Shin Splints
What are shin spints?
Shin splints is most commonly referring to pain in the front of the lower leg. In the medical community they are referred to as medial tibial stress syndrome. Patients often state that they have pain on the shin bone. This is due to the inflammation of the muscles, bone, tendons and soft tissue along the tibia.
The pain can be intense and can be so painful it hurts just to walk! We see this type of injury in all types of athletes who have some type of running or jumping involved in the sport they participate.
The cause of the shin splints could be biomechanical and means that sometimes the athlete needs a little more support in the shoe they train in. For some athletes there is a muscle imbalance and training the anterior(front of the leg muscle group) can improve outcomes over time. Other athletes might just be over training and may require a little rest and possibliy medicine for the inflammation
The cause of the shin splints could be biomechanical and means that sometimes the athlete needs a little more support in the shoe they train in. For some athletes there is a muscle imbalance and training the anterior(front of the leg muscle group) can improve outcomes over time. Other athletes might just be over training and may require a little rest and possibliy medicine for the inflammation
Treatment for shin splint
Ice, we will recommend icing at least twice a day in an aggressive manner to promote blood flow to the area and provide an anti inflammatory effect. We usually will recommend compression on the affected extremity in the form of a compression sleeve and a compression pump for the legs. If you are training on hard surfaces we will recommend switching to a softer surface like grass over cement. We often will prescribe a medication for a short period of time to help with inflammation and pain.
If you have seen us for shin splints, then you may know we are huge fans of physical therapy for this condition. We show you some exercises and stretches for shin splints that you can perform at home. But if you have severe shin splints and Xrays and MRI show no fracture, we are going to send you to a physical therapist for more advanced care.
Our recommendations for Shin Splints
Compression Pumps
This can be a more spendy helper for your leg pain and shin splints. There are so many different types on Amazon. I am sharing the one we personally have used for the athletes that live in our house! We have 2 soccer players and one track runner and have made very good use of this high quality product. I recommend at least once a day before bedtime for this device. Above picture is a link to our Amazon Affiliate Store where you can find this product.