Author Topic: My shins bones seem to be just below the skin  (Read 32345 times)

Gattopardo

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My shins bones seem to be just below the skin
« on: 16 May, 2008, 07:34:28 pm »
What can i do to build up the muscle/skin in that area.

At the moment mine are a little sore.

PaulF

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Re: My shins bones seem to be just below the skin
« Reply #1 on: 16 May, 2008, 07:42:33 pm »
Sounds like shin-splints - have you  been running recently or walking in new shoes? Or something that doesn't give teh soles of your feet much padding/support?

Torslanda

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Re: My shins bones seem to be just below the skin
« Reply #2 on: 17 May, 2008, 12:22:22 am »
What can i do to build up the muscle/skin in that area.

Not a good place for impact. That's why footie & rugby players have shinpads.

Best to not put them in a position where they will get damaged.

j
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Well that's the more blunt way of putting it but as usual he's dead right.

Gattopardo

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Re: My shins bones seem to be just below the skin
« Reply #3 on: 17 May, 2008, 01:01:21 am »
Sounds like shin-splints - have you  been running recently or walking in new shoes? Or something that doesn't give teh soles of your feet much padding/support?

Have recently been walking around Iceland, the shoes were nearing the end of their life but were amazingly soft and comfortable.

Think its time to use another pair of shoes.

PaulF

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Re: My shins bones seem to be just below the skin
« Reply #4 on: 17 May, 2008, 05:58:31 am »
Sounds like shin-splints - have you  been running recently or walking in new shoes? Or something that doesn't give teh soles of your feet much padding/support?

Have recently been walking around Iceland, the shoes were nearing the end of their life but were amazingly soft and comfortable.

Think its time to use another pair of shoes.

Could well be that the insoles were gone and weren't giving any cushioning then - my amateur 'cure' would be rest. Prevention with some decent insoles in your next pair of boots

Re: My shins bones seem to be just below the skin
« Reply #5 on: 17 May, 2008, 02:40:10 pm »
What can i do to build up the muscle/skin in that area.

At the moment mine are a little sore.

Building muscle up in front of the shin bone is achieved by, believe it or not, cycling long distances.  Or so it appears on me.

My shin bones have only ever been covered by skin.  I was amazed after my first FNRTTC (which I cycled home afterwards) to find the 160 miles had put a muscle there!   After the second time I did it that muscle was much bigger.   

Zoidburg

Re: My shins bones seem to be just below the skin
« Reply #6 on: 17 May, 2008, 02:47:15 pm »
I would ignore the term "shin splints"

It means very little and there is no clear definition of what it constitutes, it just means pain in the shins, its not a condition in its own right with a particular cause.

The pain is your muscles repairing them self and growing, if its not causing you disabilty or unbearable discomfort then it sounds like you will be just fine. If in doubt see a doctor.

Re: My shins bones seem to be just below the skin
« Reply #7 on: 17 May, 2008, 02:58:53 pm »
I think I should point out that it's normal for there to be no muscle in front of certain parts of the shinbone!  If you follow the sharp edge which runs along the middle of the front of the lower leg, you shin bone (tibia) IS covered by muscle on the outside of this line (it's mainly the tibialis anterior muscle, but it really is just bone and connective tissue to the inside of that midline, until you get to the gastrocnemius and soleus, bulging from the back.  Not easy to put into words, but I'm just wanting to say that you can't build muscle where there isn't any!

I'll try and find a picture.

Re: My shins bones seem to be just below the skin
« Reply #8 on: 17 May, 2008, 03:05:44 pm »
Here's a picture of the lower leg
showing that a large part of the tibia is not covered by muscle.  It is covered, however, by periosteum and connective tissue.

Re: My shins bones seem to be just below the skin
« Reply #9 on: 18 May, 2008, 11:31:56 am »
The only non-cyclist I've seen with a clearly defined tibialis anterior muscle was a keen fencer.  Then again that was only her right leg :P

border-rider

Re: My shins bones seem to be just below the skin
« Reply #10 on: 18 May, 2008, 11:40:02 am »
Makes sense.  I've got very muscly (or as Tuggo would have it, "fat" :)) legs from years of fixed riding and from running and there's very little over the shinbone on my legs either.  Short of increasing subcutaneous fat I'm not sure what you can do.  I can't say I've ever worried about it.

I'm with Zoidberg on the "shin splints" thing too. 

annie

Re: My shins bones seem to be just below the skin
« Reply #11 on: 18 May, 2008, 11:55:04 am »
I agree with Martin 109, you will find that the lower part of your shin bone is not covered by muscle, it is entirely normal.  Mine appears to be just under the skin, I am not worried about it though.

Re: My shins bones seem to be just below the skin
« Reply #12 on: 18 May, 2008, 12:00:47 pm »
I had severe pain in the front of my shins after a particularly hard core snowboarding trip in New Zealand. You could actually here them creak if I waggled my feet around. The doctor even flinched when he touch the shin and moved my foot!

He said it was tendonitis and made no mention of shin splints. He prescribed me some anti-inflammatories and told me to sit on my arse for a couple of weeks.

No idea if it's the same problem as the OP, but could be I suppose...
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andygates

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Re: My shins bones seem to be just below the skin
« Reply #13 on: 18 May, 2008, 01:14:22 pm »
Rapid development of muscle down there can cause some pain of its own - compartment syndrome, where you grow the muscle faster than the ligament sheath around it.  It feels like growing pains, but eventually goes away.

Ankling, and scooping the foot up in the bark-bottom quarter of the pedal stroke, build honking great tib. ant.s. :thumbsup:
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