SHIN SPLINTS

Shin Splints. What are they?

Shin splints is a name often given to any pain at the front of the lower leg. However, true shin splints symptoms occur at the front inside of the shin bone and can arise from a number of causes.
The most common cause is inflammation of the periostium of the tibia (sheath surrounding the bone).

Shin Splints symptoms:

• Pain at the inside lower half of the shin.
• Pain at the start of exercise and often eases as the session continues
• Pain often returns after activity and may be at its worse the next morning.
• Swelling may sometimes be present.
• When feeling the inside of the shin bone, lumps and bumps may be felt.
• Pain when the foot or toes are bent downwards.
• A redness can sometimes be present over the inside of the shin.

 

Treatment of Shin Splints

The treatment for shin splints is as simple as reducing the inplamaion and pain, identifying problems which may have helped cause the injury, restoring muscles to their original condition and gradually returning to training.


Treatment of shin splints include:

• Rest to allow the injury to heal.
• Apply ice to reduce the pain and inflammation, particually in the early stages.
• Stretch the muscles of the lower leg.
• To reduce the shock on the lower leg, wear shock absorbing insoles in shoes.
• Maintain fitness with other non weight bearing exercises such as cycling or swimming..
• Visit a sports injury clinic for rehabilitation and early treatment. 

What can a sports injury clinic or doctor do?

• Prescribe anti-inflammatory medication (always consult a doctor before taking medication).
• Tape the shin for support.
• Perform a gait analysis to determine if you over supinate or over pronate.  
• Sports massage.  

 

Causes of Sin Splints

Shin splints can be caused by a number of factors which are mainly biomechamincal and errors in training. Some of the most common causes include:

• Overpronation of the feet
• Oversupination of the feet
• Decreased flexibility at the ankle joint
• Inadequate footwear
• Running on hard surfaces
• Increasing training too quickly

 

Prevention

To properly treat shin splints and prevent them recurring, the causative factors must be taken into consideration. No matter how much rest, anti-inflammatories and massage are used, without correcting the cause of the injury, the symptoms will continue to return.
Biomechanical problems can be corrected using coreclty fitted running shoes or orthotics.
As a rule of thumb with running, distances should not increase by more than 10% per week. For example, if you complete a total of 10 kilometers one week, do not increase above 11 kilometers the next week. This helps to ensure the muscles are not overworked.
For runners, try to avoid always running on hard pavements as they provide no shock absorption. Try running some of the time on tarmac, grass or even sand to reduce the shock passed through the legs.
Shin splints can be caused by overly tight calf and shin muscles. Stretching on a daily basis and even receiving sports massage can help improve flexibility.