SHIN SPLINTS - The Facts

What Are Shin Splints?
Shin splints is a general term used to describe paindown the middle or either side of the shin bone (tibia) that develops or gets worse with exercise. The pain from shin splints can be due to either problems of the muscles, the bone, or the attachment of the muscle to the bone. It's a common sporting injury, particularly among runners, gymnast, football and dancers, or anybody who does repetitive activities that put a lot of stress on the lower leg.

Symptoms of shin splints ?
Common symptoms of shin splints include tenderness, aching or sharp pain along the front of your lower leg, depending on the type of injury that you have.

The pain is often worse when you do activities that involve supporting your body weight. You may feel pain along the length of your shin, or only along a small section. The pain may build up during exercise and it will become more severe the longer you exercise.

Causes of Shin Splints?
There are a number of different causes of shin splints. The main causes are listed below.

• Medial tibial stress syndrome. This is inflammation / irritation where the tendon attaches to the thin layer of tissue that covers the bone (periosteum). This is the most common form of shin splints, due to overuse. This is what most people are talking about when they use the words shin splints as a diagnosis. It is commonly seen in athletes who suddenly increase their duration or intensity of training such as marathon runners
• Stress fractures. This is an overuse injury, which develops after repeated periods of stress on the bones; for example, running or dancing over a long period of time.   
• Compartment syndrome. This happens when the muscle swells. However the muscle is confined by the compartment that it sits in, so there is little room to expand. When the pressure in the muscle increases it causes the symptoms of compartment syndrome.
  

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All of these conditions can develop when you put too much stress and strain on your shin bone. This happens when there is repetitive impact on your shin bone during weight-bearing sports or activities.

You're more at risk of developing shin splints if:

• You're an inexperienced runner
• You increase your running distance
• Your sport or activity involves running or jumping on a hard surface
• You do a lot of hill running
• You increase your frequency of running and don't allow a rest day between runs
• Your shoes do not fit well or do not have enough cushioning and support, if your running shoes are too old.
• Your feet roll inwards (pronate) too much. Whilst pronation is a natural movement, some people overpronate, or pronate too much, ie the foot becomes too flattened out causing the foot to roll inwards. This can cause increased demand on the muscle over the front of the leg and lead to complaints of shin splints.

Treatment of shin splints

Non-surgical treatment
A manual therapist such as a physiotherapist or an osteopath can be helpful in the treatment and management of this condition. Management can consist of helping devise a graduated training programme to promote recovery and help you return to your usual sports activities. This will contain rehabilitation exercises (low-impact) regularly. Swimming and cycling are good activities for people with shin splints. Try to avoid excessive impact while recovering.

The physiotherapist / osteopath can also :

• help to restore any loss of range of mobility to your lower limb joints and stretch out the muscles that may be contributing to shin splints
• advise on a strengthening programme, especially to the calf muscle

A podiatrist (a health professional who specialises in conditions that affect the feet) can provide advice about foot care. On occasions shoe inserts (orthotics) are needed to control the inward roll of the feet.

Self-help
Rest the injury and think about what may have caused your shin splints.
Over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medicines such as ibuprofen can help reduce pain and inflammation, so ask your pharmacist for advice.

Check your trainers or sports shoes to see whether they give enough support and cushioning. Also think how long you have had your trainers
and the amount of  mileage you have done in them. Specialist running shops can give you advice and information about your trainers. An
experienced adviser can watch you run and recommend suitable shoes for you.

It's important that you think about how much exercise you're doing. You may need to reduce the amount of exercise you're doing or even change
your training routine.

Surgery
If your shin splints are caused by compartment syndrome and the pain is severe, your doctor may suggest an operation called a fasciotomy. This releases the pressure on the muscles in your lower leg.

Prevention of shin splints
Prevention is best accomplished with smart training. The following steps can help reduce your risk of developing shin splints:

• If your sport involves high impact activities, make sure you mix your training with low-impact (e.g. cycling or swimming) and no running.
• Increase the intensity and duration of exercise gradually
• make sure that footwear is supportive and that is appropriate for your sport or activity, and that it is replaced at approximately 500 miles
• make sure that you wear shoe inserts if your doctor, podiatrist or physiotherapist advises you to
• train and exercise on a grass surface if possible, or at least on a mixture of surfaces.

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Content by Jane Morris - connect with me on Google+

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