Topic: Shin Splints

[Kauri]

Dec 16, 2010
2:30ish
Oct 30, 1990 (20yrs old)
Corey Lavelle
Bowling Green, KY
About 6 months
Roughly 8-10hrs
In the past I did Tae Kwon Do, not as of late though
WKU
Dry, day light, cold
I was doing a Lazy Vault over this wall with about a 6ft drop on the other side
I was the only one there at the time
Right Shin. With the fall it was about a 7 on the pain scale
I did not see a Dr., no
No X-rays or MRI's

Notes: I've had splints in the past, but have worked to keep them from spiking up. This day though, with the cold, I didn't warm up as much as I should have I suppose and when I landed from that drop, BAM! it hit and I couldn't move that leg for a few seconds.

[Steven Low]

Why are you taking drops? Drops are NOTTTT PK/FR.

Also, see the injury forum for stuff on shinsplints

[Kauri]

If it gets me from point A to point B faster, then yes, taking a fall like that would be part of Parkour, so sorry, but you're wrong about that.

And sorry again, but you're in the wrong area to be telling me stuff. This is the REPORT area, not discussion area. I had noted that I've had shinsplints before and knew what I did wrong.

For future reference, make sure you read the whole thing before you comment on somones post.

[Steven Low]

lol, ok, good luck.

[MThomasfreerun]

lol, ok, good luck.

Gotta be honest, here, the OP is right about parkour and drops.  While parkour may not be "about" drops, drops are certainly on the menu, and that's true for virtually every world class practitioner, from Bell and Foucan all the way to Ilabaca and so on. This type of blanket statement is both inaccurate and curtailing to safe practicing. Instead of asking why he's taking drops, maybe suggest the preparatory conditioning and training so that he can do them as safely as possible.

@Kauri - while this IS a reporting area, I don't think Steven was out of line to suggest a place to get some more info. Maybe it was unsolicited, but it wasn't in bad taste. Chill out a bit.

[Steven Low]

Gotta be honest, here, the OP is right about parkour and drops.  While parkour may not be "about" drops, drops are certainly on the menu, and that's true for virtually every world class practitioner, from Bell and Foucan all the way to Ilabaca and so on. This type of blanket statement is both inaccurate and curtailing to safe practicing. Instead of asking why he's taking drops, maybe suggest the preparatory conditioning and training so that he can do them as safely as possible.

@Kauri - while this IS a reporting area, I don't think Steven was out of line to suggest a place to get some more info. Maybe it was unsolicited, but it wasn't in bad taste. Chill out a bit.

Strongly strongly disagree. They do irrepairable harm to the body, as do all elite level athletics.

Safe practicing is what we are all about here. If you mean to suggest otherwise then have at it, but I cannot condone such actions.

[MThomasfreerun]

Condone or not, that is your choice. But don't presume to speak for the whole community, and don't be smarmy about it. It is very very clear that many professional runners disagree with you. I'm not commenting on your interpretation of the injury or your general advice on health and fitness, but making comments about what parkour "is and isn't" about puts you in a class with others who have much more knowledge, experience, and expertise than you.

At the very least, couch your opinions as such, and not as ridicule.

Curiosity: What's your response to the OP's statement re: most efficient path from A to B? If I'm running for my life, a 6' drop may become the best option.

[Kauri]

Thank you. I agree with MThomasfreerun.

My reply to what he had said would have been "ok, good luck to you too". I just felt like dropping it cause he does not share the same thoughts I do on how practice Parkour.

If I was running for my life I'd gladly take a 10ft drop if nessary, any more than that I'd try and find another way down though. I wouldn't feel safe falling that far.

[Steven Low]

Condone or not, that is your choice. But don't presume to speak for the whole community, and don't be smarmy about it. It is very very clear that many professional runners disagree with you. I'm not commenting on your interpretation of the injury or your general advice on health and fitness, but making comments about what parkour "is and isn't" about puts you in a class with others who have much more knowledge, experience, and expertise than you.

At the very least, couch your opinions as such, and not as ridicule.

Curiosity: What's your response to the OP's statement re: most efficient path from A to B? If I'm running for my life, a 6' drop may become the best option.

Speak for yourself.

The very simple fact that drops are damaging his body to the point that he has to make a post in the injury forums about it is enough reasons to show that he is not in any way ready for such drops even if others are.

"The fastest route from A to B" is only one specific definition of Parkour, and I am not in any way going to debate the merits of such as statement as this is not the case. Take it up in the general forum if you want.

