The curse of all runners, shin splints can ruin a perfectly good run.  Shin splints describe a pain in the front of the shin that you might feel while running or playing sports. Shin splints are often caused by a muscle imbalance where the posterior calf muscles are very strong and short causing the front tibialis anterior muscle to be become overburdened and painful.   Basically, the back muscles of the shin or tibia are strong and are overpowering the front muscles of the shin.

If you are prone to shin splints, there are a few simple exercises that can help you by strengthening the tibialis anterior muscle so that it becomes strong enough to withstand the constant force of the posterior calf muscles. The other half of the equation involves stretching out the calf muscles so they don’t pull on the tibialis anterior muscle as much.

The first exercise to strengthen tibialis anterior is very simple and can be done while you are sitting at work. It involves sitting on a chair and tapping your toes. You will never find a simpler exercise to do, but don’t let it fool you. You will feel the burn very quickly.

Here is another easy one to strengthen tibialis anterior:

Remember that strengthening the front is not enough.  If you really want to improve you need to also stretch the back.    This next video shows two stretches for the calf muscles.  The first exercise stretches the gastrocnemius muscle and the second stretches the soleus muscle.

Here is an excellent video explaining how the medial arch of the foot works and then illustrating how that affects proper gait.

The arch of the foot is supported by muscles and ligaments and over time can start to fall as we age.  Some people have had flat feet their whole lives.  Most people will look to orthotics to support their flat feet or low arches, but a passive support like an orthotic arch does not go after the key problem: weak foot muscles and poor gait.  Strengthening these foot muscles can help to rebuild that arch without the aid of lazy footwear.  This may take a year or two to accomplish, but the benefits will last a lifetime.

The following videos show a few exercises for strengthening the medial arch of your foot:

The following video shows you the towel scrunching exercise to strengthen the general intrinsic muscles of the feet.  You might find it more challenging if instead of simply contracting and relaxing, you try to scrunch ALL of the towel into a ball

It is also important to strengthen some of your calf muscles.  The tibialis posterior and tibialis anterior muscles do the bulk of the work lifting your arch.  Strengthening them will help to support the arch.  As an added bonus, these exercises will also help with ankle stability issues.  This video shows how to strengthen the tibialis posterior muscle:

There are some good videos on strengthening the tibialis anterior muscle on this post.

Excellent video on barefoot running graphically showing heel strike patterns vs. forefoot strike patterns.

Dead Butt Syndrome is a name I haven’t heard of before reading this article.  It is a memorable name and will give some attention to an all too common condition that bodyworkers have been treating for quite some time.  Dead Butt Syndrome refers to weakness in the gluteus medius muscle in runners and specialized athletes.  The gluteus medius muscle in addition to your gluteus maximus and gluteus minimus makes up the bulk of your “butt”.  The gluteus maximus muscle is used to propel your body forward by bringing your leg backward.  The gluteus medius muscle has more of a stabilizing role, keeping your hip steady as your run, walk or stand.  The weakness in the gluteus medius muscle can lead to stabbing hip pain, pain in the knees, ankles or basically anywhere from your lower back to the tips of your toes.

A regimen of strengthening, stretching, and massage or acupuncture can help resolve this condition.