Horrible Shin Splints?

Question

My husband and I started training for the Air Force about a month ago. We were both horribly out of shape, so we started lightly. However, he still got horrible shin splints. We started out by running at the park on the path (concrete) and switched to the high school track a couple of weeks later. He started by running in army issue combat boots. We bought him a pair of running shoes a week or so later in an effort to help with the pain. He's always hurting and I feel terrible that there's nothing I can do. He elevates his legs every night and has started taking Vicodin for the pain. We're introducing stretching to try to help the muscles...and he's been doing calf strengthening exercises. He hasn't gone running this week...but he wants to leave in a month so he REALLY needs to keep running and get over the pain!

Help?

Answer 1

After running I would ice my shins until they were numb and then let them warm back up. I'd repeat it a total of 3 times. What works great to ice shins is filling styrofoam cups with water and freeze them. As they melt during icing you can peel the styrofoam away.

Answer 2

I understand that shin splints is a real issue, and that it is painful so please do not find this callous. He just needs to suck it up and continue running. I have REALLY bad back problems (metal rods up and down my spine for advanced scoliosis) and I had that as a very good excuse not to run. I finally made a commitment to lose weight and try to start. I ran off and on for a few days and my shins were on fire. I whined about it to my husband and while he felt badly for me, he imparted this Navy wisdom, "suck it up recruit"

I did, and both my back pain and shins are feeling much better, it's just this nagging pain in my side when my breathing goes out of rhythm...lol  Besides, pain is simply weakness leaving the body.

Answer 3

Once you get shin splints you have to let them heal completely or they will always hurt.  Calf strengthening will probably not help with the shin splints.  Do you have access to a elliptical machine?  It works your legs well with no impact/stress so will not hurt his shins at all.  Try wrapping his legs with an ace bandage before any exercise and make sure the running shoes are really good.  Go to a pharmacy and get some of those gel ice bags.  When he is done running put the gelled ice on his legs, if you want to can wrap the bandage around the pack so it doesn't shift.