If you are going to train recklessly you're only going to do limited amounts of A to B before your body breaks down. So have at it if that's what you want. You can think all you want that you're training for whatever or whoever in the "true spirit" of Parkour, but that doesn't mean that you'll be able to do it for a long time which is what most people want to make Parkour (e.g. a lifestyle).

Thank you. I agree with MThomasfreerun.

My reply to what he had said would have been "ok, good luck to you too". I just felt like dropping it cause he does not share the same thoughts I do on how practice Parkour.

If I was running for my life I'd gladly take a 10ft drop if nessary, any more than that I'd try and find another way down though. I wouldn't feel safe falling that far.

The difference is we are not discussing life or death situations. We are discussing training.

There are ways to train safely and effectively and not risk injury, and still be ready to take drops safely IF there was a life or death situation.


If so you so desire I wil move this thread to the general forum so that it will be more exposed and people can debate the merits of such activities. It's up to you.

[MThomasfreerun]

Certainly not my point - and I don't think the intent was ever to have this thread become more than just an injury report and a helpful nudge toward some information elsewhere (which I gave you credit for previously). But you have made a DEFINITIVE statement:

Why are you taking drops? Drops are NOTTTT PK/FR.

 

So YOU have taken this thread to a place that it wasn't designed to go, and invited comment in rebuttal. I'm curious - what are your qualifications that make you believe you have more knowledge, experience, and expertise on parkour? It seems unlikely you've got anything on the people who founded it. I know you're the health guru on here, and I respect your education and study, but that's related to injury and biomedical fields (correct me if I'm wrong). Studying health science doesn't mean you know a THING about parkour philosophy. Now maybe you have background in that too (based on your tenure on APK it seems likely) but even with 10 years of background (I'm taking a liberal stab) you are still a decade or so shy of Belle and Foucan.

The very simple fact that drops are damaging his body to the point that he has to make a post in the injury forums about it is enough reasons to show that he is not in any way ready for such drops even if others are.

I never questioned whether the OP was ready for these kinds of drops, and I agree with you that based on his report he doesn't seem to be. You made a general statement about parkour which is what I was responding to. Also, you have admitted in this sentence that some people CAN be ready for it, which seems to undermine many of your arguments.

Furthermore, as an apparently well educated person you should easily be able to discern the difference between opinion and fact. Your OPINION of what constitutes parkour is just one of the many - a variety that causes thousand-comment posts all across this forum. So I speak for myself, and I speak regarding you.

Lastly, as a moderator on this forum you should also know how to speak to posters without being smug or insulting. I expected more out of you. Perhaps that was my failing.

[Joe Brock]

Not to jump into this as an argument, but you have to train and play safe or you can't play anymore.  I am perhaps getting old, so these things are a way bigger deal to me.  It's not worth a training injury to overtrain.  It actually sets the progress backwards.  Hopefully, the pain is enough of a lesson, and you'll be a little more cautious the next time.-Joe

[MThomasfreerun]

Not to jump into this as an argument, but you have to train and play safe or you can't play anymore.  I am perhaps getting old, so these things are a way bigger deal to me.  It's not worth a training injury to overtrain.  It actually sets the progress backwards.  Hopefully, the pain is enough of a lesson, and you'll be a little more cautious the next time.-Joe

I agree completely. And as someone who's pushing 30, I'm also beginning to seriously value longevity over extremity, especially as I come off of an overuse injury that's taken a couple months to get sorted out.

[Adam McC]

If it gets me from point A to point B faster, then yes, taking a fall like that would be part of Parkour, so sorry, but you're wrong about that.

And sorry again, but you're in the wrong area to be telling me stuff. This is the REPORT area, not discussion area. I had noted that I've had shinsplints before and knew what I did wrong.

For future reference, make sure you read the whole thing before you comment on somones post.

I think, Kauri, what Steven is trying to get across to you, is the bigger picture. The definition of Parkour is one thing, and if you're interested in discussing that, there's plenty of very intelligent discussion on it in the General Board. What you'll find in a topic like that is that Parkour is far more broad and far-reaching than simple A to B efficiency. Now, I'm not saying you don't know this or are shallow in your understanding, but I'm giving you advice in relation to your health and your shin splints.

