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16 yr old son w shin splints- help!!

Seuss

Seuss

Sergeant
Full Member
Minuteman
Dec 22, 2001
388
5
62
York, PA USA mostly
Guys,
My 16 yr old son, Mini Sam, worked his ass off this offseason, is up to 6'1", 187 lbs, benching 275, a 2 way starter at WR and OLB as an incoming junior.
At least that was the plan........
He is suffering w excrutiating pain from shin splints. We've been to the Dr in case in was a stress fracture, nada. We are icing, whirlpools, high end orthotics, anti inflammatories.... Nothing is working.
He says the pain is shooting up his legs, and is so bad his legs are shaking. Has been toughing his way through but he's reaching the end physically and emotionally.
If anyone has any thoughts, advice, suggestions, anything, I would greatly appreciate it.
Thanks guys.
 
Re: 16 yr old son w shin splints- help!!

Not sure if you've given "taking a break" a try, but I'd recommend that for starters...

Getting better footwear, better stretching exercises, and giving the legs a rest are usually what helps me with my shin pains.
 
Re: 16 yr old son w shin splints- help!!

Ice. Lots of ice. And physical therapy.

It's not unusual around college campuses and military bases to see people walking around with ice packs on their shins after working out.

Probably the most common thing I saw working civil service at Ft. Meade years back (where the Air Force does basic training and the Marines just keep working real hard day to day) was shin splints and costochondritis. 19 year olds doing more PT in their first week than they did in the preceding 12 years of public education victimhood makes for a LOT of repetitive stress injuries.

There are degrees of shin splints. They range from mild, which is merely annoying but doesn't limit activity, usually just hurting after working out for a few hours getting better with ice, rest, elevation and NSAIDS (pick your poison - I advise REGULAR dosing of the most effective anti-inflammatory agent which is really patent-specific, but start with ibuprofen, it's cheap and effective and take it from there) to complete cortical fractures which include redness, swelling, heat, bruising and constant pain and can be a real show-stopper.

This is more common than you think, but it sounds like he may have a stress fracture. Make sure he gets repeat X-rays and push for 3-phase nuclear medicine bone scans if there's any doubt or worsening of his condition.

Keep us posted.
 
Re: 16 yr old son w shin splints- help!!

From experience rest and Lots of it. Stretch everyday followed by ice and elevation. No running for at least a month. Also do some basic Dorsiflexion and plantar flexion exercises. See an orthopedic specialist, find the right shoes and get custom orthotics. I pushed through mine as painful as they were and ended up with stress fractures which was a big mistake. When he starts running again start really slow and only add an extra bit of distance each time and if he even feels a slight sensation tell him to stop and rest and ice it and stay off it for a few days. It took quite a while for mine to get better but now that I found out about listening to my body I no longer get them. Also swimming is a ood idea if he wants to try keep his cardio up.
 
Re: 16 yr old son w shin splints- help!!

Rest is a sure way to get them better but.... I like icy hot on mine to pull me through the pain if i NEED to keep going. Also with all these crazy workouts is it possible his body has no nutrients left to rebuild the muscles in his legs? Try a hefty dose of L-Glutamine and fish oil followed by light stretching and exercise to iscolate the areas needed. Im far from a doctor so take my advice at your own risk.
 
Re: 16 yr old son w shin splints- help!!

Great feedback men, we've tried the rest for 3-4 days off his feet almost 100%, but they flare up the minute he starts moving faster than a walk.
If possible would have him stop running period, but he wants to play badly and is needed on the field as well. Tough choice facing losing the entire season and he's not well w that, understandable.
We have an appointment next week at an ortho sports medicine Dr.
Are doing the nutritional things as well, have been on top of that for a long time.
 
Re: 16 yr old son w shin splints- help!!

From experience of a former track guy.

Ice and Ibuprofen. Let me say it's not good for the organs, but we took 800 mg 3 times a day. When it feels better keep taking it tell the inflammation is gone.

Ice. Fill a paper cup and rub the ice on the shins with enough force to be uncomfortable! You are using the ice cube to squeeze out the inflammation. Do this twice to three times a day. The trainers would give a very strong ice message on the shins with enough force to make you want to pee or cry! After they were iced up good they would use their thumb to work on them some more.

Strech the shins and try to keep off the hard surfaces while training.

Look at the shoes, are the warn out a little? When training hard we do not replace our shoes often enough. They get compressed and provide little cushion.

Sorry to hear because they can plague your for a while.

I'm not a doctor so the 800 mg is a lot. May try Naproxen (sp) it ibuprofen does not help.
 
Re: 16 yr old son w shin splints- help!!

