sugarplumsmum Posted May 10, 2015 Share Posted May 10, 2015 Hi my Dd is in L6 Tring and over the last 2 weeks developed some mild pain in her shin. Last week she finally told her teacher who told her to not do jump sections and I've started her on vitamin d & calcium tablets after researching the Internet. Last night she did a show with her "at home" dance school and now in a lot of pain, have done the ice and rest and told her to book into physio tomorrow. Question is do anyone have any tips or "old wife's tale" methods that work or can help speed recovery and prevention - I know avoid hard floors but that is impossible in an old manor house ???? thank you for any advice or link to old topic x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna C Posted May 10, 2015 Share Posted May 10, 2015 I've often wondered if the floors in Mansion are sprung, because they do seem very hard to be ballet dancing on. I must admit I assumed that when Park was built, they would only use Mansion for Tap/singing etc but when we were there for Finals there were teenagers taking Ballet in the glass walled room. Your poor dd. I would only really recommend ice and no impact for now and see what the Physio says. :-( In the meantime, I searched the forum for "shin pain" (use the inverted commas) and there are four or five threads but for some inexplicable reason my ipad is not letting me link to the results page. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peanut68 Posted May 10, 2015 Share Posted May 10, 2015 I used to suffer from shin splints when training many many years ago. Ultra sound physio helped a little. But main issue was I always walked & danced very straight legged - minimal knee bending. Even now if I 'clip clop' along at a pace as I tend to do I can get pains again. I found that by really focussing on bending knees more - especially low & slow (think chewing gum) for take off & landing of jumps really helped prevent re-occurrences. It was also aggravated by very flat shoes - recommend a slight heel always & perhaps plenty of bounce in the sole for everyday wear. Rest when you can & I also found rolling the back of my wrist up & down the shin helped ease pain/release tension. Good luck! & bend ze knees!!!!! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taxi4ballet Posted May 10, 2015 Share Posted May 10, 2015 Maybe stop pointe for a bit as well. Anna, I think the floors in the mansion are probably constructed like many old houses with wooden floors - with joists and a void below - which would act like a sprung dance floor. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tabitha Posted May 10, 2015 Share Posted May 10, 2015 My DD has had mild shin splints in the past and found that the things which make it worse are tight hamstrings and weight being too far back while dancing (don't ask me to explain that one as I don't know what it means). Hope your DD recovers. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazzpaws Posted May 10, 2015 Share Posted May 10, 2015 I'm sure the physio will guide your DD with advice about rest, the correct exercise and any issues with technique. At times like this, the benefit of a good medical insurance is appreciated. DD's friend has this condition at present and has been told exactly what she can do (including swimming) and cannot do. I'm far from being the expert, but I understand that the longer you carry on dancing through the pain, the longer things will take to heal. Good luck for tomorrow 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pas de Quatre Posted May 10, 2015 Share Posted May 10, 2015 Unfortunately rest is the only cure. Has she been trying to do too much? A full timetable at Tring plus rehearsals and the show with her "home" school strikes me as risky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david2189 Posted May 10, 2015 Share Posted May 10, 2015 (edited) I've had shin splints most of my life, the biggest mistake people make is trying to fight through them and continuing as normal, this does more damage and the shin splints will never heal this way. Anything that puts strain on the shin should be cut out for atleast 3 weeks, maybe more depending on how the shins feel at this stage. Use ice packs after exercise to bring down any swelling that would have occurred. This is a massive mistake that runners make and for some reason they think its not a problem to run with massive shin pain, this causes irreversible damage. Don't rush recovery! good luck Edited May 10, 2015 by david2189 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balletfanp Posted May 10, 2015 Share Posted May 10, 2015 I'm suffering from the same problem at the moment, although in my case it's a result of Taekwon-do as opposed to ballet! Advice given by doctor: to refrain from attending classes for at least 3-4 weeks and to rest as much as possible. Of course, complete rest is impossible (one has to walk, life must go on!) but he suggested gel insoles to help cushion the feet when walking and to absorb shock. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drdance Posted May 10, 2015 Share Posted May 10, 2015 Unfortunately the term 'shin splints' is an umbrella term which can mean various different conditions, all with different causes and managements. It could be a stress fracture, compartment syndrome, tendonitis (tibialis anterior) etc. Treatment varies from rest, physio modalities such as ultrasound, electrotherapy, soft tissue work or biomechanical assessment and intervention through strengthening exercises etc Because of the various causes and treatments, it's very important to seek advice from an experienced, qualified allied healthcare professional for any shin pain. Good luck at the physio! 