All about Shin Splints | PERSONAL TRAINER IN BATH

A Pain in the Leg!

After last night's football game, your son complained that his shins hurt, so you iced his legs before he went to bed. His legs felt fine after a good night's sleep and you sent him off to school this morning with a kiss and soccer practice clothes in his backpack. Now he's calling and saying that his legs hurt again. Could it be something more than simple pain?

Shin splints are a common injury among athletes - especially runners, sprinters, figure skaters, and gymnasts. The term "shin splints" refers to pain felt in the shinbone or tibia (the large bone in the front of your lower leg) after an athlete has run or "pounded the ground" for a period of time. This force of impact can sometimes cause the muscles around the tibia to tighten, pull, or become inflamed, which leads to pain. Shin splints often respond well to home treatment, but if the pain continues, it's a good idea to have a medical professional check it out just to be sure it's not a stress fracture in your shinbone or another serious condition.

Symptoms of Shin Splints

The most common symptoms of shin splints include:

•                Tenderness, soreness, or pain along the inner part of your leg

•                Mild swelling

•                Pain that worsens when you run or participate in other weight-bearing exercise

•                Discomfort in your lower leg that lingers even after you've stopped exercising

These symptoms are most likely to occur after you've been running downhill, on a slanted or tilted surface, or engaging in sports like basketball or tennis that require frequent starts and stops. You may also experience shin splints if you're running in worn out footwear, which offer less support for your feet.

Treating Shin Splints at Home

The good news about shin splints is that you can treat the condition at home in most cases. If you or a loved one is experiencing shin splints, try these remedies to relieve your pain.

•                Rest. Most of the time, your legs just need time to recover after high-impact activities like running. However, don't give up totally on exercise while you're resting your legs. Try lower-impact sports like swimming or bicycling.

•                Ice. Icing your legs can help relieve pain caused by shin splints. Just apply an icepack wrapped in a towel (to protect your skin) for about 20 minutes up to four times a day.

•                Reduce swelling. If your legs swell when you get shin splints, try elevating your legs above the level of your heart (especially at night).

•                Take non-prescription pain relievers. Several pain relievers, including ibuprofen, naproxen, and aspirin can help to relieve pain and inflammation.

•                Wear the right shoes. If you think your shoes are causing shin splints, try buying a new pair of athletic shoes. If your foot shape is hard to shop for, ask your physician for tips on what kind of shoe to purchase.

•                Consider arch supports. Arch supports can drastically reduce your risk of shin splints. You can buy off-the-shelf arch supports that can immediately be fitted into your shoe or you can get custom-made arch supports.

Remember, it's important to avoid overdoing it when you get shin splints. Take a break from your exercise and recover before gradually working back to your previous athletic level.

3 Tips to Prevent Shin Splints

Rather run past shin splints? Here are a few tips to stop the pain in your shins before it ever starts.

Tip #1: Keep up with your shoes. Your footwear is a very important part of preventing shin splints - especially if you're a runner. Replace your shoes as soon as they begin to get old, usually about every 350 to 500 miles of wear.

Tip #2: Lessen the impact. Instead of running or exclusively participating in high-impact activities, try cross-training with exercises that are easier on the legs, such as swimming or walking.

Tip #3: Add strength training to your routine. Strengthening your shins is key. Try slowly rising up on your toes while you're standing and then slowly lowering your heels to the floor. Repeat 10 times. If this exercise gets easy, try holding weights in your hands as you perform the exercise.

Pack in the Smokes - A Guide by PERSONAL TRAINER IN BATH

Here's how.

It started with a single cigarette 10, 20, 30 years ago. What began as an innocent gesture, a way to fit in, has turned into decades of addiction. Now you've tried every quit trick in the book without any success. But don't give up. You're about to make a change that will give your lungs a breath of fresh air and your life a boost of energy you never knew was possible. That's right - you're going to quit.

Why Now?

Ask anyone who quit smoking how they made the change, and you'll hear the same thing: "I was ready." If you're finally willing and ready to kick the habit, you will be able to do it, even though it seems impossible. However, if you're still unsure about quitting or are only going to try because a family member or friend keeps prodding you to give up cigarettes, you should probably know that you're going to fail. Yes, it is vitally important to have the support of loved ones when attempting to stop, but if your heart isn't in it, your attempt will not be successful.

So before you decide to quit smoking, ask yourself whether you actually want to quit or you're just going to give it another shot. There will be hard times of temptation and a seeming incapacity to avoid the next drag, so you have to be mentally prepared for the challenges. Once you're sure you want to quit, keep reading to find out how to make it happen.

How Now?

As mentioned before, having a good support system while you are quitting is essential. Once you've got that in place, it's time to get down to work. The first step is easy. You have to determine how you want to quit. The second step isn't so easy. You have to follow through with your chosen path. Here are a few ways available to help you quit smoking.

Cold Turkey - Loved by those who find success and hated by those who don't, quitting cold turkey requires a smoker to put down a cigarette one day and never pick another one up again. Many who quit cold turkey pick up another habit to feed their need for putting things in their mouths. (Example: eating Tootsie Rolls, carrots, or other long, thin foods.)

The Patch - After a strong introduction to the general public and decent results, nicotine patches have proven their value to those truly dedicated to stopping their cigarette habit. However, as the patch gives a dose of nicotine to the patch wearer, it actually feeds the nicotine craving, causing some to become addicted to the patch as a result.

Alternative Therapies - For smokers looking for a novel way to move beyond smoking, there are now a number of alternative therapies available. From acupuncture and aromatherapy to meditation and even hypnosis, there is a therapy available to meet every smoker's specific needs and wants.

Medication - Thanks to ongoing research, physicians can offer multiple medications to help you stop smoking. Regardless of which medication is chosen, the best results are found when the medication taker remains in close contact and counsel with health professionals who understand what it takes to stop smoking for good.

So Much Better

When you make the choice to stop smoking, your body begins to recover almost immediately. In a few years, it's almost as if you never smoked at all. Here is a quick rundown of how kicking the habit will benefit your body.

20 minutes later, your heart rate drops.


12 hours later, your body's carbon monoxide levels become normal.


2 weeks to 3 months later, your risk of a heart attack drops and your lungs begin working better.


1 to 9 months later, your lungs begin functioning better, your risk of lung infection decreases, and you don't cough or suffer from shortness of breath as often.


1 year later, your risk of suffering heart disease drops to 50 percent of a smoker's.


5 years later, you have the same likelihood of suffering a stroke as someone who never smoked.


10 years later, your risk for a variety of cancers decreases, and your risk of dying from lung cancer is 50 percent the risk of a smoker.