4 days is no where near enough for severe shin splints, I would say a minimum of a month with the stuff I recommended above. If he continues to push them they will only get worse and will in turn take longer to heal. It's a tough choice but you have to look at the long run, once he gets to stress fractures it will be a very long recovery process.
 
Re: 16 yr old son w shin splints- help!!

ARP Wave Therapy, Oogle and Google it now! You'll be pissed you didn't know about it before. That is, if they have a facility in your area...
 
Re: 16 yr old son w shin splints- help!!

ARP wave therapy is a "new" form of an old trick in the alternative healing basket.

Decades ago is was known as Kirlian energy or Orgone Therapy (Wilhelm Reich), lots of people have produced gadgets like these including UV emitters and snake oil salesmen have pushed these devices on an unsuspecting, uneducated, suffering public willing to try anything to get better.

Thing to keep in mind is the capacity for the human body to heal and the ability of the mind to convince itself that one type of treatment is effective when another isn't.

Pseudo-therapists like some naturopaths, acupuncturists, homeopaths and herbalists take advantage of people's willingness to believe that someone else is pushing the healing train while it's already on the tracks heading in the right direction.

This isn't a blanket condemnation of "alternate" healing methodologies. I've witnessed christian healing by laying on of hands. I've been practicing medicine for 20 years (Family practice, anesthesiology, occupational medicine, aviation medicine, ER and urgent care) and there are a lot of ways of getting things done. Someone will always have the latest and greatest anectdotal treatment for sale at an unbelievably low low price of some money down and weekly payments.

Look into physical therapists doing "dry needling." A form of "acupuncture" that has scientific basis behind it. It works.
 
Re: 16 yr old son w shin splints- help!!

No fancy suggestion, but it worked for me. Sit down with a towel laid at your feet. Put the end of the towel under your toes and then lay it flat out in front. Using your toes only pull the towel towards you until it gathers up. Do a half dozen reps to start. It strengthens the muscles on top of the shins and helps prevent shin splints. I used to get them bad when I was younger and this really helped me. I did them every chance I had, sitting on the toilet is an easy way to get a few reps in
grin.gif
 
Re: 16 yr old son w shin splints- help!!

Just watch out with the meds. They are usually really hard on the liver.
I've heard that changing the mechanics of your running or walking helps alot.
Shin problems are caused sometimes by heavy overpronators or heavy heal striking.
Barefoot running and slow motion mechanics works can probably help.
Best regards and God Bless to you and yours
 
Re: 16 yr old son w shin splints- help!!

They're a mild, localized form of compartment syndrome. Muscles are encased in a non-distensible membrane known as the fascia. When muscles are engorged with blood, they swell. If the swelling is impeded by the fascia, pressue begins to build in the muscle compartment, hence the term "compartment syndrome." "Real" cases of compartment syndrome require fasciotomy--a surgical procedure to open the fascia and decompress the muscle compartment. Failure to do so expeditiously results in death of the muscle. The pressure in the compartment can exceed the arterial blood pressure, which means the muscle gets no oxygen. Bad thing. Fortunately, shin splints do not lead to this. The only effective treatments are a combination or rest, ice, and NSAIDs--with rest being the most important and effective. Bone scanning can be helpful for stress fractures, but it is also non-specific. MRI may be a reasonable alternative.
 
Re: 16 yr old son w shin splints- help!!

As a 2nd Doc in the mix (ER, some sports med), I second what normbal says.
 
Re: 16 yr old son w shin splints- help!!

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Seuss</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Great feedback men, we've tried the rest for 3-4 days off his feet almost 100%, but they flare up the minute he starts moving faster than a walk.
If possible would have him stop running period, but he wants to play badly and is needed on the field as well. Tough choice facing losing the entire season and he's not well w that, understandable.
We have an appointment next week at an ortho sports medicine Dr.
Are doing the nutritional things as well, have been on top of that for a long time. </div></div>

This not likely what you or he want to hear but there is no quick fix.

shin splints...stress fractures..there's not much difference really in these entities really in the way you treat them. You need to basically stop all of the heavy lifting/running for a minimum of 8-10 weeks if you want to cure it completely. If he is in pain and can tolerate it, hit him with 14 days 800 mg ibuprofen with meals every 8 hours. That will knock out any inflammation he has.

If he does not stop the exercise that is causing the injury, he will never allow his body to heal completely
 
Re: 16 yr old son w shin splints- help!!

I went thru a certain special school in the NAVY and alot of the guys got shin splints from what they told me DOC always suggested they check the type of shoes they wear and avoid running until completly healed i knew some guys that were out for months at a time 3 to 4
 
Re: 16 yr old son w shin splints- help!!

