How to treat Shin Splints

Ever wonder what that dull ache that follows by a worsening pain is after you play sports or run? It is something that occurs due to forces placed on the shinbone and connective tissues from training or playing on hard surfaces. I remember back in the day when I ran track and cross country, it became a big problem for me. I didn’t know why it was happening or how to prevent or treat it. Here is a rundown on all the things you need to know for treating and preventing shin splints in the future. Michael Tran and Paul Tran, PharmD Candidate 2012, present the information in this video.

What are Shin Splints?
The most common cause is inflammation on the connective tissue on the tibia. This occurs due to the forces placed on the shinbone and the connective tissues from training on hard surfaces. Stress fractures may also be contributing to the pain which are very small hairline breaks in the lower leg bones.

What are the symptoms of shin splints?
Usually it begins as a dull ache followed by a gradually worsening pain.
1. Lumps and bumps when feeling around the inside of the shin bone.
2. Pain is felt when toes or foot is extended.
3. Mild swelling, tenderness, soreness or inflammation
4. Redness around the pain area.
5. Pain over the inside lower half of the shin.
6. After an exercise the pain returns
7. Painful when starting an exercise with the pain gradually easing.

How do you get shin splints?
1. Playing Basketball and Tennis (any sport that has frequent stop and go movements)
2. Running on a slanted or tilted surface
3. Bad worn out shoes
4. Training on hard surfaces
5. Your running technique is causing the shin splints, this may be due to overpronation or also known as flat feet.

Treatments and Prevention
Its something that is difficult to recover from but some techniques for treating of preventing Shin Splints are:

• Do stretches for the lower leg muscles. (Demonstrate one)
• Exercises where you point your toes towards your body or walk on your heels to strengthen muscles around your shins.
• Massage, ice, massage, ice (reduces inflammation and pain)
• Wear a shin sleeve lightly tape around the shins for support
• Get special shock absorbing insoles for your shoes.
• Make sure you have the right shoes, do not wear shoes that are overly old and replace them regularly when they are worn out.
• Get rest for the injury to fully heal.
• Apply some heat with a heat retainer or calf supporter after the shin splints starts healing. This will bring blood to the area and support the healing process.
• You can take over the counter pain relievers such as Ibuprofen, naproxen, or aspirin to reduce the inflammation and pain; however please consult a pharmacist or medical professional before self treating.
• Try strengthening your shin muscles by doing toe raises.
• Gradually work up to a higher level of exercise or sport play to reduce the impact on your shin bone and connective tissue.
• Physical Therapy

These are for good steps to consider when you are physically active playing sports or exercising. The best way to recover is to rest with minimal activity taking the steps above and it should go away in about 2 weeks with proper treatment.

Do not self treat and seek out medical assistance if:
• You have a fall or accident that caused the shin pain
• If you’ve tried all the previously mentioned remedies
• Your shin is hot and inflamed.
• When you are resting the pain still persists.
• Swelling keeps getting worse.

I hope this video has helped you. Thanks for watching and remember, eat your vegetables!

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References:
UptoDate. Overview of running injuries of the lower extremity. Accessed Oct. 7, 2010.
Shin splints. American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00407. Accessed Oct. 7, 2010.
Callahan L, et al. Overview of running injuries of the lower extremity. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Oct. 7, 2010.
Handout on health: Sports injuries. National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. http://www.niams.nih.gov/Health_Info/Sports_Injuries/default.asp. Accessed Oct. 7, 2010.
Wilder RP, et al. Overuse injuries: tendinopathies, stress fractures, compartment syndrome, and shin splints. Clinics in Sports Medicine. 2004;23:55-81.

Flu Shot Outtakes

These are outtakes from our video on Flu Shots. The original video can be watched at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGzy1OeCE1A
John Duong, Michael Tran, David Duong, and Paul Tran are featured in this video.

Please visit us at our main channel:
YouTube Channel
www.yhalive.org
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How to do Bicycle Kicks

This video is how to do Bicycle Kicks. Dennis Tran is the demonstrator and Paul Tran is the narrator.

Step 1: Begin by lying down onto your back on the ground or mat. Lift your legs upward and have your thighs point towards the sky. Bend your knees to 90 degrees. Place your hands flat behind your ears.

