shin pain

[idgie]

greetings. I have a question that I hope somebody can help me with. I am a new student in Kung Fu. As part of our training, we do jumping kicks. Nothing fancy, no spins or turns or kicking behind us. We just jump, kick, then land.
My problem is, after a few weeks of this, I am experiencing pain in my shins after a workout that includes these kicks. It's not a muscle pain, it feels more like they would feel if they were bruised along their full length. And of course, the pain is worse if I jump or run.
Does anyone know what this is, and what I can do to prevent it ?

 

[Cthulhu]

Sounds like shin splints...damage to mucles and tendons that attach to your 'shin bone' (tibia).

Unfortunately, the best way to heal this - and prevent recurrence - is rest. Further jump kicks and the like will only make it worse and won't let the injury heal.

Explain the injury to the instructor and see if he/she will allow you to do normal kicks rather than jump kicks. Also, after the injury begins to heal, make sure you get an adequate warm-up before class (actually, always make sure you get an adequate warm-up!). You may also want to look into taping the arch of your foot...this seems to have good results for a lot of athletes.

One more thing, if you have a jogging/running program, either lay off of it for a bit or at least cut the mileage down considerably.

Bear in mind that I'm not a doctor or nurse or qualified in any way to dispense medical advice. Your best bet is to first consult your family physician, and/or see if said physician could recommend you to a sports doctor of some kind.

Good luck,

Cthulhu

 

[karatekid1975]

When I first started MA, I had shin and foot pain from doing jump kicks. But there wasn't anything seriously wrong with me. I was just sore. My body wasn't used to doing this sort of thing. I was also over weight (by 25 pounds). What I did was limit my jump kicks to very few a night, then increased it as the soreness lifted. I also dropped weight (without trying), because of the work-outs of class (4 days a week). You should get it checked out just to be safe. But you might find out that it's just your body "recovering" from something it's not used to. As you train, your body will get used to it.

 

[idgie]

thank you both for the replies.
I had heard of shin splints, but I was never sure exactly what they were. I had always associated that condition with runners/joggers, neither of which I've ever been. After reading Cthulhu's reply, I did some research on shin splints, and my symptoms match what I read. I took some advice and applied ice for a few minutes which greatly helped. I always rest 1 or 2 days between including these kicks in my workout, and I will now include ice therapy and ibuprofen (to reduce swelling) as a part of my routine. I will see how this works. I wanted to catch this before it became something serious. I am very serious about martial arts, and the last thing I want is to be sidelined by something I could have prevented.

Thanks again,
idgie

 

[Cthulhu]

In addition to your planned course of action, I strongly suggest laying off the jump kicks for awhile. Shin splints are notoriously hard to get rid of and often recur. Continuing to do jump kicks before you're completely recovered can't be good.

Cthulhu

 

[Nightingale]

a good rule of thumb:

if pain persists for more than a week, go to the doctor for a definite diagnosis. it may be exactly what you think, or it may be something more serious. better to have it checked out and diagnosed than possibly seriously damage yourself because you're treating an injury wrong.

 

[ZenYuchia]

I used to run cross country and I had a problem with shin splints. My coach recomended walking around on my heels before we started running I tried it and it never bothered me again. But i think i had a mild case and it may not work since the impact absorbed on a jump kick is greater than on a foot fall when running. But then again Do a good number of jumping kicks but my shins have never bothered me with the possible exception of the butterfly kick whos landing i find somewhat stressful on the first leg.

-Dave

 

[theneuhauser]

But then again Do a good number of jumping kicks but my shins have never bothered me with the possible exception of the butterfly kick whos landing i find somewhat stressful on the first leg.

you must get some huge air on a butterfly kick if youre hurting on the landing!:boing1:

cthulhu said taping the arches is good, i agree, good shoes for your arches is also good. i think that the cheapo black "kung fu shoes" are pretty bad if comfort is your intention.