Ow, my shins, my shins!

January 6, 2007 12:51 PM

What are some good running shoes for someone with shin splints?

I'm trying to debug my shin splints issue. I've read the previous threads [1, 2, 3, 4, 5] on running and shin splits.

One of the biggest things that these threads (and teh internets in general) say is to visit a podiatrist, Sports Medicine doctor, or a shoe store with a machine that can help analyze your walk and produce orthotics or shoe reccomendations to correct errors in your running mechanics, stride, or foot configuration.

Problem: I live in the boonies. I work for a university, and while I have access to trainers and other professionals that can help me with my running mechanics, there ain't no such thing as no fancy-pants running an-ah-ly-zer out here, nor are there any sports medicine doctors that my insurance will cover. I work for the state and am not made of money, so I can't pay for a $300 doctor's visit outside of insurance + orthotics cost + shoe cost.

I know that my shin splits are caused by a combination of weak shin muscles, flat feet, and my overpronation(?) -- tendency to roll towards the inside, as evidenced by the wear on the outside heels of my shoes. My shins do a LOT of stabilizing work as I run, and as the muscles tire out, I start to 'clomp' my toe area into the ground heavily. I can't seem to roooooool from heel to toe evenly. I also have to keep those muscles tense and pulling to keep my toes pointed up high enough for my heel to catch the ground as opposed to hitting the ground completely flat footed... which I know means my stride is too long.

I'm working on strengthening the muscles, stretching the tendons, warming up careflly, icing after I exercise, and fixing my stride so that I don't land so heavily. The flat feet and my cheap New Balance shoes aren't helping, so...

I could use some product or, alternately, high-end running store reccomendations in the Houston, TX or Austin, TX areas, as those are the cities I can get to most easily. I'm willing to make the pilgrimage if that's what it takes to stop the pain.

And please don't tell me that running's bad for my health. I enjoy going for a quick run, and it's good for my dog, too. The shin splints problems that I'm having also show up when I'm walking more than two or three miles in a day after not having walked that long in a month or two, so I'd prefer to find good shoes or orthotics that can help me as opposed to "well, stop moving!"

posted by SpecialK to health & fitness (14 comments total)

I've run for years, and never found a good shoe to get around the splints. BUT, I recently was gifted a pair of Earth shoes (with the negative heel) and, don't laugh, they really do work. While I have a pair of the more casual shoes I can attest to the good they are doing for my posture and I can truly feel the muscles in my legs stretching out to a more comfortable length. They make running shoes too, which could very well be just the natural position you need. Or maybe a pair of their regular shoes to walk around in all day to strengthen your shins while you are not running...
posted by iurodivii at 1:00 PM on January 6, 2007 [1 favorite]

I was once like you, friend. I suffered and suffered, read endless advice, agonized over shoe recommendations... in the end, a combination of four things cured my shin splints:

Running up and down steep hills and bridges all the time.
Buying a pair of shoes that had a rock-solid heel (I have huge, flat, flexible feet).
Wearing compression sleeves every time I run.
Stretching my shins.

When I say cured, I mean cured, as in, I have not had even the slightest bit of a problem with shin splints, and they used to be a constant source of torment. I had previously done toe taps for months in an effort to strengthen my shins, to no avail. I switched to running up and down the Williamsburg Bridge, and simultaneously got a new, superior pair of shoes and a set of compression sleeves, and like magic, the splints were gone, despite the fact that I run almost exclusively on pavement.

Obviously, what worked for me might not work for you, but for about $90 total outlay, it's worth a shot. The compression sleeves made an immediate difference, and the shoes (Nike Airs, the hardest soled model they make) sealed the deal.

Good luck!
posted by saladin at 1:04 PM on January 6, 2007

I've seen a doctor for shin splints and he told me that if you are over pronating you need motion control sneakers. When that didn't work for me, he prescribed orthotics but what he gave me was just a store bought product called Ortha-heel (I'm in the UK so likely not available there). But what he then told me was that if I was going to use an orthotic product, I didn't need to buy motion control sneaker because I'd just be pulling the special insoles out anyway to insert the orthotics.

Go to the a Walmart and look at the orthotic products as I know there are a few on the market. Look for one that provides support for pronation and see if that works. It's helped me.
posted by gfrobe at 1:12 PM on January 6, 2007

You can get shin splints in different locations in the shins from a variety of subtle misalignments. You are best to go to a pedorthist for a gait analysis if this is an ongoing problem. I went for one last year for $75. You might try calling sports-medicine clinics about this service.

At the very, very least, go to a proper running store, where they should be able to observe your gait and suggest some particular running shoe models.

