Introduction
Shin Splints. Shin Splints. Shin splints. The words strike fear into every Special Forces trainee not because they’re particularly easy to treat if caught early, but because if allowed to progress, shin splints can set a candidate back months in their training.
We have so many candidates who felt the early signs and symptoms of shin splints, pressed on, got hurt, and them came to us for programming help. We’re sharing this article to provide the necessary preventative measures to avoid shin splints in the first place, and so that if shin splint symptoms do appear they can be tackled appropriately.
What are Shin Splints?
“Shin splints” are an all-encompassing term to refer to frontal lower leg pain around the shin. If left untreated and the candidate continues to train, shin splints can quickly spiral into stress fractures and take a candidate out of training for months.
How to Prevent/Treat Shin Splints
There are three pillars we use with our candidates to treat and prevent shin splints.
1. Intelligent Run/Ruck Programming
The most common culprit of shin splints is ramping up volume too quickly. Anyone who goes from untrained and sedentary to running 40 miles per week will suffer from shin splints.
For this reason, it’s critical candidates ease into their running and rucking volume. Following the 10% rule, which says to only increase weekly mileage by 10% per week, is a great way to avoid overuse injuries like shin splints.
Although many candidates will suffer from shin splints due to running, we find rucking is most often the culprit of shin pain. Rucking, and especially ruck running, places significantly more force onto a candidates feet, ankles, shins, and knees. This is because not only is a candidate place their bodyweight onto their feet, but also additional load.
To mitigate the additional force, we recommend candidates maintain a high cadence of rapid, short steps with unlocked knees. Two feet should be on the ground at all times, and the stepping foot should land directly under the candidate’s hips. When candidates begin to run with their rucksack and land all of their bodyweight onto a single foot is where we often see shin pain emerge.
2. Tibia and Calf Training
The most optimal way to prevent shin splints is to manage training volume and practice good running and rucking form. But even with a perfect training program, some candidates simply have weak lower leg muscles and will suffer from shin splints.
For this reason, our trainees directly target their lower leg muscles with tib raises and calf raises after each run. We’ve found that applying the same progressive overload principles we share in the weight lifting program has led to more resilient, stronger shins.
1. Tib Bar Raises
All of our trainees perform 150-200 reps of tibia raises after each run to strengthen the anterior tibialis muscle. A stronger tibia means a greater ability to absorb ground force with each step and a lower likelihood of foot, shin, and knee injury.
2. Calf Raises
All of our trainees superset their tibia raises with 75-100 calf raises. The calf raises should be performed weighted, and candidates should target to increase the total load over time.
By applying progressive overload principles to lower leg training, we ensure that we’re strengthening our lower legs to handle the demands of more rigorous training volume.
3. Myofascial Release and Stretching
The final step to preventing and treating shin splints is myofascial release and stretching. Often times, candidates feel routine soreness on the inside or outside of their foot which would normally recover on its own. The problem is that sometimes trainees will adjust their foot strike or form to compensate, which leads to shin pain.
These injuries can be almost entirely mitigated by using a myofascial release release device like a lacrosse ball, massage stick, or foam roller.
We don’t program specific myofascial release protocols for our clients, but we do recommend trainees stretch and massage the lower leg as needed.
Conclusion
It’s likely that every runner will feel the symptoms of shin splints at some point in their training career. It’s critical that candidates take action NOW to strengthen their tibias and calves, manage their training volume, and massage and release knots to stay injury and pain free.
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