Diet & Fitness 

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Preventing shin splints

It sounds as if you’re suffering from shin splints. The pain you feel is caused by the imbalance of strength between the calves and the shin muscles (anterior tibialis). The calves exert a powerful downwards force on our feet. If they are overly tight, which can occur from a lot of activity, the shin muscles have to work even harder to lift our feet up off the ground.

In your case, you are probably pushing yourself a little too hard. Five kilometres (three miles) in 40 minutes is six and a half kilometres (four and a half miles) per hour. That’s a pretty brisk walking pace, and you’re doing it every day. Even Kenyan distance runners take some days off and have easier training sessions. Try these stretches to loosen your tight calves before and after your walk.

Calf stretches:

1. Stand at arm's length from a wall with your feet together.
2. Place both hands flat on the wall with your fingers pointing up and your arms straight.
3. Now move your feet 15 to 30 centimetres (six to 12 inches) further away from the wall.
4. Lean towards the wall while keeping your heels on the floor and your knees straight.

This move stretches the larger, upper part of your calves (gastronemus). To get a deeper stretch, bend one knee and press the opposite heel further into the floor. Try this for ten to 30 seconds and then switch to the other leg.

To stretch the lower part of your calf muscles (soleus) as well as the upper part, start with the same position. Once you’re in the initial stretch position, bend both of your knees and you'll feel the stretch move down the back of your lower leg towards your Achilles tendon. All of these moves should be done gently, without bouncing, for ten to 30 seconds up to three times per stretch.

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