I remember one guy going on medical convalescence for shin splints in the middle of boot camp. not sure if he was able to stay in or not.
 
Re: 16 yr old son w shin splints- help!!

Shin splints were what told me it was time for new shoes. I had to learn the hard way, ended up with a couple good stress fractures in my left knee. Took me out of the loop for 6 weeks. Then it was a "let pain be your guide" routine for another 2 weeks. Also, X-rays dont show stress fractures. Seems in most cases, X-rays are more of a formality prior to other diagnostic methods. It did show up on the MRI, but the doc was already 100% sure of what it was. For 6 weeks (actually 4, I couldnt sit still and wait) it was ice, brace, Ranger candy, and a pain killer if it kept me from sleeping.
 
Re: 16 yr old son w shin splints- help!!

Sorry to hear this bro - Ankle flexibility?

16 years old is way to early to have this.

If your ankle cannot bend upward enough to allow the muscle to absorb the impact, that pressure is going onto the bone.

These guys do a little bit of running from time to time:

https://www.sealswcc.com/navy-seals-injury-prevention.aspx#.UEDFloRzkX4

Watch what he says in the stress fractures video on ankle flexibility and watch the stretches.

That site is LOADED with great training and phys. therapy info.

Also running technique can vary enough that it can lend itself toward or away from stress frac/shin splints. The forward lean should come from the ankles, not from the hips/torso.

Once you have these it does take time for them to heal.

--Fargo007
 
Re: 16 yr old son w shin splints- help!!

Scotch and percocet...he's gotta start sometime
smile.gif
 
Re: 16 yr old son w shin splints- help!!

I would investigate the possible diagnosis of chronic exertional compartment syndrome. This is diagnosed easily by measuring tissue pressures before and after exercise. Persistent elevation of the tissue pressure after exercise would confirm the diagnosis. Then the option of a subcutaneous fasciotomy can cure the condition.
An academic sports medicine center physician could do this.

http://ajs.sagepub.com/content/16/3/224.short
 
Re: 16 yr old son w shin splints- help!!

Could be from over training. Half our baseball team took pain killers for them when I was in college. Rest was the only thing that worked. And proper running shoes...
 
Re: 16 yr old son w shin splints- help!!

I used to have them bad in High School playing basket ball. Ankles taped everyday helped little. Then an old coach told me to tape a piece of 1/4 foam or something like that under each big toe.. Worked for me... worth a try
 
Re: 16 yr old son w shin splints- help!!

I used to get them terribly when I trained for the academy. When I got there the PT instructors gave us a list of sneakers that had "motion control" stability. I got a pair off the list that day, and threw orthotic soles into all my boots/uniform shoes as well. I didn't have one instance of shin splints the entire 12 weeks of PT, and we were running anywhere from 3-5 miles at a time, and then all our "moving with a purpose" all other times. I would seriously consider going to a foot doctor, and see if he needs any sort of orthotic insert. I have fallen arches, and never even thought of it until after I got there.
 
Re: 16 yr old son w shin splints- help!!

IDK but I know my kid at 15 y/o(who runs track and competes in 400 and 800) used to have problems till I took him to running store and got him properly fitted for shoes and since has not had similar problems
 
Re: 16 yr old son w shin splints- help!!

He needs to take some time off. Start taking calcium and Vit D supplements and get him fitted for the proper type of running shoe for his feet.

Hope it gets better 16 is too young to be hurting.
 
Re: 16 yr old son w shin splints- help!!

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: normbal</div><div class="ubbcode-body">ARP wave therapy is a "new" form of an old trick in the alternative healing basket.

Decades ago is was known as Kirlian energy or Orgone Therapy (Wilhelm Reich), lots of people have produced gadgets like these including UV emitters and snake oil salesmen have pushed these devices on an unsuspecting, uneducated, suffering public willing to try anything to get better.

Thing to keep in mind is the capacity for the human body to heal and the ability of the mind to convince itself that one type of treatment is effective when another isn't.

Pseudo-therapists like some naturopaths, acupuncturists, homeopaths and herbalists take advantage of people's willingness to believe that someone else is pushing the healing train while it's already on the tracks heading in the right direction.

This isn't a blanket condemnation of "alternate" healing methodologies. I've witnessed christian healing by laying on of hands. I've been practicing medicine for 20 years (Family practice, anesthesiology, occupational medicine, aviation medicine, ER and urgent care) and there are a lot of ways of getting things done. Someone will always have the latest and greatest anectdotal treatment for sale at an unbelievably low low price of some money down and weekly payments.

