Quick solution to shinbang?

Cab3

Member
Landing backseat trying to get a few new tricks and have unbearable shinbang. Do I keep my boots loose so that they will really flex out if I bang my shins on the tongues or really snug so they will be the most form fitting?? Or any other suggestions? Really would like if my vacation wasn't soiled by shin pain.
 
keep your boots tighter. when you land back seat and your boots are too big or too lose your leg moves back and your foot stays on the snow which stretches out the protective layer in front of your shin. When that layer is thinned it causes outside forces to make more of a direct impact to the shinbone which causes pieces of bone to splint off and break.

I think I'm right about the logistics of that, but i could be wrong. All i know is that boots that fit better and are even a little on the tight side prevent shin bang.
 
This is how a friend and I survived shinbang at Mammoth last year, simply follow these steps...

1. Get really, really, REALLY drunk (its gonna hurt)

2. Find a friend

3. Bite down on a pillow

4. Take a wooden spoon and slide the handle up and down your shins with a fierce amount of pressure

5. Rub a shit ton of ben-gay on your shins and pass out
 
not full tilt, there is no boot that can prevent shin bang at least for my legs. All I do is ice like there is no tomorrow and its helps reduce it. also move your leg around into the painful positions while balancing on one foot, it should sting your shins if you have it bad enough.
 
I used to get such bad shin bang that it would almost end my season. I got a pair of hotdoggers, they are a bit tight around my feet, but my shins feel amazing. Your boots might be too big?
 
If you wanna land backseat, make sure you have boots that fit right with mid tightness, all you have to do is flex out on the tails of you're skis a little and you''ll ride away clean and after bang the shit out of whatever you just did.Otherwise just land switch.
 
foolproof.... but how do you think they avoided shin bang before twin tips were invented? I've seen some gnarly backseat landings on the aerials they used to do in the 70s.
 
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Get a heel lift. It works wonders. I was having pain in the sides of my calves, and I did a ghetto heel lift. Coiled up vans shoelaces, put them between the footbed and the liner on the heel. My heel never lifts any more, my feet are locked down, and ZERO shinbang.Might not work for you but it worked for me.
 
Its time that Bishop released a stickied thread on the demographics of NS. However for business purposes or whatever he probably can't do that.
 
I realize that the easiest way to prevent it is keeping the boots snug, but now that the damage is done, I'm looking for something so that when I land backseat I won't be in agony the rest of the day.
 
Sounds like my best option now, been hitting Loon for the past 4 days, going to some different mountains for the next 2 and have had to lay off jumps the last 2 days.
 
He's right. This is how it's done. I use a rolling pin instead of the wooden spoon, but same effect. Incredibly painful experience.
 
i have had boots ruin trips. it sucks. I had the worst pair of salomons last year when i went to JH for a few days. Anyways, i just find that making sure your boots are tight are the best way to reduce shin bang.
 
Dude u need to understand why you get shinbang. If you're landing backseat it may be shinsplints rather than shinbang (excruciating tightness down the front and side of your shins - hurts to walk long strides in normal shoes or to run on) - this is what most people end up suffering from.

What causes it:

In simple terms its over-stretching / over straining the muscles and tendons in the lower part of your leg. The most common way this happens with backseat landings is much the same as when runners get it from taking too longer strides - its massive force coming down on the back of your heel and your foot then slapping forward and pulling the rest of your body with it. Aggravating factors can be weakness or over-pronation of the ankle joint, existing muscle imbalance in the leg, not warming up and badly fitted ski boots.

How to fix it:

First try and figure out the cause - usually its a combination of the above. Backseat landings if you hammer them all day will always give you a bit of shinbang, but you can minimise it. Some suggestions about how you might be able to sort it:

1. Make sure your foot is properly supported in the ski boot - get some custom moulded footbeds with a stiff heel stabiliser. Any good ski shop should be able to do this for you - ask for DD Foam or a Crystair stabiliser to be used. What this does is stabilise your foot in the boot so your ankle cannot move and your foot doesnt compress, flatten out or roll inward when it has pressure applied to it - these movements are very subtle when your skiing and you probably will not notice them (other than pressure and tightness near your little toe or on the inside of your ankle) - however they make a massive difference - once your foot is stabilised.

2. Consider using a heel lift - this is a small gel pad that sits under the heel of your footbed inside the ski boot. What it does is to reduce the volume of the fit, put your ankle in a higher position (which can often help people who experience shin pressure points and difficulty flexing their boots) and tip you forward slightly. I personally found using heel lifts really helped get rid of pressure points on my shins.

3. Check your ski boots are the right size length wise... take the liner out and put your foot into the shell, sliding it forward until your big toe is just touching the front. For a solid fit you are looking to have between 10 - 18mm behind your heel. Roughly speaking if you cross your index and middle finger you should be able to slide it down the back of the shell between your Achilles and the shell. If you are able to do this and wiggle it around loads too chances are your boots are too big for you. It's important when buying boots to go for a boot that is the right shape for your foot, e.g. full tilts work best for people who have a comparatively narrow and flat foot with a mid-sized ankle. Conversely salomon SPK's have much more width in the forefoot, whilst Nordica Ace of Spades have higher instep volume etc etc. Basically getting the right boot for your foot shape is half the battle.

4. Tigerbalm the fuck out of your shins a lot. Also ice them to help reduce the inflammation. It helps.

5. Stretch and strengthen - one of the main things is this. Probably one of the best exercises that helped me is to stand on a step with just the balls of your feet on the step (i.e. with the rest of your foot, heel etc overhanging). Sink down until your heels are as far below the height of the step as you can manage and stay balanced, then go up on tip-toes, and repeat a bunch. you can either repeat it as a strengthening exercise or hold it in low and high positions as a stretch.

6. Go easy on ur shins - when it starts to give you gripe then chill for the day and take it easy. Don't push it as the more you get them inflamed the longer they will take to recover.

Hope this helps.
 
Do you know what icy hot is? Get the strongest kind possible and rub tons of that shirt on your shins. You will no longer feel the pain trust me.( It will burn al little though) or you could just get FT's, your choice
 
Yeah Godsmark, or nollietails up there is the best advice. Landing fowards is always good, but a bad boot can cuase shin pain even when skiing in the correct postion. Take your boots to a good bootfitter and see what he thinks about the fit of your current boots. Hopefully he may be able to inprove the fit of them for you.
 
I use this shit called traumeel it works better than tiger balm and keeping your boots tight will prevent shin bang.
 
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