| What are shin splints? | | | | Biomechanical insufficiencies and poor footwear |
| Shin splints are a generic term for pain on the medial | | | | You are at more risk of developing shin splints if you |
| (inside) aspect of the tibia (shin bone) which can have | | | | have over pronated (flat) or less commonly supinated |
| several different causes. The most common cause of | | | | (high arched) feet. If you have either of these foot |
| shin pain is called medial tibial stress syndrome | | | | types you need to ensure you have the appropriate |
| (MTSS) amongst health professionals and sports | | | | footwear and/or orthotics to support you feet. In |
| injury therapists. | | | | addition your footwear should have good shock |
| What is happening to your shin to cause the pain? | | | | absorption in the heel. |
| The pain of shin splints is caused by irritation and | | | | Muscle imbalances |
| inflammation to the lining of the shin bone called the | | | | Poor core stability and hip and knee control also |
| periostium. The tibialis posterior and soleus muscles of | | | | increase your likelihood of developing shin splints. It is |
| the lower leg have their attachments on the medial | | | | therefore important to ensure you follow a |
| boarder of the shin. When the muscles overwork | | | | comprehensive abdominal, gluteal and quadriceps |
| they begin to irritate and inflame the periostium which | | | | conditioning program. In addition, tight hamstrings and |
| causes focal tenderness along the site of their | | | | calf muscles also adversely affect lower limb |
| attachment to the bone. | | | | biomechanics so regular stretching should be |
| What causes shin splints? | | | | incorporated into your exercise program. |
| There are numerous potential causes of shin splints. | | | | Warm up and cool down practices |
| Training errors | | | | It is important to ensure your body is sufficiently |
| Typically shin splints present with changes to training. | | | | warmed up before you start exercise. This will |
| It most commonly occurs when you increase the | | | | ensure the blood vessels which supply the muscles |
| frequency and /or intensity of your training. The | | | | are sufficiently dilated (opened) before beginning |
| most common story I hear from clients is one where | | | | exercise. Once you are finished exercising it is |
| they usually go for a 3 mile run once per week then | | | | important to cool down sufficiently to ensure you |
| suddenly start running 6 miles 5 times per week. This | | | | thoroughly flush the lactic acid (waste product) from |
| sudden increase in demand in a short space of time is | | | | your muscles. At the end of your cool down you |
| too much for the muscles to tolerate and they | | | | should stretch your calf muscles to ensure they don't |
| become overused. To avoid this, training volume and | | | | become too tight. The tighter the muscles, the |
| intensity should be increased gradually over a longer | | | | stronger the pull on the periostium and the increased |
| period of time. Running on hard surfaces such as | | | | likelihood of shin splints. |
| concrete will also increase your likelihood of | | | | How do you treat shin splints? |
| developing shinsplints, therefore running on more | | | | An assessment from a chartered physiotherapist is |
| forgiving surfaces such as grass or dirt tracks is | | | | imperative to accurately diagnose the cause of shin |
| recommended. | | | | pain. |