Shin Splints

Shin Splints

One of the most common and preventable injuries that we here often from runners is that they are experiencing shin splints.  From Mayoclinic, “shin splints refers to the pain along shinbone (tibia)-the large bone in the front of your lower leg.”  You are more prone to getting shin splints when you’re a runner, play or run on hard surfaces, run on uneven terrain, or have flat feet or high arches.  

Causes

Shin splints often occur in athletes who recently intensified or change their training routines.  Runners adding too much milage or switching from running on flat surfaces to hills.  The muscles, tendons, and bone tissue become overworked by the increased activity. 

Other factors that cause shin splints:

• overpronation
• inadequate stretching
• worn shoes
• excessive stress placed on one leg or hip from running

Symptoms

Although you most likely have shin splints, sometimes that is not always the case.  You could possible have a stress fracture or compartment syndrome-a swelling of muscles within a closed compartment which creates pressure.  Stress fractures in incomplete crack in the bone.  If you run your finger along your shin and find a definite spot of sharp pain, it is a sign of a stress fracture.  

For shin splints: 

• Tenderness, soreness or pain along the inner part of your lower leg
• Mild swelling in your lower leg
• Often feel worse in the morning 
• Most painful when you forcibly try to lift your foot up at the ankle and flex your foot.  

Treatments

The best treatment is rest: avoiding activities that cause the pain, swelling or discomfort.  Don’t give up on activity, just try low-impact exercises.  Ice the affected area.  Applying ice to the shin for 15-20 minutes up to several times a day.  If needed, take a ibuprofen such as Advil or Motrin to help reduce the pain.  Stretch your achilles if you have medial shin splints and calves if you have anterior shin splints.  

Prevention

• Choose the right shoes.  As a runner replace your shoes every 350 to 500 miles.
• Choose an arch support to help prevent the pain of shin splints especially if you have flat feet or high arches.
• If you have changed your training routine, try to lessen the impact on your shins.  Start new activities slowly and increase the time and intensity gradually.
• Add strength training to your workout.  The most important thing to do is to strengthen your calf muscles.  You can do toe raises or leg presses and other exercises for your lower legs can be helpful.  

http://www.runnersworld.com/tag/shin-splints