Look into physical therapists doing "dry needling." A form of "acupuncture" that has scientific basis behind it. It works. </div></div>

uhhhh...I don't know what kind of ARP wave you've heard of using, but comparing it to Orgone and Kirlian Energies is not accurate. Might I ask what your understanding of ARP Wave treatment is, and how is it similar to Orgone/Kirlian Energies? Thank you in advance for your response.
 
Re: 16 yr old son w shin splints- help!!

I had shin splints for a while too....it just takes time to get over it

run 2-3 times a week instead, and don't do more than 6-8 miles
 
Re: 16 yr old son w shin splints- help!!

I had shin splints in high school while running track/cross country and my coach would tape my legs(pretty tight) and that seemed to help alot. You might want to give that a try once this flare up dies down.
 
Re: 16 yr old son w shin splints- help!!

I reccomends lots of stretching. Your son is 16 and his femurs and Tibias are growing in length faster than his tendons can stretch. Ice can help decrease the perception of pain but since he is not in any type of inflammatory response, the ice is not going to alleviate the symptoms longer than a few hours.
 
Re: 16 yr old son w shin splints- help!!

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: SmimL7</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I reccomends lots of stretching. Your son is 16 and his femurs and Tibias are growing in length faster than his tendons can stretch. Ice can help decrease the perception of pain but since he is not in any type of inflammatory response, the ice is not going to alleviate the symptoms longer than a few hours.</div></div>

Good point. Had a patient several years back, younger girl, 15 years old, who grew almost a foot in a single year. She had horrible leg pains. Did cheer, and track, and the X-ray dept. couldn't do the normal leg length study 'cause her legs were so long. Turns out she had these textbook through and through cortical stress fractures (also ordered nuc med studies and MRI later). I sent her to see ortho, ortho sent her to endocrine, endocrine sent her to a nutrition consultant, took about a year- year and a half to correct/heal. Lots of Calcium, Vit D supplements, steady low grade exercise.

She went on to college at 18, drop-dead gorgeous with Barbie-doll legs and an amazing figure (just like her mom), and it took every ounce of professional demeanor I could muster to do her first PAP/well-woman exam. There are times my profession is a curse, but sometimes it's pure hell. Doing for a living what I used to do as a hobby.
 
Re: 16 yr old son w shin splints- help!!

i had shin splints real bad
if you stretch as try to make your toes touch your ankles and the go the opposite way and hold each way for about ten seconds
do that about ten times a day that will help
 
Re: 16 yr old son w shin splints- help!!

Rest him for a week. Stretch him out before and after physical activity. Gratuitous amounts of ice and ice baths. Then stretch again.
 
Re: 16 yr old son w shin splints- help!!

I had the same thing TERRIBLE from the time I was about 12 and my body started growing like crazy. Had it almost non stop till my 2nd year of college track when we had a legit strength coach.

What fixed me was lifting with my shin muscle almost every day in the off season. Never had them again.
Never really did anything different during the season except ice A LOT, like was mentioned.

You can do a lot of research online about lifts to do with your shin muscles and it's something that is greatly ignored.
Everyone likes to look at how much you bench, but if you're shin splints keep you off the field, it won't matter. Get to smashing those odd leg muscles.
 
Re: 16 yr old son w shin splints- help!!

dont have time to read the whole thing due to work so sorry if this was said, but as my physical therapist told me after my recent acl reconstruction surgury, "you may be out four 9 months to a year but its better than the rest of your life."
 
Re: 16 yr old son w shin splints- help!!

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: s.i.t.</div><div class="ubbcode-body">dont have time to read the whole thing due to work so sorry if this was said, but as my physical therapist told me after my recent acl reconstruction surgury, "you may be out four 9 months to a year but its better than the rest of your life." </div></div>

this sounds like the advice to take to heart - I worked a career in construction, lots of guys were living with sports injuries from HS/ early college that left them F'ed for life -------- it is probably time to step up and BE THE PARENT kids just do not have the judgement to stop the sport that may be causing permanent problems
 
Re: 16 yr old son w shin splints- help!!

We saw an ortho Dr at the premier facility in our area (he played college ball too), who said would not do any damage by playing, as long as he was ok w the pain.
We have a good icing routine we've gotten into.
He's no longer playing defense, sitting out conditioning during practice, which is allowing him to play ~80%.
Averaging over 20 yards per catch, gutting it out, killing people on downfield blocks.
 
Re: 16 yr old son w shin splints- help!!

