Shin Splints! Here’s how to combat them…
Here’s a typical scenario. You’re running, and you’re feeling great and doing well… BUT THEN… you start feeling a sharp niggle in your shin. It’s generally not too bad, to begin with, and may progress as you continue running. You wake up the next morning and boy, there it is, full-blown shin splints! While this is not always the way it presents, it paints a typical picture of what we see in our clinic daily.
So what are shin splints?
Shin splints are a general term for pain felt along the shin bone, anywhere from the knee to the ankle, but typically within the lower third of the leg. The pain is caused by inflammation of muscle tendons and bone around the front of the leg and is felt during activity and at rest. It is very common in runners and dancers and treatment usually involves rest and activity modification. There are in fact different forms of shin splints:
Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome: This is the most common form of shin splints and causes pain along the lower two-thirds of the inside edge of the shinbone. It generally becomes worse with activity i.e. running or dancing and then improves with hours of rest.
Tibial Stress Fractures: This is a bit different where the pain is very specific to an area over the tibia and causes pain when weight bearing, walking and running. It also takes longer for the pain to resolve after activity.
Tendonitis: There are many tendons along the lower leg which could be inflamed from an injury or overuse. These are differentiated from shin splints by clinical evaluation.
Compartment Syndrome: This is from increased pressure within a group of muscles within the leg. It is quite rare but chronic compartment syndrome is a differential diagnosis which needs to be considered in some cases.
What causes shin splints?
Shin splints are caused by overuse of the leg muscles and bone tissues. This can be because of the following:
a sudden increase in the amount or intensity of exercise
the ankle joint rolling inwards too far as the running foot hits the ground (over-pronation) — this is more common in people with fallen arches or flat feet
tightness of calf muscles
running on sloping, uneven or hard surfaces
using unsupportive footwear or the incorrect footwear for your foot type
Tips for treating shin splints:
You can usually ease the pain of shin splints by:
rest from aggravating activity
putting an icepack on the area for 15 to 20 minutes 3 times a day
taking an over-the-counter anti-inflammatory pain reliever, such as ibuprofen or aspirin
stretching and massaging the calf muscles
avoiding the activity that causes pain
reducing the length and intensity of your exercise
wearing supportive shoes
If you have a stress fracture, that is usually treated with a brace, not surgery.
When you return to exercise, you should do so gradually over a few weeks. You should run on soft, level ground, and wear sturdy shoes and use insoles for arch support. Other treatment modalities offered by JS Podiatry are shockwave therapy, dry needling, taping, biomechanical assessment, 3D running analysis, orthotics and insoles, footwear assessment and prescription. If you’ve been struggling with shin splints for some time, you may need to see a podiatrist who can supervise the recovery safely especially if you lead a very active life.
