[gymrat dani]

Hello i usually work out 5x a week for 1-2 hrs at a time, i do a cardio class and some weight training. i have been having a lot of shin pain lately and have not been able to wo like i usually do. i went to the orthopedic and she said that it is probally a stress fracture and i need to do a leg scan.
she has ordered me not to work out at all.
i`m so going out of my mind over this because first of all i truly love to exercise it really is just a huge part of my life and i`m miserable if i don`t, i love 78 lbs and i`m 2lbs away of finally reaching onederland.
also with the holiday`s here and the extra eating i was hoping to maintain with the exercise. now i don`t know what i`m going to do.

i would greatly appreciate any advice, recomendations or anything from anyone who has had any experience with this or knows someone who has..
thanks.
danielle

[RobertW]

So it isn't just shin splints?

Well there is no reason you can't keep working your upperbody, dieting and maybe even doing some swimming while you heal up. You should be able to easily lose that last two pounds if you focus on it, even with the injury.

Good luck with your training, and Merry Christmas!

[WaterRat]

Yes, and I'd ask about the too. Wouldn't put a lot of weight on your leg. Don't let this get you down! Good luck.

[gymrat dani]

merry christmas to you too robert.
i`m trying hard not to let this get me down but it`s very hard. it`s like i took my addiction from food and now have an addiction to exercising.
i know it`s a better addiction but i guess having an addiction is bad.

i`m really going to try my hardest tonite and tomorrow since i will be with my awesome italian cooking family and then really getting my but in gear on the 26th.. thanks. happy holiday`s.

[RobertW]

There are certainly worse vices.

We all have to train around injuries at some point or another. As long as you keep dieting and training you will be fine.

[SmartButt]

I thought I'd post this into this thread since it mentioned shin splints, I didn't want to bog anything down with a brand new thread just for lil ol' me.

I've just recently started a circuit training program (Jillian Michael's DVDs) and she starts out very early in the video doing a step-plyo. In case that isn't a common term (and i have no idea if it is), basically you have one foot up on a step and the other foot off of it, then you jump up and land with the other foot on the step and the other one off of it. I think she does them 30 times.

Anywho, my problem is that I feel like I'm getting shin splints as soon as I start this part of the exercise routine. I know that putting your weight on your toes isn't good, but I'm not sure how else you'd do this! Obviously I can't put my whole foot on and off the step or I'd slam down so hard I'd probably fall over. I'm not sure how I'd balance on my whole foot or heel, either.

Does anyone have any familiarity with this issue and this particular type of exercise? Any advice would be appreciated.

thanks!

[Mel]

One of the keys to doing any plyo exercise without injury is to land very softly and absorb the impact by bending your knee as you land. I explain it to my clients as the "cat leaping onto a mantle" idea. Also, you don't want to start your routine with a plyometric exercise. Yes, you'll get warmed-up in a hurry, but one of the functions of a warmup exercise is to get enough synovial fluid into the joints to lubricate and cushion them. If this is one of the first exercises, I'd suggest doing some step-ups onto that step and some body weight squats before you turn on the dvd.

What do you mean that you immediately feel shin splints? Could it be that you just aren't warmed up and you need to do a more gentle exercise first, or to stretch your calf muscles before starting?

Mel

[SmartButt]

In my experience with video exercises, they usually take you through a nice warm up that seems to be appropriate for whatever you're going to be doing through the workout. However, in this particular set of videos, there is no stretching at all, and the plyos start within just a few minutes (I think it's the 3rd exercise in). Sadly I'm even doing these on carpet and the step, thinking it would make the impact easier. I'm definitely bending my knees to attempt to absorb the impact better.

Let me expand on the shin splint problem. Up until about 8 years ago, when I was in my 20s, I thought that people were *supposed* to run on their toes. Whenever I'd try to get in shape by jogging I would use this method and of course immediately get pains up my shins no matter how much I'd stretched out. It wasn't until I was with a friend and they noticed and asked me what the **** I was doing that I realized I'd been really hurting myself since childhood, running this way. I was pretty darn embarassed to say the least!

I've since learned the proper way to land on your feet when you jog - but it just seems impossible to do this during step plyos, and I wind up feeling like I'm putting the most impact on my toes no matter how much I try not to.

I will try to add my own no-impact cardio warm up before and do a little stretching of the calves before doing the video and see how that works. I know it's nearly impossible to convey the visual of how I'm landing or if I'm doing something wrong, so I appreciate the input!