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Seuss</div><div class="ubbcode-body">We saw an ortho Dr at the premier facility in our area (he played college ball too), who said would not do any damage by playing, as long as he was ok w the pain.
We have a good icing routine we've gotten into.
He's no longer playing defense, sitting out conditioning during practice, which is allowing him to play ~80%.
Averaging over 20 yards per catch, gutting it out, killing people on downfield blocks.
</div></div>

Dang - your doc sounds like my old med. school study buddy Brian Bixler - if it is tell him I said hello 'cause I know he wouldn't have gotten that ortho residency without me.
 
Re: 16 yr old son w shin splints- help!!

I had them bad when running track in high school. They got worse in the military, and did a lot of extreme training without proper healing till I stress fractured both legs and couldn't even walk. Lots of folks have echoed the results above, and the stretching/healing/resting advice is right on.

Hopefully what you can take away from my experience is 3 things I was told (actually ordered) to try that helped my shin splints go away permanently in a few months after 8+ years of trying to fight through them. AFTER appropriate treatment/healing/resting I was able to resume training again, and followed these 3 recommendations religiously.

1) Get running shoes 2 sets at a time. alternate them so they dry and resume their elasticity. It also lets your feet bang into something minutely different on alternate days.

2) More swimming, less running. Won't help on football field; but alternating swims instead of conditioning runs will reduce the damage from the impacts. I was doing lots of swims with and without fins. The fins at lots of stress, so don't start that way; but build up to them - will make for strong shins.

3) Take up roller blading. Our OIC had us play a ton of roller hockey as therapy after work - it was great cardio; plus killer for strenghtening shin and calf muscles. Didn't believe it when I was told to do this but it was really important to my recovery.

Once I got back into running after a few months of the swimming/roller blading, I worked back up to long mileage, speed drills, ruck runs, etc. Never had shin splints again.
 
Re: 16 yr old son w shin splints- help!!

Hello,

When I was in training (AIT after basic), a lot of us were going to Airborne School afterwards. The drill sergeants made us run in the fast group which typically ran ~4 miles at a good clip. I developed shin splints so bad that I could hardly walk.

Rightly or wrongly I felt I couldn't go to sick call and get a profile if I wanted to continue training and not be held back.

A guy in training with me had played college football and advised me to put some muscle rub on my shins and wrap them in a V pulling up on my shin muscle. This REALLY helped me to continue training even with the running. My legs seemed to be healed before starting Airborne School and I have never had problems from shin splints since.

I am not saying this is the right solution for your son but it definitely helped me and probably was key in me being able to finish training. I saw a lot of guys on profile for shin splints walking around in running shoes instead of boots who would get better but have problems again once they started back running.

Sim
 
Re: 16 yr old son w shin splints- help!!

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: SmimL7</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I reccomends lots of stretching. Your son is 16 and his femurs and Tibias are growing in length faster than his tendons can stretch. Ice can help decrease the perception of pain but since he is not in any type of inflammatory response, the ice is not going to alleviate the symptoms longer than a few hours. </div></div>

Yep. I battled splints back in the basketball days. Only thing that kept them from coming back was a stretch I learned from a coach.

basically a wide stance bent over hamstring stretch with toes pointed in. Sounds silly, but really stretches the shins well. Never really had an issue with them once I implemented this prior and post workouts.
 
Re: 16 yr old son w shin splints- help!!

Post season update, Mini battled through the pain all year, and lo and behold was named all County as a junior.
He's so passionate about football (sarcasm) that he forgot to tell me.
Going to try throwing the javelin this spring, then hoping for him to be playing both ways next fall.
 
Re: 16 yr old son w shin splints- help!!

I was a NASM certified personal trainer for four years and played D1 lacrosse for 4 years in college and never had the displeasure of dealing with shin splints.

I'm happy to hear that he toughed it out through the season however he'll probably do even better next year. These are not "recommendations" but they are what I used to do...follow at your/his own risk...

Walked/stood on heels (toes raised) for 2-3 sets x 5 mins daily. If became sore, iced, rested 2 days. Eventually was able to do daily no problem. Shortened/lengthened duration if necessary.

Balanced on one leg (stabilization exercises) strengthened ankles and the muscles supporting them. To make harder, closed eyes, squatted and held. Kept even on both legs.

I hope he has a great year next year. Best of luck.
 
I had shin splints, the only thing that worked for me as a period of abstinence. After a month refrain I slowly worked back into running but never ran on any hard surfaces. Grass only. Taking it slow and gradual worked.
 
Soak in ice, and the common misconception that rest gets rid of shin splints is false all it is is from that muscle not being used its sore, rest for a little but not long or itll keep happening over and over fight through the pain
 
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