What are shin splints?

Shin splints (medial tibial stress syndrome) is described as pain or discomfort at the front of your lower leg that worsens when running or exercising. Shin splints are a common running injury, however, they are also a prominent issue in other sports that put repetitive stress and impact on the lower body such as gymnastics, tennis, soccer, and football. In some cases, the pain may resolve immediately after activity or can easily be managed with ice and rest, however, shin splints can also lead to chronic pain and more serious cases can result in stress fractures to the tibia. Although shin splints may be very painful, they are preventable and treatable with proper care.  

5 Tips for Managing and Preventing Shin Splints:

1. Monitor Load – If you begin to experience shin splints, start to track the amount, duration, type, and intensity of your activity along with any symptoms experienced afterward. Try and identify patterns in your symptoms and adjust your activity accordingly. Perhaps short, high-intensity runs cause pain, but longer lower intensity runs do not.

2. Cross Training – Just like other athletes, runners need to be strong overall to improve performance and prevent injury. Replacing running with swimming, rowing, or cycling once per week will help to reduce the strain on your shins while still allowing you to engage in aerobic activity. Incorporating lower body strength training into your training can help prevent shin splints from occurring.

3. Proper Footwear – Good running shoes are important because they help to absorb the shock each time your foot strikes the ground and may aid in body movement biomechanics. Ensure you are wearing suitable footwear with enough cushioning and support. When shoes wear down, they begin to lose their shock absorption, so it is recommended to change shoes periodically depending on your individual mileage.

4. Rest – Rest is extremely important for shin splint recovery. Even if you are not injured, adequate rest will help prevent shin splints and other overuse injuries. Ice can also be a helpful tool to help minimize shin splint pain following strenuous activity.

5. Seek treatment from a physiotherapist – A physiotherapist can assess and diagnose your injury, prescribe exercises to address muscle imbalances and deficits that contribute to shin splints, provide taping advice, and help you correct your running biomechanics if needed. Physiotherapists also use manual therapy and other interventions to help reduce the pain you’re experiencing.

   
   Elios Health is a sports physiotherapy clinic located on Main Street in East Vancouver. Our physiotherapists offer both on-site and virtual tele-health consultations to meet your individual needs and help put you on the right track towards recovery.
   

   Original post: Rachel Rubin-Sarganis
   Photo: Jakob Owens