I was out for a run this morning. Carrying a backpack. (Because, why not?) As I ran I was feeling what I think of as, "shin splints".
Real shin splints? Not sure. Just sore muscles at the front of my shins. The soreness was annoying and getting worse.
Why?
Well, I had a theory: My feet were loose in my shoes. This -- indirectly -- caused the muscles along the front of my shins to ache. Why?! I'll explain later...
I had no clear proof of cause and effect. So I tried a practical experiment. I tightened my shoelaces.
Not immediately... When I wear the backpack, reaching my shoe laces is likely to make me fall over :-) So I ran on -- shins hurting more and more -- to a seat. I put my feet up and tightened the laces.
Not all of the laces...
I use two sets of laces on each shoe. There's a lace near the toes, to hold my foot firmly in the shoe. Tight near the toes, so the foot is held firmly against the back of the shoe. There's a separate lace near the ankle, to stop the shoe flopping up and down. I tightened the front laces, to hold my feet more firmly in my shoes.
And it worked.
As I continued my run, the "shin splints" faded. By the end, there was no pain at all.
Why is it so?! Here's my reasoning:
I started the run with my shoes very slightly loose. Not enough for me to consciously notice. Just enough for me to unconsciously react -- my feet tensed, to stop the shoes from slipping.
As my feet tensed, my running style changed. Tensing my feet caused tension in the ankles -- and further up my legs.
To stop the slipping of my shoes -- which was so slight that I could not guarantee that it was happening -- my ankles were tensing, trying to not move. Holding my ankles at a constant angle was holding my shoes at a fixed fit on my feet. Holding my ankles fixed was also upsetting my stride... and causing my legs to tense, in unnatural positions.
I did know that my shoes were just a little bit looser than usual. Consciously, I did not notice that my feet and ankles were reacting to the slight slippage that this caused. The unconscious reaction was causing unnatural tension in muscles and joints, all the way up my legs. The effect was felt -- immediately -- in my shin muscles.
There are two morals to this story:
1. Tighten my shoelaces enough to prevent slippage of my feet in my shoes.
2. Be aware of any aches and pains -- so that the cause can be identified and removed.
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Dr Nick Lethbridge / Agamedes Consulting
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"You can learn something new every day, if you're not careful." -- per Ginger Meggs