Think of A to B now in a bigger picture, a more broad spectrum. I can get from any point to any other point efficiently, yes. But how big the gap between those points will dictate my path. If I have 100 feet to go between A and B, I will sprint my heart out and clear anything in my way. If I have 10 miles, I will take an easy pace and conserve energy. If I decide to define point A as my current age, and point B as 10 years from now, then being the most efficient route between those two points is now very different. Because your body is (and has been) breaking down in small ways, your shins as an example, maybe it's time to consider a change in your training style. A change in your path. A different kind of "parkour".

That is what Steven Low was trying to say, I believe. If you want your shins to heal fully (so you can continue to practice moving from A to B), stay away from drops like that. Yeah, they'll get you from up to down quickly and efficiently, that's called gravity. But if you want a bigger, more expansive journey, you need to think longer term, hence our focus on safety and health here.

Best of luck to you during your recovery!

[Kauri]

@Steven - I'm not going to say you're wrong about dropping being dangerous, because it is. The fact remains though that while I did take the fall and get hurt does not mean I'm not ready for that. This day was cold and I had warmed up as I usually, do, it just wasn't good enough for the temp I suppose. This drop is something I've done countless times. I understand where you're commin' from though, I have not taken the drop since, I have learnt from my mistake. My shinsplints spike up more when I'm running long distances anyways, hardly ever while I'm working vaults or more Parkour related actions.

@Thomas - I'm not sure how you can determan how "ready" I am for that drop. Unless you've trained with someon you really dont know what they're ready for. I've had years of training with Martial arts, plus other sports in High School. The oldest member of my group is 31 himself, so he pounds proper practice into us like no bodies business.

I'm not going to get involved with "what Parkour is" with you two. What I said was the very basic deffinition of that it is. I've no desire to get into what it meas to us as individuals on a deeper level and how that governs how we practice.

[MThomasfreerun]

I meant no disrespect - I was taking a guess based on the situation. You are absolutely right I have no idea what your ability is without training extensively with you. Apologies for perceived slight.

I have no intention of getting into that debate. I don't think this is the place, and frankly I hate the topic in general. I was pointing out that Steven was the one who went off topic (as you originally noted).

[precisionrunner]

Honestly Kauri I wouldn't worry about it too much. Everyone gets shin splits from time to time. Heck I got it running away from a dog in converse (don't ask). Just ice it,don't do too much on it for a while, take it slow. Maybe though before you take that 6 foot drop again, practice on something slightly smaller. It sounds to me like you might be landing a smidge hard. Just food for thought.

[Kauri]

@Thomas - It's cool bro. I wasn't really offended by your comment. But with my Parkour training being less then a year I can see how you would have come to that conclusion.

I agree with you on that topic though. With people hardcore into it, it's like talking religion with some people, a real pain in the ass.

@precisionrunner - That's what I usually do when the spike, I'll ice them and run it down til it's not hurting anymore. The landing is a bit hard anyways, the way this area is set up on the other side of the wall, the ground is slanted some. Like the grass is flat for maybe two feet then it sloped down enough to mess anyone up unless they're ready for it

[precisionrunner]

Sounds tricky.
 

With people hardcore into it, it's like talking religion with some people, a real pain in the ass.

Ugh tell me about it. David Belle is not a god for goodness sakes. There are so many posts ranting about this. Pretty soon they'll be burning beginners at stake for not believing in the all powerful Belle. "Death to the non believers! Repent your sinful ways."

[Steven Low]

I stand by the drops are NOT PK/FR

99% of the time someone new comes onto the forum and they are doing drops.

Why?

They don't know why they're doing drops...... they saw someone else do it or they saw videos of people doing drops and flips off stuff.

While drops CAN be parkour, in the majority of cases where people are doing them are NOT parkour because there is no intent to train parkour as it was intended to be trained.

IF in fact you are training them because you know why you are training them and doing them safely then by all means I agree with you.

However, 99% of the time that is not the case, and I am not going to type out essays to everyone on why drops may or may not be parkour when I can easily state that "DROPS ARE NOT PK/FR" because the majority of people have no reason to be doing them.

In fact, if you havent trained extensively in strength and conditioning and good technique over 3-5+ years I don't thihnk anyone should be going over their head height for any sort of drops. However that is my opinion from an injury standpoint

[precisionrunner]

I agree that drops are almost all the time unnecessarily high impact movements but I also know that somebody training on stuff purely head height is not going to get very far. Your going to encounter a drop at some point in time. You need to know how to deal with an impact and, when possible, know how to absorb as much of the energy as possible. I mean we are training for an event which will require us to use our skills right? You might as well know how to minimize damage after drops.