How to deal with Shin Splints?

If you regularly find yourself participating in physical activities that involve a fair amount of impact with the ground, you could be at a high risk for shin splints. Sooner or later almost all runners experience pain in the calf or shin. Shin Splints are considered a cumulative stress injury because they often occur after repeated stress or jarring of the bones, muscles and joints without proper conditioning or recovery between workouts.

In some cases, the shin splints are so severe that it actually takes the person away from the activity completely, while in other cases, the shin splints can be dealt with and usual activity will be tolerated. Regardless of how severe your shin splints are, it's going to be important for you to take steps to recognize them.

What are Shin splints?

The term "shin splints" refers to pain along the shinbone (tibia); the large bone in the front of your lower leg. The pain is caused by an overload on the shinbone and the connective tissues that attach your muscles to the bone. Shin splints represent one member of a group of injuries called "overuse injuries". Shin splints occur most commonly in runners or aggressive walkers.

The pain that's typically associated with shin splints will occur right in the front of the outer leg, right below the knee. Sometimes it will be located on the outer edge of the middle region of the leg next to the shin bone, but this will depend a great deal on the position your foot is in when it strikes the ground while running.

What are the Causes of Shin splints?

Causes of shin splints include:

• Improper stretching
• Lack of warm-up
• Beginning an exercise program after a long lay-off period
• Training too hard
• Increasing mileage too quickly
• Running or jumping on hard surfaces or on a tilted or slanted surface
• Worn out shoes that do not have enough support

What are the symptoms of Shin splints?

Symptoms of Shin Splints include:

• Pain located on the medial (inside) part of the lower leg.
• Pain when the toes or foot are bent downwards.
• Sometimes a little bit of swelling.
• Pain is often worse with running on hard surfaces or other weight bearing exercise.
• Pain increases with running, jumping, hill climbing, or downhill running and may linger after stopping activity.
• Calf muscles may be tight and inflexible.
• Redness over the inside of the shin.

Who are more prone to it?

Although all runners are prone to it but beginning runners are at increased risk of shin splints and stress fractures because they are not used to the high impact that running has on the muscles and joints of the lower leg and foot. Another common cause of shin splints among beginners is poor choice of running shoes or running in something other than running shoes. Runners who have started running after long layoffs are also susceptible to shin splints because they often increase their mileage too quickly.

What can I do about it?

Here are a few methods to prevent as well as to cure shin splints:

• Rest to allow the injury to heal.
• Apply ice in the early stages, particularly when it is very painful. Cold therapy reduces pain and inflammation.
• Stretch the muscles of the lower leg. In particular the tibialis posterior is associated with shin splints.
• Wear shock absorbing insoles in shoes. This helps reduce the shock on the lower leg.
• Maintain fitness with other non weight bearing exercises such as swimming, cycling or running in water.
• Apply heat and use a heat retainer or shin and calf support after the initial acute stage and particularly before training.
• Follow the correct technique for your sport.
• Don't suddenly change your training regime.
• Walk on softer surfaces.
• Eat a diet rich in vitamins and minerals, and make sure you eat enough calcium-rich foods such as dairy products.

If you act positively to address the causes of shin splints, there is no reason why you won't emerge a wiser, more confident runner from the experience. Stretching and strengthening the calf muscles can help prevent the injury from returning. However the most important preventive strategy is not to repeat the mistakes that lead to the injury.