Guest Makayla Posted June 22, 2003 Report Share Posted June 22, 2003 Hello, I have read through the past posts about shin splints, and I'm not too sure if it all applies to me. I have recently began to go to the waterfalls to swim by my house, and the trail to get to the waterfalls is a downhill walk (uphill on the way back obviously) and very unbalanced and rough. Rocks, tree roots, puddles to jump over, are some obstacles I have to face. I read that unbalanced walking, and walking hard (if that's what its callled) are causes, and that is how I end up walking to get to the waterfalls. I started getting a 'burning' sore feeling on my shins and down the top of my feet since I've starting going there. The pain arrives on both my working leg and standing leg, and it only occurs when I pointe my feet, or flex them, or releve or plie (or actions alike). I'm wondering if that is shin splints, or some other type of shin injury. I usually wear sneakers, but they are not well built. they are flat with no arch and no grips on the bottom. I also sometimes just wear flip flops, which obviously are flat as well. Would changing my footwear possibly contribute to preventing the injury? Thanks for your help Krysta Link to comment
Mel Johnson Posted June 22, 2003 Report Share Posted June 22, 2003 That sounds like the beginnings of shinsplints. And yes, adding arch supports to your present ordinary footwear will help in preventing or alleviating this kind of pain. Link to comment
Guest Makayla Posted June 22, 2003 Report Share Posted June 22, 2003 Okay, thank you Major Mel Link to comment
Isabeara Posted June 26, 2003 Report Share Posted June 26, 2003 I have horrible problems with my shins! I think it must be permanent shin splints, because the pain never really goes away. It gets a lot worse when I'm dancing more, and sometimes is unbarable (which makes it awfully hard to get through a class, let alone jump. I hate complaining, yet don't want to make it worse. Since I haven't been taking a full schedule of classes because of summer, my shins have felt better, but I'm afraid that when I go to my summer program, the pain will come back. Is there anyway to make them heal completely? Link to comment
Mel Johnson Posted June 26, 2003 Report Share Posted June 26, 2003 You're already finding out that Rest is good. Add Ice, Compression and Elevation, and you've got the rest of the first aid for soft tissue injuries. Now for phase 5 of the process: Doctor. Since your condition seems to be fairly chronic, let's do a little pre-visit workup. Is the floor you work on fairly springy, or is it based on concrete? Hard floors can cause or aggravate shinsplits. Do you do a lot of running or power-walking outside of class? The injury could be happening there, and class just aggravates it. Is there pain just below the kneecap? Could be Osgood-Schlatter's Disease, which is nowhere near as serious as it sounds, but it's painful, and fairly common in adolescents. Now, see the doc before you go to your SI. It's a good idea anyway. Link to comment
Guest Emily1986 Posted June 29, 2003 Report Share Posted June 29, 2003 I got shin splits last september, but didn't know what they were for a while, so didn't see the doctor. Finally went to the doctor and he referred me to a physiotherapist, who I saw until april/may this year. They are pretty much better now, but they took a long time to heal, and I had to stop jumping at all for a long time. Please be careful, and rest if you think you are getting them, as they are very difficult to get rid of when they have got bad!!! Link to comment
Guest Nadezhda Posted July 18, 2003 Report Share Posted July 18, 2003 What causes shin splints besides hard floor? (Anyway, one cannnot influence the floor she/he dances on.) Link to comment
Mel Johnson Posted July 18, 2003 Report Share Posted July 18, 2003 It's largely percussion. One cannot compensate sufficiently for the shock of landing on concrete, so an inflammation of the shin muscle starts. The same thing can be caused by a stingy plié, even on the best floor in the world! Link to comment
Administrators Victoria Leigh Posted July 18, 2003 Administrators Report Share Posted July 18, 2003 Another thing that can cause shin splints is rolling in your demi-plié, especially in landing from jumps. Link to comment
Isabeara Posted August 5, 2003 Report Share Posted August 5, 2003 Oops! I wasn't able to see your replies before I left for my summer intensive, but they are helpful now anyway! I did see a doctor a while back about my shins, and he said they if they get really bad it could lead to tiny stress fractures along my shins! And, of course, he said to rest them and everything, but I have come to realize some of the causes, so I'm working on fixing them. First of all, I go to two different dance schools, one with really nice, well-sprung floors, and the other with okay, but not-as-good floors. I've noticed my shins hurt significantly more after class with the not-good floors, but it's not like I can just not jump or not take class there, so I don't really know how to fix that. Another cause is not putting my heels down in jumps. I know this really takes a toll on the shins, so I'm working to really land in plie, with my heels down. And then the other thing has to be overuse, because my shin splints really flared up while I was away, I think mainly because we had five classes a day and they tend to get worse with the increase in classes. Someone told me that wrapping your shins with medical tape helps- is this a valid solution? Does anyone know if it will help? Thanks!! Link to comment
fLexNpOinte Posted August 13, 2003 Report Share Posted August 13, 2003 I have had minor shin splints before. They were quite a nuisance. Since my shin splints were minor and not chronic, advil worked great as a temporary relief. Link to comment
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