WAG Shin splints??

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JennC4

My girls gym has recently started having the girls run 4 miles for conditioning on Tuesdays and Fridays. Coaches run with them so they are fully chaperoned so I am fine with it. Today my youngest DD (10) came home hysterical crying over her shins saying they "felt like they were going to go through her skin". She only cried in the car on the way home because she didn't want her coach to know she was crying. She is homeschooled so practices in the morning then again at night, so she is in the gym working out more than the other girls that run. I told her that I am going to tell her coach I don't think she should be running that much and that I want her to just do conditioning in the gym instead, and she freaked out screaming that she's fine and wants to run. I trust her and I trust her coaches, I just don't like to see her in this much pain.
 
This is the kid who dislocated her elbow and didn't she one tear, so I know that she is really in pain.
 
Did they go from no running to 4 miles? That really puts the kids at risk from tibia stress fractures. (and shin splints)
do you know the dixie cup of water and freeze it for cryomassage for shin splints?
I hope she can tell the coaches her pain so they can modify her conditioning while she heals.
 
That is an awful lot of running -- especially as a start up distance. What type of surface?? Sidewalks? That is very hard on the shins (as opposed to a running trail or grass).

She may need more supportive shoes, but either way I think it is too much too soon. I've had shin splints several times and they are very painful. I hope she feels better.
 
She should definitely tell her coach about it. I'd also suggest you see a podiatrist as she might benefit from orthotics in her running shoes. Because gymnasts do so much work on the bare feet, having orthotics can make sure their feet are 'resting' when they're in shoes.
 
That amount of running seems quite excessive! I just don't see the purpose. I am a runner (a sprinter), but I am familiar with the distance workouts. Our long distance runners barely run that far multiple times per week. They do long workouts twice a week, but their race is two miles, so they need the 3-4 miles. Our mid-distance definitely doesn't do that, which is comparable to a floor routine. Doing that much regularly is going to lead to overuse injury & shin splints.
Did they just go straight from no running to 4 miles? If so, that's crazy! You have to gradually work up to that distance. As athletic as gymnasts are, they are not runners. They don't know how to pace themselves, the proper stride, & likely don't have proper running shoes. All of this = injury.
To help the shin splints, basically RICE. Emphasis on the rest & ice.
 
I suffered with shin splints after my high school track career for years. I couldn't run hardly at all they hurt so bad. I tried lots of things but two things really worked for me.

I went to a running store and got fitted for good shoes. I needed a high stability shoe to support my arches. High or low arches can contribute to shin splints.

Also, I massaged my calves. Calves are responsible for so much of lower leg pain. I just took my knee and rubbed it up and down my calf muscle pausing and rubbing over the sore spots. Once I started with these two things I was quickly able to run regularly again.

Icing along the shins is helpful to reduce inflammation and stretching calves and shins before and after running. If she will tolerate an ice bucket this is awesome.

I have also seen shins taped with kinesiology tape or using compression. These things may help her get over the hump.

Here is a decent overview. I know nothing of this person and am not a medical practitioner of any sort just found this article that seemed to sum up what I know of them from experience and educating myself in an easy to understand way. :)

http://www.healthfitonline.com/resources/articles/shinsplints.html

Sounds she has many of these things at play. I would say overtraining and too much too soon as far as running goes sound like the biggest culprit. If she is already doing two a days then I would discuss it with her coach if for no other reason than to let them know she is in pain. Can't be good for her gymnastics.
 
Thanks for all that info, TheFellowsMom -- I'm going to use it for myself! Trying to nudge up my weekly mileage and having some very minor issues.

Four miles seems like quite a lot for a gymnast. Two four-mile runs sounds like they're just asking for trouble unless they've built up to it. The boys and girls at my kids' gym do a little more running in the summer for conditioning, but I don't think it's ever more than 1-1.5 miles. They do a lot more plyometric workouts than running.
 
They've always ran, it just got upped from 3-4 miles this past week. I talked to the coach, and he thinks she should skip a few days of running and recommended getting new sneakers. Should I make an appointment with a doctor or wait it out and see?
 
As a former distance runner who suffered with shin splints, I too am wondering if they had these girls go from the little running normally done in gym to 4 miles. 4 miles is a lot! Especially if you aren't used to distance running.

Shoes are SO important. I remember at our old gym the optionals girls ran during the summer and I'd see the shoes that they were wearing and I'd just cringe. Some of them would be wearing sketchers! Take your DD to a good running store and get her into a good, supportive shoe. It will cost more - if she is still in children's sizes it seems to be about $70, around $120+ if she is in adult sizes. I have done this with my kids just for their every day sneakers because they all have arch issues - 2 with collapsed arches and one with extremely high arches - and I want their feet in the best possible position when out of the gym so that the time barefoot hopefully doesn't hurt too much. I cringe at spending so much on shoes for kids who are still growing; but in the end it is worth it if it means that they don't have to deal with the issues that were coming up from arch issues.
 
