A quick question for ex shin splint suffer-ers.

[mitch_boxing]

know two marines that have had shin splints in RM training. One dropped out and one got fixed in hunter and won green beret. The other one turned down an op from hunter which to be honest I would say was a bad idea.

Mitch

[Mr_Kiwi]

Yea, please dont run through the pain... I've been stupid enough to try it and all its done is slow my training down to about 1 run a week.
I've decided to take 2 weeks of any running, and just focus on some strengthening exercises I found on here, and then if I have the time and money to go get some insoles for my shoes.

Take AJs advice and get it checked out ASAP by the people who know about it. IF your physio isnt really helping then stop paying them haha. I had one who kept telling me to go out and run after she rubbed my legs and it just led to worse pain. needless to say I never went there again.

[euro_andrew]

Sully,

do you even know what shin splints are?..

It may be that for them. but for me it a bloody crippling injury for my training. If I didnt have this I would of been in RT by now

That is a bloody arrogent thing to say.

[euro_andrew]

know two marines that have had shin splints in RM training. One dropped out and one got fixed in hunter and won green beret. The other one turned down an op from hunter which to be honest I would say was a bad idea.

Mitch

He turned down the op? what the.. I would been jumping at it. My afco was telling me if you get shin splints during the first 52 days of RT they will medically discharge you. Thats what I dont wana happen.

[Sully]

do you even know what shin splints are?..

Andy baby, matey, bud, pal

It's a sign of weakness isn't it? That's cool, it takes all sorts to make up this rich tapestry of life. But if you're weak then why are you trying to get into the Corps? Being weak in a physical sense doesn't make you a bad person. I'm just a bit concerned as a taxpayer how far your dream will go.

If I was 20 years younger then I'd still be in but I'm not, and I'm not. A lot of people could say they'd be in RT if they were fitter, more physically suited, had a better attitude.

Arrogant or not I chip in now and again because I know what's required - you don't. If you don't like that kind of home truth then don't go anywhere near CTC. I don't post here to show off - I was a bog standard bootneck and I've nothing to show off about. I stopped posting here a while back because it looked like a dating agency for pre-nods. I like to offer some encouragement - that's it - encouragement shouldn't be confused with sympathy.

"Do you even know what shin splints are?" That's arrogant. When I was at CTC it was a big excuse - that's gen.

My afco was telling me if you get shin splints during the first 52 days of RT they will medically discharge you. Thats what I dont wana happen.

There's your get out of jail free card then. You can go home and blame you body/genes/parents.

[gjd1986]

I had shin splints when i was around 15/16, being the stupid schoolkid-college person that i was at that time, i just ran through it, stupid thing to do, the pain got so bad that i used to go running JUST to take the pain away for a brief while, and when i got back from running it would start again, especially waking up in the morning, i was limping around all day, walking funny and all sorts due to a horrible pain in my shins. Anyway, it eventually went, after about a month of excruciating pain, each day i woke up with less and less pain after i had been running the night before, then one day there was pain no more, strange but its true.

i'm not saying do what i did because i was lucky that i didn't do more damage.

[Sully]

There you go - that's the spirit.

[druadan]

Euro, personally I wouldn't get the wrong side of Sully. I did that about three years ago, before I was a nod, and he chewed me head off He's earned the right to be arrogant on this site, as have many others in the know who offer you free advice.

Shin splints are commonly misconstrued. 'Proper' shin splints can be defined (depending on who you ask) as serious lower leg muscle problems or stress fractures in either of the lower leg bones. However, minor variations of this problem (the early stages of muscle damage) or even similar symptoms (lower leg muscle pain) are often incorrectly referred to as shin splints by many people - it is obviously important that these symptoms are correctly identified and treated before they get to the stage of shin splints; but they are not serious injuries and can be treated and cured with proper advice. If you are 'running through pain,' you are A. not suffering YET from shin splints (tho you may be on the way) and B. probably want to consult a professional. If you actually have shin splints, you won't be running.

Few beers down, so hope that makes sense...

[Sully]

I did that about three years ago, before I was a nod, and he chewed me head off

I don't remember that opps You always made sense and I had no doubts that you'd get through it even from your first post - you never came down to Ashford for a swift half though - maybe I was sore about that I think an old oppo of mine (colour stripey known as Jan) might have joined you out there.

The point I'm trying to make is that stress fractures are one thing but as far as I know 'shin splints' can't be easily diagnosed without an MRI scan and the Corps isn't going to waste one of those on a nod - they'll take your word for it. I had pains in my shins in RT (and later) and pains just about everywhere else.

