Prevention of lower leg pain during sports activities

Pain in the shin can be disturbing for various reasons: it can be the consequences of injuries and fractures. Or manifestations of diseases, at first glance, not related to the legs. To prevent pain in the shin, we will give some advice on its prevention.

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How to avoid shin pain when jogging?

To avoid shin pain during training, you need to be a tortoise, not a hare. Hares are fast, and tortoises are slow. It is always better to warm up your muscles before training, before going all out, rushing straight into a quarry without proper preparation of the body.

If you are doing running or tennis, you need to do everything gradually. The best way is to gradually increase muscle strength. This will help prevent pain in the shins that are not warmed up enough. You need to train slowly but steadily.

Then the muscles will be properly strengthened.

Before you start jogging, do some walking first. Walking for 15 minutes will warm up your muscles and prepare them for running. The best method is to first walk the distance you have decided to "take" by running. At first, you can combine walking with jogging, but not long ones, but short ones. The running time can now be increased, but again gradually. All the preparation for jogging in this way can take about a month, then you can increase the load.

It also depends on what shape you are in and how far you want to run.

What is training? It is the process of assembling and disassembling muscles, ligaments and tendons, so between trainings, if they are very difficult, you need to take a break of at least 1 day. Especially if you have just recently started training.

Stretch your muscles to avoid pain

To keep your shins healthy, it is important to stretch the muscle tissue. You should first warm up the muscles by walking or doing gymnastics. Then you should stretch the muscles of the shin for 15 minutes. And only then go for a run.

To prevent injury to the calf muscles and their damage, you need to stretch the calf muscles. Here is a simple but effective exercise for stretching the muscles. You need to stand facing the wall. The distance should be about 40 to 60 cm. Knees are straight. Hands should be resting on the wall at about chest level. Now let's bend your elbows so that you lean towards the wall, using all the weight of your body. You need to feel how well the muscles of the back of the legs, located below the knee, are stretched. During this exercise, the feet should be touching the floor.

Exercise time: 10-15 minutes, up to 10 repetitions.

Step Exercises

A good way to stretch your calf muscles is to stand on the steps. Stand on your toes on the bottom step of the stairs. Use your hand to hold the railing to maintain your balance. Then you can lower your heels below the edges of the step. Do you feel how well your calf muscles stretch? That's how it should be with this exercise. Count to 15, then lower your feet, rest. Repeat this calf stretch up to 10 times.

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Will there be muscle pain?

No, after correct stretching exercises there should not be severe muscle pain. In order for the shins to remain healthy, they should not be overworked to the point of severe pain. It is important that after jogging, running with unexpected movements and maneuvers, pain in the shins does not bother you, otherwise these are incorrect loads. If you do not know how to correctly perform stretching exercises, it is better to ask a specialist in physical therapy to show and explain it to you in an accessible way.

When should you change your shoes?

Shoes do not last forever and should be changed as soon as you notice that the inside of the heel has worn down by half a centimeter. Shoes should be comfortable, support the arch of the foot and protect the heel.

Buy different shoes for each type of physical activity. For light exercise in the gym, you need shoes with a light and flexible sole and breathable fabric. Sneakers with thick soles and cushioning for running will not work there.

If you do a lot of jumping during your workouts, buy shoes that will support your calves and shins. You don’t need to wear running shoes to tennis or tennis shoes to running classes. To feel comfortable and avoid foot pain, buy the shoes you need most often.

If you have difficulty choosing, find a store with good sales consultants or consult with an orthopedist. Or ask your experienced trainer for advice on choosing shoes.

Hard surfaces should be avoided.

This will protect your legs from injury and your shins from pain. Running on hard asphalt or concrete paths can quickly lead to shin pain, but running on grass or gravel, as well as sand or the shore of a lake, will help your legs stay healthy longer.

If you doubt the quality of the ground you are running on, use the exercise tracks in the gym. If you are still inclined to train outside, change the direction of your run more often. Because even the slope of the road can play a role in the pain, when one leg bears more weight than the other.

Choose the right sport

Running can be too tough a sport for your shins because running involves a lot of impact and jolting. Walk, choose alternative sports if your shins hurt after running. Be more gentle with yourself. Swimming is ideal for strengthening your legs – it provides excellent relief for blood vessels, ligaments and tendons, as well as the skeletal system of the legs.

Cycling is very good – it will reduce the load on the tendons and strengthen the leg muscles. These exercises will help you lose weight, because excess weight means excess pain in the legs. Excess weight is an excess risk of pain in the shins due to the pressure of body weight on the connective tissues.

Chair exercises

These exercises are very easy and gentle, but they will help strengthen the calf muscles and prevent them from hurting. Sit up straight in a comfortable chair. Raise your right leg slightly from the floor and bend your toes toward the floor until you feel a stretch in the muscles. Hold for 10 seconds and relax for the next 5 seconds.

Lift your leg, this time curling your toes toward your shin until you feel a stretch in your muscles. Hold for 10 seconds and relax.

Lift your right leg again and rotate your toes clockwise to form a full circle. Then rest for 5 seconds. Repeat the exercise, this time rotating your toes counterclockwise. Rest for 5 seconds after that. Repeat this exercise in 4-5 sets.

After a few weeks, you will feel that your calf muscles are becoming much stronger. You will know that your calf muscles are getting stronger when the exercises become easier to perform.

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