Shins

[cjangelo]

I've got an abrasion on my shin. It bleeds when I deadlift. I have tried knee-high socks. I've tried knee-high socks with baby powder. Tonight I tried knee-high socks, baby powder, and the 7-Up shin guards. It's all been an improvement, but I still bled like a stuck pig tonight. I think any pressure at all on the abrasion undoes the healing process.

Anyone dealt with this? The measures I took were improvements, and will more than suffice once the abrasion has healed. For now, though, I'm thinking about dropping deadlifts and substituting some RDLs or GMs or rows until it heals.

I don't have a camera but it looks remarkably like the abrasion under 'healing' on wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abrasion_%28medical%29

I think I'm shit outta luck on this one.

[Dastardly]

Your form may actually be slightly off, or you may just be overdoing the shin-closeness.

I got torn up bleeding shins every single time I deadlifted till I tweaked my form. Now I break skin probably once a month if that. Plus my deadlift shot up when I fixed form.

[tescott]

Sometimes I use soccer shin-pads (just thin ones, but still hard plastic), when I can't find my high socks. They work like a charm..

[cjangelo]

Your form may actually be slightly off, or you may just be overdoing the shin-closeness.

I got torn up bleeding shins every single time I deadlifted till I tweaked my form. Now I break skin probably once a month if that. Plus my deadlift shot up when I fixed form.

I think I originally earned the abrasion though poor mechanics, specifically initiating the movement with a hip extension, but now that I've corrected it, it still bleeds because even the slightest pressure makes it bleed. I showered and while putting on my jeans I could feel the fabric brush it and I noticed it turned red(der).

But you very may well be right. What did you do to 'tweak' your form? Can you provide some poor detail?

Sometimes I use soccer shin-pads (just thin ones, but still hard plastic), when I can't find my high socks. They work like a charm..

Glad you found a solution. And they're not too thick? And they're smooth?

[ZKP]

What you need are knee high socks with horizontal stripes. Even blood soaked these are good. Actually the blood may add something to the lift....

[metermanja]

Ref Page 130, Fig 4-28 of SS BBT

The description is quite clear.

"The order in which the angles open up off the floor is important to correct technique. When the hip angle opens first (top), the bar must travel forward to clear the knees, and usually the shins get scraped when this happens."

[confuzzl3don3]

I thought i mght just add, but you may want to check the knurling of the bar you're using. Sharp knurling is good because it helps with the grip, but sometimes they're really sharp. The only time i've ever had a major bleed from my shins was when my uni gym had a brand new spanking barbell at the deadlift platform, and it's knurls were so damn sharp. You could look into that if you want

[cjangelo]

Ref Page 130, Fig 4-28 of SS BBT

The description is quite clear.

"The order in which the angles open up off the floor is important to correct technique. When the hip angle opens first (top), the bar must travel forward to clear the knees, and usually the shins get scraped when this happens."

Yes, thank you, I am familiar with that passage. If you'll read post #4, you see that I attributed the original cut to faulty mechanics. After correcting it, the problem remains that the skin is super-sensitive, and therefore the limited contact between bar/shin that occurs during a correct deadlift still serves to re-open the existing abrasion. Are you suggesting that ANY contact at all with the shins is incorrect?

I thought i mght just add, but you may want to check the knurling of the bar you're using. Sharp knurling is good because it helps with the grip, but sometimes they're really sharp. The only time i've ever had a major bleed from my shins was when my uni gym had a brand new spanking barbell at the deadlift platform, and it's knurls were so damn sharp. You could look into that if you want

Good advice. Do you drag the knurling up your shins, though? I will take particular caution to allow my shins such that the knurling is outside of them.


I think I'm just going to have to give my shin a month to heal and do some good mornings and rows instead. I really like arched-back GMs. They helped to push my deadlift over 500lbs about a year ago. I'll steadily progress on those and hopefully see a lot of carry-over to my squat and deads.

[tescott]

Glad you found a solution. And they're not too thick? And they're smooth?

They're fine. You just need to get the right ones. Not too think, and not too rough!

Maybe you could get some thin plastic or even cardboard, and wrap it around your shins under your socks. While you don't want this all the time, it could help while you heal.

[cjangelo]

Maybe you could get some thin plastic or even cardboard, and wrap it around your shins under your socks. While you don't want this all the time, it could help while you heal.

Not a bad idea. I like it. Any suggestions on sources of plastic? Evidently soda bottles ain't enough. I'll look into the cardboard idea.