If you find your shins aching after each workout run or game of basketball, you could be suffering from shin splints. It is an injury caused by stress on your shinbone (tibia) and the tissues that connect your shin muscles to that bone. Another name for this injury is medial tibial stress syndrome. It is a repetitive stress injury that appears over time and is not the result of a specific incident.
In this post we will describe the causes of this condition and the risk factors that increase your likelihood of developing the condition.We will then go on to describe the diagnosis and treatment for shin splints. We will finally make some suggestions as to how you might be able to avoid developing this painful and unpleasant condition.
Shin splints are the result of repetitive high impact physical activity (such as activity involving running and/or jumping) that sends shocks through the tibia (or shinbone) of your lower leg. These shocks cause trauma to the lower leg muscles and the result is inflammation of these muscles and the tissues connecting them to your tibia (shinbone). The inflammation then causes lower leg pain as well as possible swelling and tenderness in the same region.
Shin splints frequently appears after a sudden increase in the intensity of your exercise routine. This could be an increase in the number of miles you run each day or additional time spent on the basketball court, for example.
There are several potential factors that may increase your risk of developing shin splints. It is beneficial to know what these factors are. Armed with this knowledge, you can take steps to reduce the intensity of the symptoms or even possibly to avoid the condition altogether.
The risk factors that increase your propensity to develop shin splints include:
As mentioned earlier, the primary symptom of shin splints is pain and swelling along the front of your lower leg (shin). The pain will likely be concentrated along the inner edge of the shin.
Along with this primary symptom, you may observe that:
If you are experiencing these symptoms, it may be time to see a doctor (ideally one with a sports medicine background) for a diagnosis and treatment recommendation.
To make a diagnosis, your doctor will need to conduct a physical examination of your lower leg. He or she will need to understand the nature of the pain you are experiencing, such as when and where it occurs.
It will be important for the doctor to determine whether three other conditions are also present. These are stress fractures, tendinitis and chronic exertional compartment syndrome. They each produce symptoms that are similar to shin splints, but may require different treatment:
To detect the presence of stress fractures (miniature cracks in the tibia), the doctor may request an MRI scan. This scan can also help to reveal the presence of tendinitis.
If the doctor suspects that you also have chronic exertional compartment syndrome, he or she may need to measure your intramuscular lower leg pressure before and during exercise in order to confirm this. That condition increases the pressure inside your muscles in response to running or jumping activity and causes severe lower leg pain. However, unlike shin splints, that pain usually goes away once you complete your exercise session.
If your doctor concludes that you do indeed have shin splints, (s)he will most likely suggest a conservative (non surgical) approach for its treatment. This will likely include:
With such an unpleasant condition, it is obviously better to avoid shin splints if at all possible. To do this, we would suggest the following:
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The Mueller Sports Medicine Adjustable Calf/Shin Splint Support features a wraparound design for easy application and removal.
The Bio Skin Calf Skin compresses injured calves or shins for pain relief and faster healing.
The McDavid Calf Sleeve offers contoured, pull-on and latex-free thermal and compression therapy, together with soft tissue support.
The BioSkin Compression Shin Splint provides unsurpassed relief from the pain of shin splints, calf strains and sprains and other injuries of the lower leg.
Mueller Sports Medicine’s lightweight heel cups will ease the daily pain you feel from heel strike. They will also help to ease the pain in your heels and knees. In addition, they will reduce the pain you may be feeling from shin splints and heel spurs. 1 Pair.
Mueller Sports Medicine has designed its Pro Heel Cups for those who play high impact sports and suffer from heel strike pain as well as heel spurs and shin splints. The Cups have an innovative molded pattern to divert shocks away from the heel and further reduce the pain of shin splints and heel spurs….
