Shin splints are a common complaint among avid walkers, runners, and athletes. Combating the deep aches and sharp pains that stop us in our tracks, derailing our active lifestyles, can be challenging. Your local BioPed is here to help, with tips and tricks to manage and reduce shin splint occurrence and pain.
What are Shin Splints?
Shin Splints is the common name for medial lower leg shin pain. The medical name is medial tibial stress syndrome. However, there are two forms – anterior and posterior. Anterior shin splints are more painful in the front aspect of the shin with high impact activity, usually with weight bearing and excessive dorsiflexion of the ankle. This is an aggravation of the tibialis anterior muscle, which we see frequently with a sudden increase in activity. Posterior shin splints are felt more in the middle of the lower leg or further back behind the shin bone. This is a result of aggravation of the tibialis posterior muscle with pronation and propulsion, often caused by calf tightness. A lack of proper warm up and cool down stretching before and after activity can contribute to posterior shin splints.
Managing Shin Splint Pain
When shin splint pain strikes it can be disheartening to both the beginner and the seasoned athlete. But with a few small adjustments to your routine, shin splints can be managed effectively.
Rest – Whether you’ve just ramped up your activity or are in the middle of competitive sport season, rest is key to fighting back against shin splints. Rest and ice allow your overworked and overused calf muscles to recover.
Gradual Activity – After you’ve rested, or if you’re thinking about getting more active with the warmer weather on the horizon, keep it gradual. Don’t jump into high intensity activity or frequency. Instead, gradually increase your exercise intensity and duration, giving your body time to adjust.
Stretching – Warm up stretching prepares your body for activity and cool down stretching teaches your muscles to heal lengthened, reducing tightness and pain post exercise. Both stretching practices are important pieces to the puzzle of managing shin splints. Our calf muscles keep us upright and mobile all day long. After activity , we need to give them the proper care and recovery to keep them happy and healthy.
Reducing Shin Splints
There are ways to help prevent shin splints from occurring in the first place. The following treatments are suitable for all levels of activity, pre, post, and current shin splint cases, and generally active people who want to take care of their lower legs so they can play just one more game.
Compression Garments – Compression socks or stockings are wonderful ways to keep leg swelling down and promote blood flow up the leg. With shin splints there can be internal swelling in the muscle tissue as it becomes irritated by micro tearing and friction. Compression socks are an excellent way to minimize swelling and keep your legs feeling better all day long. There are several performance and training options that are tailor made for the active individual for training sessions and exercise bouts. At BioPed, we measure and custom fit you to the right material, strength, and style.
Orthotics – BioPed Pedorthists and Chiropodists are trained to help you reduce the stress on your lower limb. One way is custom made orthotics and over-the-counter insok options best suited for you to get you back to game play and power walking around your block. Orthotics help support structures of the feet and legs, while offloading and promoting shock absorption in painful areas. Shin splints can be caused by excessive movement of the calf muscles along the bones of the lower leg, which comes from your biomechanics. It’s simply the way you’re built. When our natural movement patterns cause pain and stress, orthotics offer a tailor-made solution to promote proper biomechanics and correct any abnormalities in your gait that may be causing shin splints to surface.
Proper Footwear – Stepping out in the right cushioned walking or running shoe that has support and stability built right in will help with shock absorption and your biomechanics to ultimately promote proper gait. The support and stability of the shoe is just as important as the cushion factor. In many cases finding a shoe that simply feels good under the foot is not enough. Walking and running tend to squish cushioning right out of a shoe; this is where the support comes into play. Having both cushion and support in a properly fitted shoe ensures your entire leg is getting the correct shock absorption, biomechanic guide, and support it needs.
Our BioPed team is ready and waiting to help you master shin splint pain this summer and get you back to doing more of what you love!
