Lactic acid build-up in the shins

[swede 45]

I dont know if this is a equipment related topic, so i put it in the general discussion section...

The last 10 ice sessions ive been to have resulted in me leaving before the game/practice has ended.. My shins are practically loaded with lactic acid (from the ankle to the knee), and it feels like i can not move my feet.

I have no idea what's causing the problem.. Ive tried to loose up my shinpads but with no help at all. I dont lace my skates tight and always leave the top eyelet unlaced.

I figured, my switch to vapors from tacks could be the problem. But i didn't have this problem in the beginning of the season while i was using the vapors..

Do i lace my skates to tight/loose, wrong skates, anything!

anyone?

[ThePurpleCobra 0]

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[Trooper 8]

More details needed. How long does the pain last? How have you concluded it's just LA burn? Have you been looked at by a physician? There are a myriad things that could cause this.

[Jordan 13]

The muscles in your shins (front of the lower limb) a very small, and therefore not a great place for lactic acid to pool. More likely, you have shin splints or potentially, even a small stress fracture.

You should see a doctor; they will be able to get to the bottom of it a lot better than a discussion board on the internet.

[swede 45]

The muscles in your shins (front of the lower limb) a very small, and therefore not a great place for lactic acid to pool. More likely, you have shin splints or potentially, even a small stress fracture.

You should see a doctor; they will be able to get to the bottom of it a lot better than a discussion board on the internet.

I'm not sure its lactic acid but it has the same feel as when your muscles are loaded with it and it just "burns". It's allmost like i loose feeling in the muscle on the outside of the shin.. I have a very high pain limit so i cant say it really hurts. The pain/burn goes away about an hour after i stop skating/remove the skates.

I found a topic on a similar subject (pain in the muscle on the outside etc), and in that case, the problem was caused by a very bent over skating style combined with a heel pitch.

I know i have a very forward bent skating style, and i can´t remember myself having any problems in the past while using Grafs (forward pitch).

I noticed the burn feeling a few times last year while using tacks (with prolites) but not as severe as this year when wearing vapors (ls2)

[nni 0]

how do you know its lactic acid? seriously, could you just be dehydrating yourself, could you be cutting of circulation, i dont know why you think its lactic acid.

[forbs02 20]

Have you switched positions (e.g. from forward to defense)? Sometimes if you start skating backwards a lot more your shins will get sore.

[swede 45]

how do you know its lactic acid? seriously, could you just be dehydrating yourself, could you be cutting of circulation, i dont know why you think its lactic acid.

I'm not sure it's lactic acid, But it has the same burning feeling as L.A and the muscle on the outside of the shin goes stiff and tired. Afterwards i have very big problems lifting the toes/forefoot of the ground without lifting the heel. I had the same problems when i did my militay duty and we were marching alot

I skate with my upper body bent forward alot, and combined with the somewhat negative/straight pitch of the vapors/ls2's, the laces creates a lot of preassure on the spot where the ankle bends, and It feels even more when skating backwards.

could this be the problem?

[ktang 34]

Since you switched skates, perhaps you have a new balance point / angle, and your shins (I'm assuming it's the front shin muscles) have to work more than usual for you to maintain your balance. Perhaps after your muscle memory adjusts to the new skates you won't need to use your front shin muscles as much.

[Rustpot 1]

I'm going to go with boot volume beginning to be an issue. You may have started on the vapors fine, but now that the padding in the tongue and ankle have been broken in they have less give, meaning lacing up the skates is going to cut into your foot more.

Which Grafs did you have? If you're going from 709 to Tacks to Vapors, those are pretty radical boot volume changes.

My 2 cents on it. Hope you get things figured out.

[N!! 0]

The feeling that you're experiencing sounds like fatigue of the tibialis anterior, which is the semi-thick muscle on the outside of the front of the tibia. All that you've described symptomatically points to that as the problem.

As far as what's causing it....well, that's another issue entirely. It could be something as basic as continued stress on the muscle catching up with you, which could be caused by:

1) Lacking the capillary beds to transport oxygen efficiently (common with smaller muscles)

2) Insufficient mitochondria (which fuel the muscle)

It could be that you've suffered a slight muscle tear from going too far through a range of motion.

Or it may be an equipment issue. It's entirely possible that the switching from one skate to another has messed up the insertion point of the muscle, similar to the way a cho-pat strap works.

[swede 45]

I'm going to go with boot volume beginning to be an issue. You may have started on the vapors fine, but now that the padding in the tongue and ankle have been broken in they have less give, meaning lacing up the skates is going to cut into your foot more.

Which Grafs did you have? If you're going from 709 to Tacks to Vapors, those are pretty radical boot volume changes.