Putting aside the discussion of whether the girls should be running how they do, or whether your dd should be checked by a Dr for stress fractures.......try Cho Pat Shin Splint Sleeve. My dd, my friend's dd and 2 others that I know all swear by it as best thing for shin splint pain relief.

ChoPat Shin Splints sleeve - Ithaca sports... http:/IthicaSports.com $19.49 --- Cho-Pat Shin Splint CHO-CP32 2 sz medium
 
They've always ran, it just got upped from 3-4 miles this past week. I talked to the coach, and he thinks she should skip a few days of running and recommended getting new sneakers. Should I make an appointment with a doctor or wait it out and see?
I'd definitely go and see a podiatrist. They will not only choose running shoes that will help your daughter and match her foot, but they will also know if orthotics would be helpful. Many of the girls in my daughter's gym wear orthotics in their running shoes. Our senior girls would run about 2 miles (just over 3 kilometres) three mornings a week, and they would do that every day during the school holidays or combine a shorter run with hill sprints. The money you spend on good shoes, orthotics and the podiatrist will be saved on tape, physio or doctors fees in dealing with stress fractures.
 
Distance running has almost no benefits for gymnastics. Distance running is a form of aerobic exercise, while gymnastics is almost entirely anaerobic. The only running that takes place in gymnastics is during vaulting, and that is sprinting, and sprinting is still anaerobic! Any running training that should be done for gymnastics should be sprint training. Distance running really serves no purpose other than improving the aerobic threshold. Honestly, it's a big waste of time if you ask me. Sprint training, such as running with a weight sled, would be far more beneficial. As for improving aerobic exercise, doing back to back floor routines, or jumping on the trampoline for 10 minutes straight (which is also a killer leg workout) will benefit the athlete far more.

As far as running, I'm one of those that believes bare foot running is more natural and beneficial after some practice with the technique. The fact that gymnasts train barefoot also supports this style of running. I suppose that would be a topic for another thread, though...
 
Even if they have been running - 8 miles a week is a lot for a 10 year old. In fact, combined with all the pounding of gymnastics it is likely too much for most girls to handle and you will probably start to see overuse injuries appear.
 
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They've always ran, it just got upped from 3-4 miles this past week. I talked to the coach, and he thinks she should skip a few days of running and recommended getting new sneakers. Should I make an appointment with a doctor or wait it out and see?
My brother's cross country coach always said to replace your running shoes very 300 miles.
This would NORMALLY be fine for the typical XC runner, but outside of team practices and team races, my brother logged 700 miles of running in 6 months. He ONLY wore his running shoes for running. He would put them on, run, take them off. Didn't even walk to the car in them. He went through 3 pairs of $100 shoes that school year (and he wasn't really any good, lol).

A visit to the doctor and new shoes are in order. If they have been running 3 miles 2x a week and that is ALL she does in the shoes, they are only good for 50 weeks. If she also wears them out and about, the mileage won't go as far.
 
Thank you for all the great suggestions! We are going to the podiatrist tonight. As for the amount of running they do, the coaches at our gym are a married couple, HC was an elite gymnast, and her husband was a college runner. The gym has been doing lots of running for years now and report that they've only seen it help the girls. She's never had a problem with running in the past, usually enjoys it, and I think the fact that she went from 4'5-4'7 in the past month or two has a lot to do with this. Ugh growing pains!
 
Oh, the running thing. It's like Amway. I started and now have DH out there slogging away as well, and he's desperately trying to recruit eldest. If the coaches are members of the cult, there's little to be done.

One more suggestion -- take her to a store that markets to runners for her shoes and have her fitted. I'm not all that sold on the whole stride analysis thing, but getting the right size is really important. I was surprised to discover that my running shoe size was a half size larger than the shoes I'd been buying for myself for decades. I think you're also right to point a finger at the recent growth!

Now, Aero, <puts on glasses and a stern look>, you do know that the Five Fingers people had to settle a big lawsuit based on false claims about the benefits of their shoes, right? If barefoot works for you, more power to you, but don't go out and spend $200 to do it!
 
Speaking from someone who currently has shin splints, as well as stress reactions, get them checked out if they still hurt next week. Ice in a pixie cup and rest is the only thing that even slightly relieves mine. While you're at the doctor have them check her back for scoliosis, her hips for uneven legs and her feet for fallen arches or flat feet.
 

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