Shins Hurt when Rollerblading (How to Make it Stop)

Shins hurt when rollerblading for reasons like undeveloped shin muscles, over skating that overstretches shin muscles, tendons, and the shin bone, poor skating technique, rollerblading on hard and rough surfaces, ill-fitting shoes, bone disease like osteoporosis, and lactic acid from anaerobic respiration.

These are the possible causes of shin splints. In addition, it could be one or a combination of these that makes your shins hurt when rollerblading.

I understand how frustrating this pain can be because I can relate it to when I started rollerblading.

Why Do My Shins Hurt when Rollerblading

The good news is, I’ve put together this guide to help you understand why shins hurt when rollerblading and how you can stop the pain.

So, without much ado, let’s get right to it!

1. Undeveloped Shins Muscles

Muscles play an essential role in the body, such as holding the skeletal system together and participating in anaerobic respiration to produce energy for the body.

On the other hand, rollerblading is an intensive exercise that works all body muscles, especially the lower body.

Therefore, before these muscles adapt to the intensive nature of rollerblading, they can cause a lot of pain.

Some muscles that constitute the shins include; tibialis anterior and the extensor digitorum longus. In addition, these are the most affected when rollerblading.

So, if your shins hurt when rollerblading, you’re probably a beginner, and your shin muscles are yet to develop.

You only need to be a little patient with yourself as the muscles develop and adapt to rollerblading.

2. Over Skating

Rollerblading is fun, and I get it that you want to skate more often. However, everything, when overdone, can cause disaster, and rollerblading, isn’t exempted.

When rollerblading, your feet are involved in the push and glide motion to propel your body. Therefore, over skating overstretches the shin, its muscles, tendons, and the shin bone.

Eventually, this results in a sharp pain coming from the shin. When the pain is too much to bear, it can be a hassle going out to rollerblade again.

So, instead of overstretching your rollerblading limits, it’s best to take it slow.

3. Poor Skating Technique

What is a poor skating technique, you ask? A poor skating technique is not using the correct form when rollerblading.

The correct rollerblading technique involves staying low with bent knees. The knees should be above the toes and shoulders over the hips.

This posture helps to transfer body weight to the toe balls and away from the shins and the ankles.

In addition, practicing the correct posture isn’t as helpful if you’re making your body rigid. A rigid body means you’re too careful and afraid of a possible fall.

Related Post: How to Fall when Rollerblading (4 Incredibly Safe Techniques)

Sadly, this is translated to how you make your steps, including the glide and push. Too much pressure around the feet and shins when rollerblading can cause your shins to hurt.

4. Rollerblading on Hard and Rough Surfaces

There are several rollerblading surfaces like asphalt, concrete, plastic, and dirt for off-road skating.

However, the best rollerblading surface should be neither too hard, rough, nor too slick. If this is the case, your body will go rigid while applying force to rollerblade efficiently.

As we’ve already seen, being rigid is equal to poor skating technique, which you want to avoid by all means. Again, this exerts pressure on your shins, leading to too much pain.

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5. Ill-Fitting Inline Skating Shoes

By all means, you should get the right inline skating shoes if you want to have a desirable rollerblading experience.

However, finding the best inline skates right off the bat can be daunting. That’s why it’s recommended to do a lot of testing before buying your pair.

In the beginning, you can hire the skates from your skate park. Alternatively, you can buy relatively cheap rollerblades as you test them.

Unfortunately, ill-fitting inline skates don’t absorb the shock and pressure from your body.

Instead, the shock and pressure are concentrated around the shins, leading to too much unbearable pain.

Therefore, the right skates should be comfortable and lightweight above all else.

This is because heavy skates are hard to maneuver around with and make your body use a lot of energy when lifting your legs.

Below are the things to consider when choosing the right rollerblading shoes for you.

Related Post: Inline Skates: How to choose Inline Skating Shoes |Beginners and Intermediates

6. Bone Disease like Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is an example of a bone disease that can cause your shins to hurt when rollerblading. This disease affects the tibia bone, the main bone constituting the shins.

According to the National Osteoporosis Foundation studies, this bone disease comes about when the body loses too much bone or doesn’t produce enough bone.

This results in weak bones that are susceptible to breakage by the slightest aggression.

According to the same studies, approximately 54 million Americans have osteoporosis. Therefore, this could be one of the reasons your shins hurt when rollerblading.

7. Lactic Acid from Anaerobic Respiration

Lactic acid is a by-product of anaerobic respiration, which occurs when your muscles produce energy for rollerblading in the absence of oxygen.

The usual method of energy production is aerobic respiration which occurs when the body breaks glucose sugar into energy in the presence of oxygen.

While aerobic respiration doesn’t contribute to the formation of lactic acid in the muscles, anaerobic respiration does.

Sadly, lactic acid in the shin muscles causes muscle cramps which can be so painful. This will mostly affect the tibialis posterior, the muscles found at the back of your shin.

Shins Hurt when Rollerblading | this is How to Make it Stop

As we’ve already seen, your shins will hurt when rollerblading because of several reasons.

The good news is that most of these causes aren’t permanent, meaning you can quickly correct them by using the correct skating techniques or seeking medical attention.

• To solve the problem of undeveloped shin muscles, you only need to be a little patient with yourself. With time, your shin muscles will adapt to rollerblading, and the pain will stop for good.
• Also, you want to resist the urge to over skate by all means. Whether you’re a newbie or an experienced skater, it’s best to control your urge to skate. Therefore reducing your frequency of rollerblading helps to minimize the pressure exerted on the shin, muscles, tendons, and shin bone.
• To correct poor technique, use the correct skating form. This helps to transfer your body weight to the toe balls and away from your shins and ankles.
• Also, you want to avoid rough surfaces, which require a lot of energy for the push and glide motions. Instead, smooth surfaces at a rollerblading rink or skate park should work fine.
• To correct the problem of ill-fitting shoes, the solution lies in buying the best skates for rollerblading. The skates should be comfortable on your feet and lightweight as well.
• If you’ve got the bone disease osteoporosis or you are suspecting it, the best thing to do is seek medical attention. This starts by booking an appointment and getting the problem attended to by a medic.

Shins Hurt when Rollerblading | Wrapping Up

Your shins hurt when rollerblading for several reasons. The pain can be frustrating, and I get it since I’ve been there before.

The good news is, you can solve what causes shin splints and stop the pain for good once and for all.

From my experience and consultation with experts, shins hurt when rollerblading because of undeveloped shin muscles, over skating that overstretches shin muscles, tendons, and shin bone, poor skating technique, rollerblading on hard and rough surfaces, ill-fitting shoes, bone diseases like osteoporosis, and lactic acid from anaerobic respiration.

So, if you want all to go well, correct these causes, and hurting shins will be a thing of the past.