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Your butt muscles, including your gluteus medius-a small muscle along the side of your butt.Simply practicing standing on one foot can help, she says. Add in calf raises if you’re already running too-and a dedicated calf workout to really give them some attention won’t hurt, either.Īdditionally, core and hip-stabilizing exercises improve your running alignment, and can help prevent the drop in your hips that can contribute to shin splints, Moran says. “That will make your muscles stronger, and also condition the bone underneath,” increasing your resistance to both shin splints and stress fractures. “If you’re looking to start a running program, one of the best things you can do for the month to six weeks beforehand is to start doing some calf raises,” Dr. What are the best ways to prevent shin splints? Change in shoe style: Switching from shoes with a high drop-the difference between how much foam sits under your heel and how much is under your toe-to a lower drop could amplify the strain on your shins, Moran says.Still, it’s possible that worn-out shoes could transfer more force up into your leg, contributing to your pain, she says. Worn-out shoes: Running shoes are commonly blamed for shin splints, but they’re rarely the sole cause of these or other running injuries, Moran says.There’s also research linking a slower cadence, or number of steps per minute, to shin splints. People with weak or unstable hips may also be at greater risk, since that can cause increased stress on the shin as their feet land across the midline of their body with their strides, Moran says. Inherent muscle and stride factors: Runners with flat feet, whose arches have already collapsed, may also be more predisposed.For instance, postpartum runners getting back into the sport after childbirth may develop shin splints even if they’ve never had them before, Dr. Break from training: Returning to high-impact activities after time off also increases your risk.Your leg muscles, especially in your calves, might not yet be strong enough to absorb the shock from the increased amount of pounding, Moran says. This can happen when you’re new to your activity, ramping up the amount or intensity of your training, or making another abrupt change (for instance, suddenly running all your miles on much harder terrain than you’re used to). Overuse: Shin splints are an overuse injury they occur when you increase the demands on your musculoskeletal system faster than your body can adapt to meet them.Knowing what’s involved in their development can play key roles in prevention: Why do I get shin splints so easily?Ī predilection for shin splints can occur due to your training, your gear, something more intrinsic about the way you move or are built-or a combination of several of these factors. That extra strain and traction causes swelling and pain in your periosteum, Dr. The tendon then pulls harder on the bone. To compensate, your posterior tibial tendon, which is the thick band of tissue that attaches your calf muscles to the bones of your foot, begins working overtime to stabilize your ankle.
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