Shin Splints

Shin splints are the common name for an overuse injury to the shin area

The clinical name is medial tibial stress syndrome.

Shin splints symptoms

The main symptom of shin splints is a marked tenderness alongside the inside border of the shinbone after activities like running. This can become pain felt upon running if you keep pushing through the problem. It can also develop as an ache felt after the aggravating activity, especially at night, and stiffness in the shins and ankles that may last a few days after aggravation.

Shin splints causes

The problem is due to a stress reaction in the bone, connective tissue and muscle around the shin. The repetitive stress from activity overwhelms the body’s compensatory mechanisms. This triggers an inflammatory change in the tissues and a stress response in the bone if it gets bad enough. Shin splints often come on at the beginning of a training program or during a shift upwards in the intensity of training.

Shin splints risk factors

Some patients’ biomechanical foot postures are more prone to creating stress and these people may suffer more easily stirred up shin splints or may suffer repeated episodes. Inappropriate footwear may play a part in triggering this condition too. Certain training regimes are linked with shin splints – like sprint training, or running downhill or for long periods on an uneven surface, e.g. the camber of a road.

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How our practitioners help

Osteopath

• Relieve stiffness and pain around your patella
• Improve muscular coordination for prevention of future episodes
• Relieve pain

Massage

• Reduce pain and stiffness in tight, tense muscles and tendons
• Reduce pain and inflammation through lymphatic drainage techniques.
• Release tension in hamstrings, ITB and your quadriceps

Acupuncture

• Gentle and calm intervention for pain
• Promotes muscle relaxation
• Dampens inflammatory response