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted May 10, 2015 Share Posted May 10, 2015 Other than all the good advice that's already been given, I would say to make sure she walks (when walking 'normally') in parallel - easier said than done when you're so used to having to 'turn out' - also, and this of course would be up to her teachers and physio -temporarily using dance sneakers for certain parts of ballet class. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swanprincess Posted May 10, 2015 Share Posted May 10, 2015 I agree with all of the advice given; using an ice pack wherever possible will help, also do not wear heeled shoes such as character shoes for a few weeks; I had bad shin splints a few years ago and noticed that any character work, or demi pointe in ballet really aggravated it. I hope her physio appointment goes well x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sugarplumsmum Posted May 10, 2015 Author Share Posted May 10, 2015 Thank you everyone for the fab advice have past everything on to her, I've got her the spray ice stuff so she has it at hand all the time and odd I know but told her to but vick on the soles of her feet to clear her through, another Internet tip For the dance show she only did mainly the old dances she already knew and "marked " it whilst sat down in the back of the car on way home Friday as she couldn't attend rehearsals as she was in Tring or revising , I have to admit how impressed I was at the amount of choreography she memorised and mastered with a smile on stage, ive told her she must pace herself but i may aswell be asking her to stop breathing don't understand it myself if something hurts I don't do it but dancers see pain as part of the course i think and many a time she has hidden illness and pain from me so I don't stop her, she has fainted in her teachers arms when ill after fibbing to me when I said she didn't look right then it looks like your a "pushy" mum having them in class!!! I Just dont get it but I'm sure you've all been in my shoes plenty of times. Thanks again for all your support x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drdance Posted May 11, 2015 Share Posted May 11, 2015 I personally would guard against using freeze spray as studies have shown that the cooling effect is caused by 'tricking' the skin temperature receptors into feeling cold, rather than actually cooling the tissues. There is some evidence for it relieving pain, but this is due to the stimulation of a different type of nerve rather than any effect on the damaged or inflamed tissue. It can therefore mask the pain without actually making the underlying condition any better, which in turn, could cause more damage especially if your DD continues to dance. Ice, rest etc will help reduce the pain and inflammation but only in the short term. Also, I would also advise anyone to be VERY careful of 'internet tips' and/or internet diagnosis of anything... at best the tips/advice just won't work, and at worst, they could lead to further, worse problems. Consider it this way: There are people who have trained very hard and have years of experience working as a professional just to be able to successfully diagnose and treat conditions like these. If all it took to fix the issue was a quick look online, then not only would all their years of training, CPD, practice etc be a waste, but they'd also be out of a job. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pas de Quatre Posted May 11, 2015 Share Posted May 11, 2015 I agree with DRD. I try to drum into my pupils that pain is a warning - something is wrong. If you just mask the pain and continue, whether sport or dance, you will make the damage worse, and lengthen the recovery time 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna C Posted May 11, 2015 Share Posted May 11, 2015 Absolutely. Spot on. You beat me to it regarding the freezing spray, Dr Dance. There was an interesting programme about the efficacy of certain medicines which discussed the difference between actual heat and cold - i.e. icing and hot baths, vs freeze/heat sprays. Worth watching if it's still on iplayer. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drdance Posted May 11, 2015 Share Posted May 11, 2015 I was trying to find a clip of it! I knew I'd seen it somewhere recently! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peanut68 Posted May 11, 2015 Share Posted May 11, 2015 (edited) .Most important is to see a professional practitioner - & best if they have training in/experience of treating within your sport/dance specific area. I saw a professional for this injury with mostly 'general public' focus. Good treatment but better was when seen by a Physio with experience treating ballet dancers. They assessed my own body mechanics, used specific treatments & more importantly understood how I was using my body - could identify 'bad habits' that had formed that were leading to/aggravating injury & gave advice/exercises to rectify this with lifelong beneficial results. Even 30 years later I can identify when I am getting shin splints pain again & take those steps to avoid making worse (now walking the dog mostly to blame rather than ballet!). Edited May 11, 2015 by Peanut68 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna C Posted May 11, 2015 Share Posted May 11, 2015 I was trying to find a clip of it! I knew I'd seen it somewhere recently! Was it called "The truth about Medicines" or something like that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sugarplumsmum Posted May 11, 2015 Author Share Posted May 11, 2015 I rest my case that is why I love this forum so much. I've learned so much and gained so much insight into the dancer and the dance world from all your invaluable information. Message sent to Dd to throw the spray in the bin and shall be poking my pharmacist in the eye when I see him lol x 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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