After months of running, I have discovered that I have a problem with the way I run, or with the way I step when I am running. This wrong way of running has made me always suffer from (posterior tibialis) shin splits after I finish my run.
Could someone suggest a reference to show me the correct way for positioning my legs while running?
Should I make my legs close to each other while running or try to make them a little bit further apart?
Without a professional diagnosis from a sports doctor, the precise cause of your shin splints can not be assessed.
It should also be understood that the term shin splints is an umbrella term that covers a host of different conditions. However, many of those conditions have a common origin: poor running mechanics, and/or excessive training volume relative to our level of conditioning.
The pain and inflammation of shin splints is the consequence of repetitive strain on the muscles and fasciae as they try to counteract rapid (angular) accelerations of the ankle joint as the foot lands—that is, as they try repeatedly to stabilise the unstable foot as it lands.
Posterior pain is often the consequence of heavy landing on the foot forward of the axis of the ankle (id est, on the fore- or mid-foot). This can be due to tensing the triceps surae (calf muscles), and particularly the single-joint soleus, or having excessive tightness in those triceps surae. Poor or worn footwear can always exacerbate the problem.
Similarly, anterior pain is often the consequence of heavy landing on the heel, which thereby places excessive loads on the anterior structures, particularly the tibialis anterior.
First and foremost, it is important to allow the structures to recover fully before attempting another run. Acute inflammation can be treated with stretching (see the soleus stretch below), massage, pressure, icing or, with an appropriate medical prescription, anti-inflammatories. But there is no substitute for time.
Above: Body weight is used to push ankle of the right leg (in this image) towards the floor whilst keeping the knee forward of the toe.
Good running technique is characterised by a supple-but-responsive landing. Effort should be made to relax the muscles, and not to resist the ground excessively. The posture of the body should be erect, but with a slight forward lean such that the body ‘falls into’ the run. And forward motion of the foot should be the natural consequence of hip flexion (knee-lift) rather than knee extension. The foot should strike the ground beneath the centre of mass of the body and with a net backward velocity. This ensures that the leg is driving the body forward, rather than braking its momentum and thus absorbing shock loading.
Needless to say that this is just a general summary, which cannot even approximate the role of a good running coach or the advice of a physiotherapist or sports doctor.
Nevertheless, I hope that gives you some starting point.
How to prevent shin splints
If you’ve had shin splints and want to avoid getting them again, or are starting out and want to ensure you’re doing things correctly, try the below:
Change your shoes: If you are suffering from shin splints, it’s a good idea to go to a sport shop to have your gait analysed. Try switching to a shoe that limits pronation or try an arch support.
Up your calcium and vitamin D intake: Try taking 1,300 milligrams of calcium and 400 micrograms of vitamin D per day. Easy ways to get this without taking a supplement are eating more milk and yoghurt.
Follow the 10 percent rule: Never up your weekly mileage by more than 10 percent. Train your hips and core: Strengthening these areas will make you a stronger runner, which improves footstrike and body mechanics.
Shorten your running stride: Doing this while increasing your footstrike cadence may help you generate better stride mechanics because you’ll be putting a lot less load on your feet, shins and knees. Count your footstrikes on one side for 1 minute – a good number to aim for is 85 to 90 strikes of one foot per minute.
I hope this helps! Also many pro athletes they tend to do some running training ob green field without shoes in order to offload
I found these info on https://www.runnersworld.com/uk/health/injury/a760234/shinsplints-how-to-beat-them/
