What is Shin Splints? What Causes? How Can You Prevent or Cure Them?

What is Shin Splints? Shin splints is a common complaint, especially among participants of running sports. The term 'shin splints' is colloquially used to describe shin pain along the inside or front edges of the shin. There are two regions where you can suffer shin splints: Anterior Posterior What Causes Shin Splints? Shin splints are caused by overstraining of your muscles where they attach to your shin. The most common cause is overuse or overtraining associated with poor foot and leg biomechanics. Shin splints can be caused by a number of factors which are mainly biomechanical (abnormal movement patterns) and errors in training.  Here are some of the most common causes: Overpronation of your feet Oversupination of your feet Inappropriate footwear Increasing your training too quickly Running on hard or angled surfaces Decreased flexibility at your ankle joint Poor knee flexion alignment Poor buttock control at in the stance phase Poor core stability Tight calf muscles, hamstrings Weak quadriceps, foot arch muscles Generally shin pain arises from a combination of three structures: Muscles Tenoperiosteum Shin bone (tibia) Muscle As a result of repeated overuse, one or more of your muscles in the lower leg may become injured through excessive loading stress. This can result in muscle tenderness, inflammation or knots. The most common muscles that cause shin splints are tibialis anterior (anterior shin splints) and tibialis posterior (posterior shin splints). Tenoperiosteum All bones are covered in a 'shell', called periosteum. The tendons, which connect the muscle to the bone, attach on to this periosteum. This zone at which the tendon meets the bone is known as tenoperiosteum. Almost all cases of 'shin splints' have some element of inflammation of the tenoperiosteum. Inflammation of different tendons leads to pain in different areas of the shin. Bone Damage to the shin bone usually concentrates in the lower one-third of the shin bone (tibia). The bone damage may be mild, such as a simple stress reaction, or may be a severe stress fracture. Except in the worst cases, bone damage is not visible on normal x-rays. A bone scan or MRI may be recommended if your physiotherapist or doctor need to exclude or confirm a bone injury. What are the Symptoms of Shin Splints? Shin splints cause dull, aching pain in the front of the lower leg. Depending on the exact cause, the pain may be located along either side of the shinbone or in the muscles. The area may be painful to the touch. The Four Stages of an Overuse Injury: Discomfort that disappears during warm-up. Discomfort that may disappear during warm-up but reappears at the end of activity. Discomfort that gets worse during the activity. Pain or discomfort all the time. Injury identification and treatment in stage 1, allows continuing activity as long as the injury does not worsen. A stage 2, activity may continue at a modified pain-free level while being treated. Treatment must continue until completely healed. If the injury progresses to stage 3 or 4, activity must immediately cease. Your supervising physiotherapist will allow a return to activity after identifying the cause and you are comple tely symptom-free. Competitive athletes, depending on the individual circumstances, may return to activity with stage 1 symptoms.  Your physiotherapist will guide you. Contact PhysioWorks or Book Online How is Shin Splints Diagnosed? Shin splints are usually diagnosed based on your medical history and a physical examination by your physiotherapist. In some cases, an X-ray or other imaging studies such as bone scans or MRI can help identify other possible causes for your pain, such as a stress fracture. Treatment for Shin Splints Phase 1 - Early Injury Protection: Pain Reduction & Anti-inflammatory Phase As with most soft tissue injuries the initial treatment is - Rest, Ice and Protection. In the early phase you may be unable to walk or run without pain, so your shin muscles and bones need some active rest from weight-bearing loads. Your physiotherapist will advise you on what they feel is best for you. Ice is a simple and effective modality to reduce your pain and swelling. Please apply for 20-30 minutes each 2 to 4 hours during the initial phase or when you notice that your injury is warm or hot. Anti-inflammatory medication (if tolerated) and natural substances eg arnica may help reduce your pain and swelling. However, it is best to avoid anti-inflammatory drugs during the initial 48 to 72 hours when they may encourage additional bleeding. Most people can tolerate paracetamol as a pain reducing medication. As you improve a kinesio style supportive taping will help to support the injured soft tissue and provide some stress reduction for your shin bone. Phase 2: Regain Full Range of Motion If you protect your injured shin muscles while they heal and strengthen. This may take several