Shin splints

[G...@hotmail.com]

I think this is the right term for what I get after 10 -15 minutes of
skating. The symptoms are the shins tightening up to the stage where
the only way to relieve it is to skate backwards.
Having owned several pairs of boots and getting the same problem, I
realise it's not the boots that is causing it.
Any advice as to what may be causing it and how I can avoid the
problem?

Thanks from New Zealand.

[Motorblade]

>I think this is the right term for what I get after 10 -15 minutes of
>skating. The symptoms are the shins tightening up to the stage where
>the only way to relieve it is to skate backwards.

Shin splints are, from my understanding, generally a pain from higher impact
activities like running that cause a sharp pain to develop in the shins often
times AFTER the run is over and the legs have cooled. Any ways that is my
understanding of the term. My shin splints usually felt like the pain was in
the bone itself, not the muscles.

Yours sound more like a charley horse or spasm of some sort.

If they go away with backwards skating that would tell me that it is a muscle
spasm of sorts as well.

Of course these are armchair quarterback diagnoses and only my opinions.

Possible Suggestions would be :

Using tiger balm or deep heat rub to relax muscles

Strengthen those muscles while off the skates with ankle lifts and lowers and
other exercises that stretch and strengthen that area

Massage before , during and after workouts

Try mentally to not engage as many muscles during skating, for instance try
spreading the toes and squirming your foot inside boot from time to time and
breathe deep to relax what sound like overly engaged muscles.

Try getting your weight to feel balanced closer to the heel than the arch of
the foot

these are only my brainstorms and not in any way gospel

"fritz"
<A
HREF="http://www.austinchronicle.com/issues/dispatch/2001-05-11/xtra_featu
re4.html">The Austin Chronicle Features: A Life on Wheels</A>
www.motorblade.com
Birdy(Parker), Brazil(Gilliam),and Brewster McCloud(Altman)

[Jswifti]

Whatever the name of it, I know what you mean, and suffer this problem
occasionally. Usually, it's in a race situation where I start too fast with too
little warm-up. The best ways to avoid/limit the discomfort are to make sure
you stretch thoroughly before beginning to skate and warm up effectively before
you begin to hammer.

A second major source of this problem is poor technique: particularly
toe-pushing. (It's my answer for almost everything.) Keep your weight back, and
push powerfully through the heel, and this problem should bother you less.

[XSFred]

"Motorblade" <motor...@aol.comnohype> a écrit dans le
message de
news:20030903095552...@mb-m25.aol.com...

> >I think this is the right term for what I get after
10 -15 minutes of
> >skating. The symptoms are the shins tightening up to the
stage where
> >the only way to relieve it is to skate backwards.

Good advises from Fritz, I will try and add a few.

Shin splint is often found with either rank beginners or
very advanced skaters.

First case : with beginners it is not such a problem : many
of the things Fritz recommends will work, especially if the
skater manages to relax - which is probably the main problem
in the first place. Also try and avoid vibrations.

Second case : if you are an advanced skater, you may have a
compartment syndrome. Long muscles are enclosed in sheaths ;
while muscles are very elastic, these sheaths are not ; the
pain you feel is the pressure of the bulging muscle against
the sheath.

That is exactly the way the syndrome is diagnosed, by
measuring in-muscle pressure. The cure is to slit open the
sheath.

If you are in the second case, it would be better to see a
doctor, AND to explain that you are an assiduous skater :
litterature says that the only problem with this syndrome is
a late diagnosis.

XSFred

[Phil Earnhardt]

In order to continue to function, muscles must have a cycle of
contraction and relaxation. If there's a muscle you're constantly
contracting, it will rapidly fail.

You tighten your shins when flexing your feet -- lifting your toes
towards your knee. Try flexing your feet while wearing no shoes and
short pants. Note which muscles contract in order to flex your feet.
If these are the same muscles that fatigue when you skate, you now
some insight as to the cause of your problem.

For me, the best way I've found to relax my feet/legs when walking and
skating is to have my heel "seek the ground" on the forward stride.
Have the back side of the leg be long (but don't lock the knee). Have
the backmost wheel be what strikes the ground first. There doesn't
have to be much of an angle, but do have the rear wheel be the first
to strike. This also has a nice side-effect: if your front wheel is
unweighted when you start your stride, then you will be affected far
less by any debris in your path -- you can just skate over the junk.

I find that practicing the "heel seeks the ground" while walking is a
good drill to help with the skating.

>Thanks from New Zealand.

--phil

[G...@hotmail.com]

Many thanks for all the advice.
I'm certainly in the beginner category and will try out the 'heel
first' on my next session.

On Wed, 03 Sep 2003 23:03:11 -0600, Phil Earnhardt <p...@dim.com>
wrote:

[Dawn]

If the problem persists, see a sports medicine physician to check for real
medical problems such as Exertional Compartment Syndrome. I had both shin
and calf problems after only a few minutes of skating that was relieved only
by rest to return again when skating. The problem persisted and became
unbearable. Basically, the sheath surrounding the muscle in the calf of
people with this problem is not large enough to accommodate the muscle as it
inflames during exercise causing severe pain. I am currently undergoing
physical therapy in hopes to treat the problem without surgery. I hope that
this is not your problem, but if it is and left untreated, it can become
acute and be quite dangerous.

For more information see,
http://www.physsportsmed.com/issues/1996/04_96/edwards.htm

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