I think druadan will confirm that you don't become a bootneck in the gym and tippy toeing around in the lastest gucci footwear. You'll have pretty gash footwear (for running at least) and you'll cover miles and miles over pretty gash ground.

I'm sorry to be blunt andrew, best thing you can do is prove me wrong - and get used to a poor bedside manner. Good luck with it.

[mitch_boxing]

Prevention of shin splints....


Strengthening exercises...Read this article, really helped me...http://www.sportsinjurybulletin.com/arc ... plints.htm
I can guarentee this article will help you so much mate. I think the best thing you can do atm is swimming or cycling. But dont worry or talk about it to much. Go to physio.

Losing weight, obviously not if your already skinny.

Make sure you dont run on to much road, that will get shin splints in no time.

Running shoes, make sure you change them, regulary. Make sure you stretch thoroughly before and after. Shin splints are usually preventable and not much to worry about.

Good Luck,

Mitch

[euro_andrew]

I did that about three years ago, before I was a nod, and he chewed me head off

I don't remember that opps You always made sense and I had no doubts that you'd get through it even from your first post - you never came down to Ashford for a swift half though - maybe I was sore about that I think an old oppo of mine (colour stripey known as Jan) might have joined you out there.

The point I'm trying to make is that stress fractures are one thing but as far as I know 'shin splints' can't be easily diagnosed without an MRI scan and the Corps isn't going to waste one of those on a nod - they'll take your word for it. I had pains in my shins in RT (and later) and pains just about everywhere else.

I think druadan will confirm that you don't become a bootneck in the gym and tippy toeing around in the lastest gucci footwear. You'll have pretty gash footwear (for running at least) and you'll cover miles and miles over pretty gash ground.

I'm sorry to be blunt andrew, best thing you can do is prove me wrong - and get used to a poor bedside manner. Good luck with it.

I didnt know who you were Sully! but yeah Im not just making this stuff up, Its not the pain that stopps me from running its knowing that if I do keep running im going to totally bugger it up as my injury has been diagnosed as an overactive tibialis anterior which is more along the lines of compound syndrome then shin splints and my physio says its not usual shin splints.

Anyway im going to knuckle down and get this bloody crap out of the way and keep cracking on with my training. Im aiming for it to healed in 4 weeks.

then im going to build up my runnning again, get down to PRMC and prove I am made of the right stuff!

Cheers

[Sully]

I didnt know who you were

I'm not sure what that means but I'm nowt special, if I can get through RT and settle in to the Corps - anybody can. That's why I look in now and again and try to help. You may have noticed that I'll play the devil's advocate at times and that I sometimes bait people but as they say, if you can't take a bit of stick you shouldn't have joined - you'll get worse at CTC and later from your oppos and you'll bait them back.

You're right that I don't know what the medical definition of shin splints is but I only ever heard the term at CTC and then it was frowned upon as an easy way out because it's not an obvious injury like a broken nose, broken ribs or septicaemia (I had all those in training). There was another original in our troop who did the 30 miler with a stress fracture (not too clever but hats off to him). That's all. I never heard of anybody having shin splints after training and that was odd. Best to think of it as a different perspective that you could bear in mind

Listen to your professional advice Andy, get yourself sorted out and send me a message when you pass out of training saying 'Sully you knobber, I told you I'd make it' and I'll be chuffed for you and my neck would be wound in. Good luck.

[euro_andrew]

Alright mate lol

Yeah I would run the 30miler with it no probs. I just need to get my chance. and to get that I have to be ready for 32 weeks of hard slog.

Give me 3-4 weeks to sort this crap out and ill be banging on CTC's front door.

[druadan]

Sully, can't remember exactly mate, just vague memories of being scared by the big bad bootneck...then again maybe that was just from your offer of a drink

Footwear...hmm, Hi-Tec Silver Shadows are the issue running shoe, available for around £15 I believe. They aren't awful (I never suffered any leg problems), but hardly state of the art. Issue boots, in which you will run miles, often with a full bergan, are also built down to a budget, and you won't have the opportunity to change them for anything decent til after you pass out. So as Sully says, I'd worry more about strengthening your legs to cope with the stress than buying fancy shoes to counteract it.

[euro_andrew]

I have just bought some Gen issue British combat boots and some arch support insoles im going to start walking in them to build up my legs to be able to handle the stress later on.

Do PTI's have any problems with us wearing insoles?

- Andy