My 2 cents on it. Hope you get things figured out.

i had Graf 501's and 603's.. The 501 were similar to the 705, but alot softer, while the 603's were a lower volume boot, similar to graf 704 but with more agressive forward lean.. Quite a big difference between them, but both was fine...

I see you point N!!... It's like the muscle get fatigued to early.. I read a little about "carpal tunnel syndrome" yesterday, and it's like i expirience the same thing but in my shins/ankles..

I better contac a physiotherapist..

thanks guys!

[N!! 0]

I'm going to go with boot volume beginning to be an issue. You may have started on the vapors fine, but now that the padding in the tongue and ankle have been broken in they have less give, meaning lacing up the skates is going to cut into your foot more.

Which Grafs did you have? If you're going from 709 to Tacks to Vapors, those are pretty radical boot volume changes.

My 2 cents on it. Hope you get things figured out.

i had Graf 501's and 603's.. The 501 were similar to the 705, but alot softer, while the 603's were a lower volume boot, similar to graf 704 but with more agressive forward lean.. Quite a big difference between them, but both was fine...

I see you point N!!... It's like the muscle get fatigued to early.. I read a little about "carpal tunnel syndrome" yesterday, and it's like i expirience the same thing but in my shins/ankles..

I better contac a physiotherapist..

thanks guys!

Carpal tunnel syndrome is basically an inflammation of one of numerous tendons in the carpals that impinges on the median nerve. If you've ever hit your funny bone (which is actually the ulnar nerve), you know what a neural trauma feels like. It'll have a dull to intense burning and tingling sensation and general weakness to whatever area the nerve services.

The muscle fatigue isn't anywhere near as problematic as neuropathy; if you were to touch the affected muscle when it feels weak, it would probably feel extremely hard (almost as much as the tibia itself).

What I think you're doing is going too far into the range of motion in your forward lean*. If you sit still and dorsiflex your foot (point your toes toward the ceiling), the prime mover is the tibilias anterior (the muscle in question here). If you're not used to having that in prime condition, the forward lean (especially as you push off in skating) is putting an unusual strain on the muscle. It's fatiguing much faster than the gastroc/soleus (in the calf) or the quadriceps group is. You may be able to, after skating, do 1000 reps on a jump rope, but won't be able to pick your toes up off the ground while flat-footed.

*There's nothing wrong with a nice forward lean, but if the muscle can't withstand it then you need to condition it so as to avoid the problem in the future

[swede 45]

[What I think you're doing is going too far into the range of motion in your forward lean*. If you sit still and dorsiflex your foot (point your toes toward the ceiling), the prime mover is the tibilias anterior (the muscle in question here). If you're not used to having that in prime condition, the forward lean (especially as you push off in skating) is putting an unusual strain on the muscle. It's fatiguing much faster than the gastroc/soleus (in the calf) or the quadriceps group is. You may be able to, after skating, do 1000 reps on a jump rope, but won't be able to pick your toes up off the ground while flat-footed.

*There's nothing wrong with a nice forward lean, but if the muscle can't withstand it then you need to condition it so as to avoid the problem in the future

Thanks for your help N!!.. You are probably right,

I'm starting to think it's the profile of the steele that's causing my problems... At the moment, im on stock profiled vapors (neutral/negative pitch), and i'm trying to compensate the neutral pitch by leaning more forward which stress my tribalis anterior too much..

Would you think a more forward pitch profile of the steel or heel lifts could help me get rid of the problems?

[Trooper 8]

Would you think a more forward pitch profile of the steel or heel lifts could help me get rid of the problems?

Nobody is going to be able to give you good advice on a message board!!!!!!!!!!! If you are having serious issues, see an orthopod that does sports medicine.

[Jordan 13]

Swede,

I would try the following:

1) try having the steel on the Vapors profiled to a more forward pitch; one that is similar to your Grafs.

2) if the pain persists...get to a doctor.

[swede 45]

Would you think a more forward pitch profile of the steel or heel lifts could help me get rid of the problems?

Nobody is going to be able to give you good advice on a message board!!!!!!!!!!! If you are having serious issues, see an orthopod that does sports medicine.

just to clarify!

It isn't that serious, that i need to see a doctor. I can still play. And 2:nd, the thing was, that i didn't know what was causing the problem . If it now turns out to be an equipment issue and all problems gets solved with another pitch. Then i got very much help from the board..

[Hooah4 12]

I had the same problem when I switched from Epro (Vectors) to Tuuk(Supreme). The pitch was off and my I would get shin-splints during and after skating. Pro shop put in a heel lift and that helped me tremendously.