Self-Healing: Shin Splints

This is part of a series of postings on self-healing, which you can access via the "Self-Healing" tag which appears in the Slog’s left margin below "Popular Entries". For general tips and background on self-healing, read this.


I am the king of shin splints. They feel like torture, and no one seems to have a solution. After being plagued for years, the following completely fixed the problem. Nothing else works...I know, I've tried!

There's a yoga pose called Hero's Pose (that's it, above), and if you practice it before you run, you won't get shin splints. The problem is that most non-yogis (and even some yogis) have trouble doing it (the physical issues that make it tough are the very same ones that produce the shin splints). But there are modifications to make it more approachable.

Here are tips for the 99% of us who can't do the full pose. There's a good chance you'll need more than the single yoga block used in that article's photos. I'd suggest you order two right now.

Even if you resort to blocks and other tricks, you'll still feel a certain amount of discomfort (that's how you know it's working!). I have a kooky trick to offer: visualize steam vents at the outer corners of your knees, and let angry hot steam puff out of those imaginary vents. It helps!

Note: once you eventually remove the blocks and bring your hips right to the floor, people may warn you that this position is harmful to your knees. But as long as your feet are in proper alignment, with toes pointing backwards and soles facing directly upward, you will be fine. Though it's always a good idea to check your form with a yoga instructor (Iyengar yoga teachers are the most rigorously trained in form and alignment).

I follow this with a quick downward-facing dog or by simply straightening my legs and extending my achilles tendons.

There's a sizable industry around prescribing yoga poses for physical ailments, but two of the best - Hero's Pose for shin splints and Triangle Pose for knee pain - are only rarely mentioned. But now you know!