weeks. During this time period you should be aiming to optimally remould your scar tissue to prevent a poorly formed scar that will re-tear in the future. It is important to lengthen and orientate your healing scar tissue via massage, muscle stretches, neurodynamic mobilisations and specific exercises. Your physiotherapist will guide you. Phase 3: Normalise Foot Biomechanics Shin splints commonly occur from poor foot biomechanics eg flat foot. In order to prevent a recurrence, your foot will be assessed. In some instances you may require a foot orthotic (shoe insert) or you may be a candidate for the Active Foot Posture Stabilisation program. Your physiotherapist will happily discuss the pros and cons of both options to you. Phase 4: Restore Muscle Strength Your calf and shin muscles will need to strengthened to enable a safe resumption of sport or training. Phase 5: Modified Training Program & Return to Sport Most shin splints occur due to excessive training loads. Running sports place enormous forces on your body (contractile and non-contractile). In order to prevent a recurrence as you return to sport, your physiotherapist will guide you with training schedules and exercises to address these important components of rehabilitation to both prevent a recurrence and improve your sporting performance. Depending on the demands of your chosen sport, you will require specific sport-specific exercises and a progressed training regime to enable a safe and injury-free return to your chosen sport. Your PhysioWorks physiotherapist will discuss your goals, time frames and training schedules with you to optimise you for a complete return to sport. The perfect outcome will have you performing at full speed, power, agility and function with the added knowledge that a through rehabilitation program has minimised your chance of future injury. What Results Should You Expect? There is no specific time frame for when to progress from each stage to the next. Your shin splints rehabilitation status will be determined by many factors during your physiotherapist’s clinical assessment. You’ll find that in most cases, your physiotherapist will seamlessly progress between the rehabilitation phases as your clinical assessment and function improves. It is also important to note that each progression must be carefully monitored as attempting to progress too soon to the next level can lead to re-injury and frustration. The severity of your shin splints, your compliance with treatment and the workload that you need to return to will ultimately determine how long your injury takes to successfully rehabilitate. How Can Shin Splints Deteriorate? Left untreated and with continued overtraining, shin splints can progress into tibial stress fractures, which will require a minimum of six weeks resting on the couch. Less commonly, if your muscle sheaths become compressed by engorged muscles - muscle compartment syndrome can develop. Muscle compartment syndrome is a very serious shin complaint that often requires surgical intervention to prevent permanent muscle damage. For more information please contact your physiotherapist. Contact PhysioWorks or Book Online Common Treatments for Shin Splints Immediate Injury Treatment Avoid the HARM Factors What are the Healing Phases for a Soft Tissue Injury? What to do after a Muscle Strain or Ligament Sprain Acupuncture and Dry Needling What is Sub-Acute Soft Tissue Injury Treatment? Scapular Stabilisation Exercises Active Foot Posture Correction Exercises Gait Re-Education Biomechanical Analysis Balance Enhancement Exercises Proprioception & Balance Exercises Agility & Sport-Specific Exercises Medications? Soft Tissue Massage Walking Boot Electrotherapy & Local Modalities Heating Pads Kinesiology Taping Neurodynamics / Neuro Mobilisation Prehabilitation Strengthening Exercises Stretching Exercises Support Brace Supportive Taping & Strapping TENS Machines Contact PhysioWorks or Book Online FAQs about Shin Splints What is Pain? Physiotherapy & Exercise When Should Diagnostic Tests Be Performed? What are the Different Massage Styles and their Benefits? How Does Kinesiology Tape Reduce Swelling? How Can You Prevent a Future Leg Injury? How Much Treatment Will You Need? How to Stretch? What are Growing Pains? What are the Common Massage Therapy Techniques? What are the Early Warning Signs of an Injury? What is Chronic Pain? What is Sports Physiotherapy? What is the Correct Posture Standing? When Can You Return to Sport or Work? Why Does Heat Feel So Good? Contact PhysioWorks or Book Online Helpful Products for Shin Splints Related Injuries Achilles Tendon Rupture Achilles Tendonitis / Tendinitis Calf Muscle Tears Foot Bunion Heel Spurs (Calcaneal Spurs) High Ankle Sprain Iliotibial Band Friction Syndrome Muscle Pain: Strains or Tears Overuse Injuries Plantar Fasciitis Sever's Disease Shin Splints Sprained Ankle Stress Fracture

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