| Shin pain is often diagnosed as "shin splints" and is | | | | tightness or muscle weakness. Watching the video in |
| one of the most feared conditions a runner can get. | | | | slow motion will identify what needs to be corrected |
| Shin splints is only an umbrella term which groups | | | | and once this has been identified and corrected the |
| many different conditions together. | | | | runner usually experiences no further problems. |
| Therefore, unfortunately, any runner who | | | | If shin splints is being caused by joint stiffness in the |
| experiences pain in the shin is often classified as | | | | hips, knees or ankles then shin splints treatment will |
| having shin splints when in fact they don't. The | | | | involve physio techniques to mobilise the loosen up |
| majority of shin pain experienced by runners is due | | | | the joints. |
| to the development of excessive tightness within the | | | | Shin splints treatment will also involve deep sports |
| calf muscles. This can be due to a number of reasons | | | | massage as there will be a build up of lactic acid and |
| including biomechanical errors in their running gait, | | | | metabolites deep within the calf muscles. They lose |
| fatigue, overtraining or previous injury. | | | | their elasticity and are more prone to injury. Sports |
| When the calf muscles become tight they often | | | | massage will clear away the debris, will new blood |
| press forward onto the other muscles surrounding | | | | flow to the area and increase the elasticity in the |
| the front of the shin. This causes friction and | | | | tissue. |
| subsequently inflammation of the tissues surrounding | | | | Once the tissues are back to normal and the pain has |
| the shin bone which results in shin splints pain when | | | | reduced shin splints treatment involves rehabilitation |
| running. | | | | exercises to strengthen the muscles and improve |
| Rest will initially help reduce the symptoms but | | | | running gait. |
| because the tightness in the muscle remains, the pain | | | | Most runners can then successfully return to a |
| will return when running is resumed. | | | | graduated program of running. |
| The key to successful treatment for shin splints is to | | | | However if the shin pain was ignored for a long time |
| first address why the tightness is there in the first | | | | and the runner pushed through the pain for months, |
| place. Inevitably it will boil down to a fault in running | | | | it is possible they have developed a stress fracture. |
| technique. In our clinic we assess all our runners on | | | | This must always be kept in the back of your mind if |
| the treadmill using video analysis. This process will | | | | you have shin pain. A bone scan will confirm the |
| identify exactly what is at fault during running. In | | | | presence of a stress fracture and this will involve all |
| some cases anterior shin pain occurs due to | | | | the above shin splint treatment but include a longer |
| excessive pelvic tilt or rotation during stance phase | | | | period of strict rest to allow healing and a much more |
| of running, sometimes medial shin pain is due to | | | | gradual return to running. |
| excessive pronation and sometimes to muscle | | | | |