Step 2: Next you want to try to alternate pumping your legs back and forth as if you were riding a bicycle. At the same time, try to rotate your torso from side to side utilizing your armpit as the arrow pointing toward the opposite knee.

Incorrect Method:
1. Forgetting to alternate legs and using the armpit as the arrow pointing at the opposite knee.
2. Do not pull on your neck with your hands. This may cause a strain on the neck.

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Disclaimer:
We are not responsible for any injuries or accidents that may occur from people emulating what is seen in this video. Please take responsibility and care by only exercising to your specific limits.

How to Treat Allergies (Hay Fever)

Millions of people all around the world are plagued by allergies of some sort. There are many ways to combat the symptoms or even prevent allergies from even occurring. It can also be life threatening for those who are severely allergic to a specific substance. This video provides information on how to treat Allergic Rhinitis also known as Hay Fever with non-pharmacological treatments as well as over the counter medications. It also covers information on how to be tested to determine what may be causing your allergies. Paul Tran, PharmD Candidate 2012, presents the information in this video.

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How to do 3-Way Pushups

The standard pushup is a classic in isolating the Pectoralis and emulates a bench press. It is a great beginner exercise that requires no equipment and can be performed anywhere. Dennis and Paul Tran decided to give the traditional pushup a twist by turning it into a 3-way pushup. The purpose of this exercise is to isolate one side of the body and to build core strength and other muscle groups.

Step 1: Get on the floor and maintain a straight and rigid torso. Place both your hands on the ground slightly wider than your shoulder width. Start from the top position with your arms at full length and your triceps and chest muscles contracted.

Step 2: Next relax your triceps and lower your chest to the ground. Try to get as close the ground as possible without touching it while still maintaining a rigid torso. Then push back up with your chest and triceps muscles.

Step 3: To work different muscles with the 3 way pushup method, alternate both arms positions by placing your right arm slightly above your shoulder and leaving your left arm in the same starting position. You will want to alternate to work out both sides of the body.

Tips:
• To make this exercise more difficult you can place your feet on a bench or chair. Another method to make the exercise more difficult would be to do a hold when going down on a pushup.

Incorrect Methods:
1. Not lowering your chest close to the ground.
2. Doing pushups too fast, using momentum to complete the pushup.
3. Body is limp and not rigid.

Thanks for watching! Please subscribe, comment, and rate.

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Paul Tran, PharmD Candidate 2012, UWSOP

How to do Hanging Knee Raises

Getting a six pack or great abs is something many guys can never attain in their lives. For others its something that will be very easy to attain, by genetics and other various factors. The Youth Health Alliance, 501c3 created this how to / instructional video on hanging knee raises. The purpose of this exercise is the isolate the abdominis with little to no strain on the back and neck. It requires a vertical knee raise tower as the equipment.

Step 1: Rest your arms on both sides of the padding and have a neutral grip on the handles. Now transfer all your weight onto your arms, hanging in midair.

Step 2: Contract your lower abdominal muscles to pull your hips and legs up towards your chest. Bend at your knees and try to get them close as possible to your chest.

Step 3: Hold this position and slowly release to starting position and repeat. Thanks for watching!

What is Ibuprofen? Motrin? Advil?

This is a continued series about over the counter medications. Paul Tran covers what ibuprofen is, how to use it, what it is used for, how it works, and safety tips. The general public thinks that over the counter medications are safe and don’t need to worry about anything, however this is not true. Any medication that is over the counter can be dangerous if not taken properly. Always consult a medical professional or get educated in what you are taking.

I hope you enjoy this video and please subscribe, rate, and comment! Thanks.

Paul Tran, PharmD Candidate 2012, UWSOP
Co-founder/Vice President, Youth Health Alliance, 501c3

How to do Hammer Curls

Another way to work on the biceps brachii and brachialis is to do Hammer curls. It is slightly different from regular curls in that you want to keep your wrists parallel to the side of your body. Trying different exercises helps build other muscles, instead of doing the same exercises every time you go to the gym.

