Shin Splints
Shin Splints, also known as Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome cause pain along the front of the lower leg, between your knee and your ankle, just in front of the tibia. Your shins can be painful to touch, although the pain can vary in intensity. Often, shin pain occurs at the beginning of activity, and can decrease once your body has warmed up.
Classified as an overuse injury, shin splints generally develop over a period of time. Usually, people will ignore the early signs of the condition as the discomfort is low and continue the activities causing the problem. As the shin splints develop, the pain will become more regular and last longer, and this is when we generally meet you in our office.
There are a number of risk factors for Shin Splints;
- Abnormal foot function; varus tibial position (bowed legs); tight muscles, or poor muscle strength in the muscles of the lower limb
- A sudden increase in training
- Running on hard surfaces or uneven ground.
- Wearing inappropriate or worn out sports shoes
To prevent shin splints, we recommend the following;
• Gradually increase your training over time
• Always warm up, stretch and cool down after training
• Ensure you have the correct sports shoes for your foot type and activity
• Replace your sports shoes regularly to ensure you have the correct support
At Foot Right Podiatry, we will assess your alignment with a biomechanical assessment to check your risk for shin splints. If you are currently suffering from shin splints, a combination of treatments will be recommended to get you back to being pain-free. Depending on your presenting problem and our examinations, treatment may include a recommendation for a change in footwear, prescription of strengthening exercises to improve your muscle function, stretches, dry needling to release your problem muscles, and orthoses to improve your foot function.