A while ago I talked about IT band syndrome being a common injury among runners. Another nagging pain you may encounter is something called medial tibial stress syndrome, more commonly known as the dreaded shin splints. Pain from shin splints occurs along the front of the lower leg when the connective tissue between the muscle and tibia bone becomes strained from overuse. A sharp increase in weekly mileage can cause this inflammation or if you have taken up running again after a considerable break. A lot of times the soreness will be present at the beginning of a run and then fade as the muscles warm- only to return again when your workout is over or even the following morning. If you’re not a runner you can still experience this type of injury if you participate in sports that involve constant impact of the legs on a hard surface. This could be basketball, soccer, tennis- even dancers can experience shin splints. In many situations, shin splints can be minor- much like delayed onset muscle soreness, or DOMS. However, if ignored and not taken care of properly you run the possibility of it developing into a more serious injury like a stress fracture in the tibia bone.
So what can you do to treat it? I may sound like a broken record but the best thing to do initially with any injury is the tried and true Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation. After that though, you’ll also want to make sure that you are wearing the proper shoes. Pounding the pavement in flat, worn sneakers can exacerbate the pain. If you tend to overpronate your feet when you run (that means rolling them inward) you may want to consider wearing shoes specifically designed for correcting this problem. Don’t know if you overpronate? You can get a gait analysis at place like Instep where they will analyze your stride and fit you with the proper shoes and/or inserts. There are also some stretches you can do to alleviate tension in the lower legs. Surprisingly, shin pain can develop when you have tightness in your calves. Everything really is connected, right? I found a video that demonstrates a few calf and ankle stretches that will hopefully help:
Consider taking a few days off from high impact workouts and opt for cross training on the elliptical or stationary bike instead. A sports massage could also help alleviate the tension- plus who doesn’t like a massage? By all means though If pain persists please see a doctor. Ignoring chronic pain can only lead to worse things and I’m pretty sure that none of you are in the market for a stress fracture.
Coming Up: Plantar Fasciitis or “Ow, my heels hurt!”
Toe raises a few times a week will help prevent these injuries by strengthening the shins. They only take a minute to do and it only requires a wall to lean on.
I’ll have to try those. I only experience slight soreness once in a while but I’d to eliminate it all together. Three cheers for prevention!
I’ve had on-again off-again shin splints since age 15! They are no fun, but ice massages after running are helpful. Just rub an ice cube directly on your skin in a targeted spot for 15 minutes. For strength you can also sit with you legs straight out in front of you and use a theraband for resistance while doing foot exercises (10-20 reps of each of the following: point your toes out, flex your feet toward you, rotate them to the side, rotate them in.)