Dennis Tran and Paul Tran demonstrate how to do it the correct way and the incorrect methods that you may see people doing in the gym. I ALWAYS see people swinging their bodies when lifting weights. It’s not only embarrassing but you may also injure yourself lifting the incorrect way. Lift Safely and remember eat your vegetables. I hope you enjoy the video!

Big Big Arms

When I was in middle school at Whitman Middle School, Seattle Washington back in 1998-2001 I was one of the smaller kids around (Still am today haha). I always tried to get noticed for athleticism, especially because I looked up to those who were good at sports, ran fast, and who did great feats of strength. It ranged from being able to do random talents such as a bunny hop on a bike, a 360 on a razor, going off jumps with a bike, crushing an egg with your bear hand, 1 arm pull-ups, 1 arm pushups, hand stand pushups, and anything that was out of the ordinary that could be used as a icebreaker or to show off. Inside of me screamed for attention and to get noticed by my peers and colleagues.

I devoted myself to trying to get bigger and stronger by exercising and working out. I joined an afterschool program to lift weights in the extremely tiny weight lifting room that we had. The instructor happened to be a previous Seahawk football player. He was an enormous African American that towered above all of the kids that signed up for the afterschool program. I learned a lot of new techniques from him and to this day he has left his impression on me. It is sad that I cannot remember his name however I want to thank him for his help. One of the first techniques he taught me was to do the benchdip. A very simple, yet, great workout to increase your arm size.

A lot of people think that getting big arms is to do bicep exercises, however you can double your arm size by increasing your bicep size. It is a very important muscle to work out and build on. Good luck and enjoy the video!

Paul Tran, PharmD Candidate 2012, UWSOP
Co-Founder/Vice President, Youth Health Alliance, 501c3

The Beginning

The Youth Health Alliance, 501 c3 (YHA) (www.yhalive.org) was co-founded by Paul Tran and Minh Nguyen in early 2007. Minh Nguyen wanted to start a non-profit organization that would advocate health awareness amongst the younger demographic. One random day in Pullman, WA when watching videos on YouTube (when YouTube was relatively new at the time) I had an epiphany! Being extremely poor college students, YouTube could be our stage to advocate health information with no overhead costs! It was a perfect option for us, we also decided to expand to other social networking websites such as Facebook and Myspace. This is how the YHA came all about and it solidified in August of 2008 when we received our tax exempt 501c3 status as a non-profit organization. Since then we’ve grown gradually on YouTube as well as expanding into our own local communities.

Our achievements:

1.Vietnam Health Clinic 2010

■ Youth Health Alliance teams up with Vietnam Health Clinic to provide free health care in Vietnam 2010. Congrats to the VHC group 2010 for serving hundreds and hundreds of patients bringing thousands of dollars worth medicine/vitamins along with dental assistance and free hygiene care kits, including a job well done. Kudos to the entire team, they did all the work! Refer to their homepage for updated information! www.vnhealth.org

2.Vietnam Medical Clinic (Wellness Global Foundation) 2009

■ The Youth Health Alliance raises over $1000 dollars for UW undergraduates and a team of healthcare professionals to travel to Vietnam and setup health clinics and provide free healthcare.

3.Toy Drive 2009 (Seattle Children’s Hospital)

■ Toy Drive 2009 was a success, boxes and bags of toys were donated to Seattle Children’s Hospital a couple weeks before Christmas. Lots of happy smiles received. Over $750 was received and donated, thank you again to all the donors!

4.Toy Drive 2008 (Seattle Children’s Hospital)

■ Raised over $500 worth of Toys and Books. Delivered to Seattle Children’s Hospital before Christmas. Thank you donors!

5.School Supplies/Health Supplies Vietnam Orphans 2008

■ Youth Health Alliance raises $500 dollars for Vietnam orphans.

As of 9-3-10, our YouTube Stats: (www.youtube.com/youthhealth)

■ Subscriber base is at 1267
■ Channel Views: 38854
■ Total Upload Views: 263,055
■ Over 60 Videos Uploaded

We hope to continue providing accurate information to the general public about health related information. I want to thank everyone out there for their support and getting us to where we currently are at with our organization.

Paul Tran, PharmD Candidate 2012, UWSOP
Co-founder/Vice President, Youth Health Alliance, 501c3