Shin Bang problem cured

[Steve Dold]

I don't know if any of you remember me asking about shin bang (I think Eric from Oregon called it that) . Sometimes I'd have to cut my days short because of it, it was the worst on skinny boards on choppy snow, my front boot cuff would cause so much bruising and pain on the outside of my shin that I was miserable.

I can't believe I've finally cured it, but I have. I bought a cheap hard plastic garbage can for about $3 at a hardware store, it's the kind of plastic that is hard and stiff and easy to saw with a hack saw. I sawed a piece from the can about 3" wide and 6" high and rounded the edges, and shaped it to my leg using a heat gun.

I stuck some thin padding on it and slid it between my leg and boot cuff, inside my sock, and rode all day with absolutely ZERO pain. I had ridden a lot the day before too, so my shin was pretty sore. The difference was F'ing amazing, I felt nothing and didn't even notice the plastic thing was there.

I don't know why I get shin pain so easily, I don't THINK I have defective legs or anything :D but my problem now seems 100% cured. I think it might work if I just glue it to the outside of the boot liner, so I don't have to fiddle with it. Anyway I thought I'd mention this in case anyone else had the same problem. I don't think I've ever ridden pain-free before. It's great.

Steve

[D-Sub]

nice, man. glad to hear it

Ive always gotten this odd cramp on my left outside calf...(in soft boots) and have NEVER been able to figure it out.

its more of a nuisance than a day-ruiner.

its cool to hear someone work somethin out like that!

(heres an idea...make a production model and make yourself a few $$ on the side so you can afford gas!)

[slam]

Originally posted by D-Sub
nice, man. glad to hear it

Ive always gotten this odd cramp on my left outside calf...(in soft boots) and have NEVER been able to figure it out.

its more of a nuisance than a day-ruiner.

its cool to hear someone work somethin out like that!

(heres an idea...make a production model and make yourself a few $$ on the side so you can afford gas!)

1. regular or goofy?

2. are you using hipmovements to pull the board foward underneath you during your turns (not a bad thing, just a tool)?

[D-Sub]

Im regular footed, and its the left side that gets cramped. the outside muscle

jeez..hip movements?

honestly Ive never analyzed how I ride...

maybe I should get a lesson or two some day

[Pat Donnelly]

Check out Tognar's - under BOOT FITTING . . . then Tongue Pads.

http://www.tognar.com

[slam]

well i'm an AASI lev 1 instructor, going for his level 2 . . .

However, SoCal is a little far from VA . . .

[D-Sub]

it darn well sure is!

:)

I just kinda always thought of it as something that went along with the territory

[slam]

my guess is there is some movement you are doing too much of . . . which movement is anyones guess . . .

[D-Sub]

dunno..maybe its just how Im built...or anything else. I mean, it doesnt necessarily have to be due to user error.

maybe. who knows

if I make it up to Hood this may Im sure Ill get some advice

[Jim Callen]

I used to get the same exact pain in my right leg (I'm goofy). I switched to hard boots and the pain went away. (c;

My guess is that the soft boots don't provide the stiffness that the hard boots do. I rotated my high backs around a bit and that helped a bit in the support, but I still got the pains.

Jim

[thomas_m]

This is weird... I had exactly the same experience as Jim. I also ride goofy and would get a sore spot on the outside of my right leg about 3 inches above the ankle bone, sort of like tendonitis or shin splints. Rotating my highbacks helped but I didn't have any pain there at all after a long first day in hardboots.

T.

[Jon Rutherford]

I'm goofy as well, and was having insane shin bang on the oustide part of my shin.

I started to ride with outward cant, and have never had an issue with shin bang since! Also, my transition time from edge to edge improved greatly.

JR

[Steve Dold]

Interesting, Jon, I should look at my setup more closely and see if that could be part of the original problem. I ride with some inward cant in front, I thought it helped on heelsides, but not sure.

[Jim Callen]

I ride with outward cant as well. It seems to work magic on my front leg and my edge transition times are much improved.

Jim

[Chris Houghton]

Steve
Good to hear that you found the cure. I had a similar issue last year, but the cure was much simpler - just tighten the top buckle more. Seems that when my calf has any room at all to move in the top of the boot, the force ends up far more concentrated in one particular area. This was with Thermoflex liners, so it may not be possible with regular liners, depending on how well they conform to your particular physiology or is that musculoskeletal structure? Technical terms on this forum lately have given me a headache. Maybe we need piezo accelerometers in our boots so that they only stiffen when they flex past a certain point, like a progressive rate spring - or active suspension control in GM speak Magneride

[Steve Dold]

Hey Chris, yeah, Piezoelectric boots cuffs. heeho..

I'm using Raichle 413 boots, I thought I was getting the tops tight, but that still might be a factor. They do have thermos, but the thinner style. I'm going to look for a pair of AF-600's or something with a tighter fit and see if that helps, if not the plastic thing is a backup plan.

[C5 Golfer]

Originally posted by D-Sub
if I make it up to Hood this may Im sure Ill get some advice

Hey D-Sub.. don't forget the more beer we drink the more advice you get and the more women that are there the more advice you'll also get. :D

[D-Sub]

heh. beer I can do. women? well...not the best at that anymore:)