Saving the shins/lower back on ruck marches

[Snapshot007]

During BMQ, you will do 4 ruckmarches (3km, 6.5km, 9.75km and a 13km followed by a 25m casualty drag). For the infamous 13km march, I'd highly suggest using good quality foot powder and mole skin...especially in the summer. We prepared our feet the night before because that following morning we were rucking back to base. Talk to eachother during the march to keep your mind off the pain, motivate eachother...it helps.

As for your rucksack, make sure all the strings on the back of the ruck are secure, I recommend getting an instructor to tell you the proper way to do it. There are not chest straps but there will be a waist strap, tighten it just above your waist, more comfortable believe it or not. 

 

[dapaterson]

As for your rucksack, make sure all the strings on the back of the ruck are secure, I recommend getting an instructor to tell you the proper way to do it. There are not chest straps but there will be a waist strap, tighten it just above your waist, more comfortable believe it or not.

The old 82 pattern rucksacks have a waist strap.  The new CTS rucksacks do have two chest straps attached to the shoulder straps (as well as a hip belt).

 

[Brutus]

Back: like a lot have said, waist strap.

Shins: I'll add that I have found that loosening the top two or three holes of my boots have helped as well.

 

[mike63]

Buddy, what ever you do for the shin splints, make sure you get it fixed quick.  How tall are you?  I'm only 5"3, had nothing but problems on ruck marches...ALWAYS!  The pain would reach the point where I would loose feeling from my knees down.  Ended up getting 2 operations on both sets of chins.  The VAC call it "Exercise Induced Compartment Syndrome", the medical term is called "bi-lateral fasciotomy"  Either way, they go in and cut out segments in the 'sack' that encases your shin and calf muscles so that they (the muscles) can expand while being exercised.  In my case, that sack had gotten very thick over the years, the numbness I was feeling was from the lack of blood circulating properly into the shins and calves (very painful after only 3kms), made the ruck marches pure hell for me, made the BFTs even harder! 
I do not recommend getting this procedure because on my first operation, permanent nerve damage was caused by the Dr. to the right leg on the inside of my ankle and 2 years later, put on a PCat and was medically released because I wasn't able to complete anymore BFTs, not operational, not employable!  That was the policy!

My advice to you my friend, stay fit for as long as you can.  Like the other troops have already said, ruck marches just suck, plain and simple.  Switch off the brain to the pain, if you have too, take some pain killers before hand (if you take pain killers...if not, start taking them!) think of something else and it will be over before you know it.

 

[medicineman]

  The VAC call it "Exercise Induced Compartment Syndrome", the medical term is called "bi-lateral fasciotomy" 

The problem you had was Exercise Induced Compartment Syndrome, and it's not what VAC call it, it's the medical term for what you had going on.  The surgery you had to relieve said problem were the bilateral faciotomies.  Sorry for sounding a bit pedantic, but VAC doesn't just make up diagnoses that are different from the "medical term".

For people with that condition, if they want to continue with the job that they are doing, they need rest, therapy, yes, sometimes surgery (or worst case, all of the above).  If they are uanble or unwilling to go through that, well, they'll have to start looking for work elsewhere.  There are risks with any surgery - the patient, in concert with their surgeon, should make the decision based on what they think the risk:benefit ratio is, not what someone who had a different surgeon says based on their bad experience. 

Compartment syndrome in the calves isn't the only cause of shin splints, though most shin splint syndromes are actually caused by similar things - tight fascia and rapidly developing muscles inside of it coupled with bad biomechanics and exercise habits.  It's best to see a physiotherapist and/or a sports medicine physician/orthopedic surgeon to get this all sorted out.

:2c:

MM

 

[mike63]

The problem you had was Exercise Induced Compartment Syndrome, and it's not what VAC call it, it's the medical term for what you had going on.  The surgery you had to relieve said problem were the bilateral faciotomies.  Sorry for sounding a bit pedantic, but VAC doesn't just make up diagnoses that are different from the "medical term".

For people with that condition, if they want to continue with the job that they are doing, they need rest, therapy, yes, sometimes surgery (or worst case, all of the above).  If they are uanble or unwilling to go through that, well, they'll have to start looking for work elsewhere.  There are risks with any surgery - the patient, in concert with their surgeon, should make the decision based on what they think the risk:benefit ratio is, not what someone who had a different surgeon says based on their bad experience. 

Compartment syndrome in the calves isn't the only cause of shin splints, though most shin splint syndromes are actually caused by similar things - tight fascia and rapidly developing muscles inside of it coupled with bad biomechanics and exercise habits.  It's best to see a physiotherapist and/or a sports medicine physician/orthopedic surgeon to get this all sorted out.

:2c:

MM

MM - when I said that is what the VAC called it, I was quoting that term right out of the documents/letter that I received from them when they notified me of their decision.  I didn't mean it to sound like I was saying the VAC just made up that term.

As far as your comment about " There are risks with any surgery - the patient, in concert with their surgeon, should make the decision based on what they think the risk:benefit ratio is, not what someone who had a different surgeon says based on their bad experience. " This is exactly what happened between the surgeon in NDMC and myself after some tests that he had me perform.  We weighed the risks and it was me that decided to go ahead with the surgery because I wanted to deploy and keep my job.  I don't know what you mean when you say "not what someone who had a different surgeon says based on their bad experience."  I spoke to my Sgt-Maj who had the same procedure done years before and he still runs in marathons but, that was not the deciding factor in me getting the surgery.

The damage was caused by the surgeon as he explained the procedure he did in a letter to my Doctor at my base, he had to cut deeper on the inside of the shin (not the medical terminology used in the letter) because of the thickness of the lining.

I know other soldiers that had the same surgery done by a different Doctor and to this day, they have no problems and are still in the forces.  Two of them have even deployed at least twice.  For my second operation on the left leg, it was done by a Doctor here in Kingston and, I have no problems with that leg what so ever.  What can I say...the first surgery didn't work...luck of the draw I suppose.

Sorry for being long winded, I was only trying to explain my post.

Perhaps you could PM me so this thread doesn't look like a shitting match between us.  I am in no way pissed off at your comments, just a little confused and thinking you are not understanding my original post.

 

[medicineman]

It seemed to me you had the procedure confused with the diagnosis/condition.  The comment about the decision being between the surgeon and the patient stemmed from your comment about not recommending the surgery based (at least to me) on your negative outcome.  Granted, not all surgeries have the results we're hoping for, but something I've noticed, especially on the internet, you only read about the negative outcomes versus the positives, which as a general rule, tend to outnumber the negative. 

If I came across as a knob, my apologies.

MM

 

[mike63]

It seemed to me you had the procedure confused with the diagnosis/condition.  The comment about the decision being between the surgeon and the patient stemmed from your comment about not recommending the surgery based (at least to me) on your negative outcome.  Granted, not all surgeries have the results we're hoping for, but something I've noticed, especially on the internet, you only read about the negative outcomes versus the positives, which as a general rule, tend to outnumber the negative. 

If I came across as a knob, my apologies.

MM

No worries man, I was giving my 'negative' feedback because he was looking for suggestions.  My suggestion was to get his problem fixed fast and to stay fit for as long as he could. I was trying to give him the worse case because of my experience, perhaps I should have mentioned something to that effect in my post.  Yes my comment towards the operations was on the negative side but, I did also mention about my left left and having absolutely no problems with that one.

Water under the bridge...to everyone, have a Happy New Year.

Mike