Also, you didn't mention stretching thoroughly after you run. I can not stress enough the importance of this. If you are only running <5 k it's not even that critical that you stretch before you start, but it is always strong>essential that you do so afterwards.
posted by loiseau at 1:20 PM on January 6, 2007

The GT-2100 running shoe made a difference for me. Along with these exercises, ibuprofen, and ice treatments after running got me over my shin splints in about a month. They have yet to return a year later.
posted by 517 at 1:47 PM on January 6, 2007

Go to one of the RunTex stores in Austin. The store on Riverside and South 1st across from Auditorium Shores is the original.

They are all about making sure you get the right shoe and not trying to push a particular brand or style. I used to get shin splints but it was because I was getting nice looking shoes from Foot Locker. At RunTex they have you run around the parking lot and watch how you run. It isn't a fancy pants machine, but they can recognize you step and try to get you into the right shoe. They're not just shoe salesmen. They are running fanatics. They can also clue you in to professionals in the area that can make orthotics for you if you need to. RunTex also has running clinics on some weekends. Something you probably won't commute down from Aggieland often, but once in a while you might see a topic on their website worth the trip.
posted by birdherder at 1:51 PM on January 6, 2007

Coincidentally, the Asics GT-2100 that 517 talks about are what I wear.
posted by birdherder at 1:52 PM on January 6, 2007

I'm a severe over-pronator too, and have had pretty chronic medial tibial tendonitis (sounds like yours is lateral [on the outside]), but my cure was a set of custom orthotics (save up, their worth it) and a pair of New Balance 1010s, their motion control/stability shoe. Whatever you do be sure you're not running in a shoe for neutral runners or supinators.
posted by sauris at 2:45 PM on January 6, 2007

I have shin splint problems from overpronation, clomping, and shin splints as well. The things that have helped, in order from least helpful to most helpful

1) Ice
2) Stiff shoe inserts that give lots of arch support, worn all the time, not just in running shoes
3) Compression sleeves/ace bandages wrapped around shins
4) Very, very slowly increasing mileage and speed (like through CoolRunning's Couch-to-5K program)
5) Shin exercises, like spelling the alphabet in the air with your toe while waiting for the bus stop

But most of all, and I'm not kidding here:
6) Walking barefoot everywhere.

Really. When I started walking barefoot quite a lot, my shin splints went and stayed away. I don't do it quite as much and they've begun to rear their ugly head, but when I was walking barefoot, even to the point where I started barefoot running, the shin splints left.
posted by schroedinger at 2:46 PM on January 6, 2007

My shin splints end up happening the entire length of my shins on the inside. I generally warm up by spending five to ten minutes on a stationary recumbant bike, and then I stretch out and run for a mile, and then I either do (if my shins are doing OK) another 20 minutes on the bike or I sprint intervals. My shins don't generally hurt when I'm running up on my toes. I stretch out again after I've finished my upper body workout. The only stretch I was doing for my shins was where you point your toes backwards and sit on your knees, and I didn't feel it stretching my shins anymore since I've been doing it for a few months. My shin splints are so bad right now that I'm off of running for the next month or so, and I'll only be spinning and using the elliptical machines.

Schroedinger, that's interesting. Walking even a half mile in bare feet is *so* painful to me that I have slippers that are actually real shoes with an arch and everything that I wear in the house. I'll have to try that when it starts getting warmer again.

Birdherder, thanks, that was exactly what I was looking for! Next time I make the trip into Austin for something (like good, non-yellow beer) that I can't get here in Aggieland, I'll have to check them out.
posted by SpecialK at 3:28 PM on January 6, 2007

If it hurts you to walk barefoot, your calf muscles are incredibly weak which is probably the number one cause of your running issues, like you said. The best thing you could do, like Schroedinger said, is to get used to walking barefoot and work on your dorsiflexor strength.
posted by Loto at 4:04 PM on January 6, 2007

No story to tell, but these worked for me
posted by bitdamaged at 4:16 PM on January 6, 2007

Some folks mentioned that motion control shoes will help. I haven't had significant problems with shin splints, but I can tell you that my Brooks GTX running shoes have been great. They definitely provide stability. Friends who run a lot and were prone to shin splints would echo other's comments about increasing foot strength. They also convinced me to replace my shoes much more frequently (every 300 miles) to ensure that the platform wasn't breaking down.
posted by pkingdesign at 4:38 PM on January 6, 2007

One vote for Brooks Adrenaline shoes. My shins (and feet) are happy now.
posted by oldtimey at 8:15 PM on January 7, 2007