some of the exercises in summary form:

1. Wall Shin Raises – Simply stand with your back to a wall and your heels about the length of your feet away from the wall. Then, while leaning back against the wall, dorsiflex (toe-up) 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. After you are finished with these slow repetitions, perform 15 fast, short pulses. Rest for a couple minutes and repeat for 2 to 3 sets.

1a. Once this becomes easy for you, perform the same exercise with one foot resting against the wall. There is no need to rest here, since you will be switching feet each time for 2 to 3 sets.

2. Heel Walks – Walk 20 meters on your heels. Be gentle though! Perform 2 to 3 sets. Eventually, you can try and jog/shuffle a little faster.

2a, b. Heel Walk with your toes pointing outward and then also with your feet pointing inward.

3. Toe Walks – Walk 20 meters on your toes. Be gentle though! Perform 2 to 3 sets. Eventually, you can try and jog/shuffle a little faster.

3a, b. Toe Walk with your toes pointing outward and then also with your feet pointing inward.

4. Heel Skips – Simple, slow, gentle skips on your heels.

4a, b. Point your toes inward and outward as you skip on your heels.

5. High Bounces – Jump as high as you can, landing on the balls of your feet keeping your heels off of the ground. When you are off of the ground, dorsiflex (toe-up) in the air. After you land, quickly jump up again. Repeat for 10 repetitions. When this becomes easy for you, increase to 20 to 30 bounces.

6. Quick Bounces - Jump as above, but now you use your ankles instead of bending your knees so much. You can still use your knees a little bit, but the emphasis here is to produce force using your ankles and shin muscles. Again, land on your toes and perform 10 quick bounces. When this is easy for you, increase to 30 or 40 bounces.

5a, 6a. Instead of jumping straight up and down in one place, mix it up a little by jumping forwards and backwards, and side-to-side. Finally, you can perform the same bounces on one foot!

 Again, the site’s author claims that if you perform these exercises regularly, you will not get shin splints. It is worth a try!

Here is the link to the site which also contains some interesting information on shin splints in general: Shin Splints Treatment

 - Coach Cody

This entry was posted on Monday, May 14th, 2007 at 9:40 am and is filed under Articles. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.