If you're experiencing pain in the front of your lower leg, especially after running or engaging in high-impact activities, you could be dealing with shin splints. Shin splints affect many athletes, hikers, and fitness enthusiasts, causing discomfort and sometimes even limiting physical activity. If you're struggling with shin pain, you're not alone. But what are shin splints? Let's take a look at shin splints, what causes them, and how to recognize the symptoms and prevent them in the future.
What Are Shin Splints?
Shin splints, formally known as medial tibial stress syndrome (MTSS), refer to the pain felt along the inner edge of the shinbone (tibia). This condition happens when the muscles, tendons, and bone tissue around the tibia become overworked due to repetitive stress. Usually, shin splints occur in runners, but anyone participating in physical activities like hiking, basketball, or dance can develop this type of leg pain.
Shin Splints Symptoms
Recognizing the symptoms of shin splints is key to getting the right treatment.
The most common symptoms include:
- A dull, aching pain in the shin: This pain is typically located along the front or inner part of the lower leg and can intensify during or after exercise.
- Tenderness or soreness along the shinbone: Pressing on the affected area often causes discomfort.
- Swelling in the lower leg: Some people experience mild swelling in the shins, particularly after exercising.
- Shin pain that worsens with activity: As the condition progresses, the pain may worsen during physical activities like running or jumping and may persist even during rest
If you're experiencing any of these symptoms, it's important to take steps to reduce the pain and prevent further damage.
What Causes Shin Splints?
The primary cause of shin splints is repetitive stress to the lower leg. This stress can lead to inflammation of the muscles and tendons surrounding the shinbone, causing pain.
Some of the most common causes of shin splints include:
- Sudden increases in physical activity: Ramping up your workout intensity or duration too quickly can place extra stress on your shins.
- Running on hard surfaces: Pavement or concrete surfaces don't absorb impact well, increasing stress on your legs.
- Improper footwear: Wearing worn-out or unsupportive shoes can contribute to shin splints.
- Flat feet or high arches: These foot conditions can alter your biomechanics, placing more stress on the shins.
- Poor running form: Incorrect running technique, such as overstriding or landing too heavily on your heels, can lead to shin pain.
Understanding the causes of your shin splints is important to help you prevent future occurrences.
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Shin Splints Treatment
How to Care for Shin Splints at Home
If you're wondering how to get rid of shin splints, the good news is that in most cases they can be treated at home with simple home remedies and changes to your workout routine.
Here are ways to care for shin splints at home:
Rest: The most important aspect of treating shin splints is giving your legs time to heal. Avoid high-impact activities that aggravate the pain, like running or jumping.
Ice the affected area: Apply ice packs to your shins for 15-20 minutes several times a day. This helps to reduce inflammation and pain.
Compression: Wearing compression sleeves can help reduce swelling and provide support to the affected area.
Elevation: Elevating your legs after exercise can help decrease swelling and improve circulation.
Over-the-counter pain relievers: Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like ibuprofen can reduce pain and inflammation.
How to Prevent Shin Splints
Preventing shin splints is crucial to avoiding recurrent pain.
Here are some strategies to keep your shin splints at bay:
Wear proper footwear: Invest in supportive running shoes. Get fitted for shoes that provide adequate cushioning and stability for your specific feet. Shoes that are worn-out and have lost their cushining and support can fail to properly absorb the impact of your foot hitting the ground. When that shock isn't absorbed by your shoes, it transfers more stress to your lower legs, increasing the risk of develping shin splints. Shoes that don’t provide adequate arch support or cushioning can contribute to shin splints, especially if you have flat feet, high arches, or other foot mechanics issues. Shoes designed specifically for your foot type and activity level can help distribute the forces evenly and prevent overloading your shins.
Stretch and strengthen: Regularly stretching your calves and strengthening the muscles in your lower legs can hlep improve flexibility and reduce your risk of developing shin splints.
Run on softer surfaces: Whenever possible, run on grass, trails, or a track instead of concrete or asphalt. Running on these softer surfaces can help reduce the impact on your legs, as these surfaces absorb more shock. This will lessen the stress put on your shinbones and surrounding tissues, lowering the likelihoo of developing shin splints. Running on hard surfaces increases your risk of developing shin splints. Surfaces like concrete and asphalt don’t absorb the impact of your steps, meaning the force is transmitted back up through your legs, putting additional stress on your muscles and bones which can lead to inflammation and pain in your shins.
Ease into new workouts: Gradually increase the intensity and duration of your exercise routine to give your body time to adapt.
Improve your running form: Pay attention to your stride and landing mechanics. Landing softly and maintaining a shorter stride can help distribute impact more evenly.
Dealing with Shin Splints: When to See a Specialist
If your shin splints aren't improving with rest and home treatment, or if the pain becomes severe, it may be time to see a sports medicine specialist. A sports med doctor can help determine if your shin splints are caused by an underlying issue like a stress fracture, or they may suggest more advanced treatment options.
Here are signs you should see a sports medicine doctor:
- Pain persists despite rest and home care.
- You experience severe pain even when not exercising.
- Swelling in the shin area is increasing.
- There's concern about a potential stress fracture.
Sports medicine specialists can perform imaging tests like X-rays or MRIs to rule out more serious injuries. They may also recommend other treatments such as physical therapy to help you strengthen the muscles around your shins, custom orthotics to correct any biomechanical issues, or even gait analysis to improve your running form.
What is Gait Analysis?
Gait analysis is a way of studying how you walk or run to understand your movement patterns. It looks at how your feet hit the ground, how your legs move, and how your body stays balanced. The goal is to identify any imbalances or issues that could lead to injuries, like shin splints or knee pain.
During a gait analysis, a specialist might watch you walk or run or use technology like a treadmill and cameras to get a detailed view. Based on the results, they might recommend specific shoes, insoles, or exercises to improve your form and reduce the risk of injury.
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Advanced Treatment Options for Shin Splints
If basic treatments aren't effective, your specialist may suggest advanced interventions. These may include:
- Physical therapy: A physical therapist can guide you through exercises that strengthen the muscles supporting your shins and improve your flexibility.
- Custom orthotics: If flat feet or high arches are contributing to your shin splints, custom shoe inserts can provide the support you need.
Long-Term Treatment and Prevention
Once you've recovered from shin splints, it's important to make long-term adjustments to avoid future injuries. Follow these tips:
- Stick to a well-rounded workout routine: To help give our legs a break from high-impact activities you can ncorporate low-impact exercises like cycling or swimming into your routine.
- Continue strengthening and stretching: Regularly strengthening the muscles in your legs and stretching your calves and Achilles tendons can reduce stress on your shins.
- Cross-train: Mix up your workouts with different types of exercise to avoid overloading your shins with repetitive impact.
Shin Splints Don't Have to Hold You Back
Shin splints can definitely be painful and frustrating especially if you're in the middle of training, but with the right treatment and preventative strategies, you can recover and get back to your favorite activities. Remember, rest is key to healing, and making gradual changes, instead of sudden, to your workout routine can help you avoid shin splints in the future. If your symptoms persist, don't hesitate to seek help from a sports medicine specialist, who can provide a tailored treatment plan to get you back on track.
This blog post is meant to be informative and should not act as a self-diagnosis tool. If you’d like to see one of our doctors, please contact us here.
