How to overcome Shin Splints

Shin splints is a general term used to refer to a painful condition in the shins.

It is often caused by running or jumping or sprinting, and may be very slow to heal. A formal medical term for the condition is medial tibial stress syndrome.

Overused muscle

One cause is an overused muscle, either as an acute injury or delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). The muscle pain is caused by any activity that involves running, jumping, also sometimes even walking.

Untreated shin splints can lead to a stress reaction mid-shaft in the tibia, which can eventually lead to a stress fracture. A stress fracture can be diagnosed by a bone scan or an MRI and takes much longer to heal than shin splints.

Causes

The reason is that some runners overstride, and land heavily on the heel with each footstrike (thus, shin splints are a common ailment in military boot camps, where trainees march extensively by extending the leg forward and forcefully striking the boot heel on the ground).

When this happens, the forefoot rapidly slaps down to the ground. Effectively, the foot, which is dorsiflexed prior to making contact with the ground, is forcefully plantarflexed.

This forceful plantar flexion of the foot causes a corresponding rapid stretch in the attached muscles. A reflex in the muscles responds, causing a powerful contraction. It is this eccentric contraction which leads to muscle soreness and possible injury to the muscle, tendon or connective tissue.

Doctor’s Opinion

Treatment

Running and other strenuous lower limb activities, like basketball and other sports which include flexing the muscle, should be avoided until the pain subsides and is no longer elicited by activity.

In conjunction with rest, anti-inflammatory treatments such as cold-packs and drugs, such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (in particular, NSAID gel) may be suggested by a doctor or athletic trainer.

Furthermore, the lower legs may be taped to stabilize and take some load off the periosteum. Finally, using good shoes (ideally compensating for individual foot differences) is important.

The shin can be trained for greater static and dynamic flexibility through adaptation, which will diminish the contracting reflex, and allow the muscles to handle the rapid stretch. The key to this is to stretch the shins regularly.

However, static stretching might not be enough. To adapt a muscle to rapid, eccentric contraction, it has to acquire greater dynamic flexibility as well. One way to work on the dynamic flexibility of the anterior shin is to subject it to exaggerated stress, in a controlled way, such as walking on the heels.

If the muscle is regularly subject to an even greater dynamic, eccentric contraction than during the intended exercise, it will become more capable of handling the ordinary amount of stress.

Experienced long-distance runners practice controlled downhill running as a part of training, which places greater eccentric loads on the quadriceps as well as on the shins. A physical therapist, athletic trainer, or doctor should be consulted before engaging in this type of training.