Shin splints
Mechanism:
Symptoms:
Diagnosis:
Treatment/rehabilitation:
Prevention:
- Shin splints are more common in people with flat feet because flat feet lead to overpronation, which iswhen the impact of a step makes your foot's arch collapse.
- Can be caused by very tight calf muscles.
- Can be caused by changing the surface you run on or by running on very hard surfaces like concrete or paved streets rather than a track
Symptoms:
- Pain in the front of the outer leg, below the knee (the shin area)
- The pain is dull at first, but as days and weeks go on, it becomes more and more unbearable
Diagnosis:
- Your doctor will order x-rays to determine if you have a stress fracture or just shin splints.
- A quick way to determine if you have shin splints or a stress fracture is to jump on one foot. If it hurts, you have a stress fracture, if it does not, you have shin splints.
Treatment/rehabilitation:
- Ice the area for 30 minutes 3-4 times a day to reduce swelling
- Stretch a lot everyday, not only the calf muscles, but all of your leg muscles
- Take some time off from sports and running to rest and allow your body to recover
- Take ibuprofen to ease the pain and swelling
- Sleep in compression stockings to reduce swelling and aches
Prevention:
- Stretch before and after working out so that your calves do not get too tight.
- If you are a heel-strike runner, you may benefit from changing your running style to toe-strike.
- Running on a track, which has more give to it than a paved street can prevent you from shin splints.
- Wear shoes with proper cushioning