Post exercise tip for shin splint pain

This isn’t really one tip… but more like two for the price of one.

Both of these tips were featured in the April edition of RunnersWorld (the UK edition) – but I’ve found that they work really well together.

The first article talked about research that’s been carried out in New Zealand around the benefits of having a sauna after exercise. Full details of the study can be found here, but to summarise, it was found that the heat experienced in the sauna raised the subjects blood plasma levels, which in turn meant that their blood could get more oxygen to their muscles, resulting in an increased effectiveness of the recovery period.

The second article looked at using myofascial release massage to help relieve the pain caused by shin splints. This is basically a manual massage aimed at stretching and releasing tension in the connective tissue that covers and connects the muscles, organs and bones in our bodies.

To carry out myofascial release massage for shin splints simply push down with your thumb in the groove between your shin and the muscle next to it, and then work down to your ankle and back again. Also work on both sides of the shin.

Now, if like me you get very bored very quickly in the sauna, this is the ideal opportunity to kill two birds with one stone. You can get the benefits of a relaxing, blood volume increasing sauna, whilst also having an easier myofascial release massage due to the sweat build up on your legs! I’m no scientist, but I’m sure 1 plus 1 in this instance must be more than 2!