Yin and Shin splints

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yogapug
Posts: 1
Joined: Tue Apr 13, 2010 5:45 am
Location: Toronto

Yin and Shin splints

Post by yogapug »

I have a student who is recovering from "Shin splints" as a result of years of running. The tibia has been compressed and muscles weakened.
She enjoyed ankle stretch but is looking for other poses that will help improve the health of the lower leg
Larry St. Aubin, RYT200
Yoga Teacher, Pug Rescuer, Computer Tester
Bernie
Posts: 1293
Joined: Sat Sep 23, 2006 2:25 am
Location: Vancouver

Shin Splints

Post by Bernie »

If your student has frequent bouts of shin splints then I would suggest she look at the cause as well as treatment for the current episode. She may even want to check with her health care professional to make sure she hasn't actually created any stress fractures in the tibia. There are many possible causes of shin splits and many problems seem to be shin splints but may be something else. Classically, shin splints is caused by inflammation of the front of the tibia, and is most often caused by over-use of this area.

Running (unless you have trained yourself to be a barefoot runner, which many people are now doing) creates a lot of stress on the front of the shins due to the constant flexion of the ankles. To stabilize this area requires strengthening of the flexor muscles in all 4 directions: dorsiflexion, plantarflexion, pronation and supination. Yin Yoga is not a practice that will strengthen the muscles but there are several exercises that can help. A great web resource that describes these exercises and ways to reduce the symptoms from shin splints is here.

A nice mild practice that can help mobilize lower body energy is called the pawanmuktasanas. You may want to show your student the lower body exericses. Finally, since the pain from shin splints is caused by inflammation, a safe and cheap (ie: free!) way to manage inflammation is through earthing. I described earthing in this newsletter. I hope this helps!

Cheers
Bernie
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