SHIN SPLINTS
Do your shins throb or ache after your daily run or just sprinting to catch the kids?
It could be shin splints. The cause is stress on your shinbone and the connective tissues that attach muscles to your shin bone. They get inflamed, swollen and painful.
This common problem can result from:
• Flat feet: when the impact of each step makes your foot’s arch collapse or roll inwards
• Shoes that don’t fit well or no longer provide good support
• Working out without warmup or cooldown stretches
• Weak ankles, arches, hips, or core muscles
• Sudden changes to your exercises routine: making your workout more intense, more frequent or last longer
• Repetitive running on hard surfaces
Shin splints are more accurately called: medial tibial stress syndrome.
HOW TO TREAT IT
It’s important that you don’t ignore the pain and keep training. If pain persists and you continue the activity, stress fractures can develop.
REST is first. You shins need time to heal
ICE your shin to ease pain and swelling 20-30 mins every 30-4 hours for 3 days or until the pain is gone
Adding gentle COMPRESSION to the area of inflammation. Correctly applied Kinesiotape or a shin compression garment can help recovery and reduce it recurring
Check your SHOES. Replace if worn. Your shoes should be firm fitting, supportive and shock absorbing.
Add INSOLES to your shoes (custom or premade). They should support your arches and prevent them collapsing during running.
EXERCISES to stretch the injured structures, then strengthen the muscles of the lower legs and feet are best prescribed to suit you and your sport and to guide your return to your sport.
Healing needs time. Changing to a lower-impact activity like swimming or cycling gives you time to heal. If your shin splints don’t get better, seek professional advice.
Marina Crichton
Physiotherapist
