Shin splints

What are shin splints?

“Shin splints” refer to pain felt along the shin bone which is the large bone in the front of your lower leg.

Causes

Shin splints are very common in sports such as running, soccer, netball, hockey, basketball, and dancing. These sports are repetitive and therefore place cumulative stress on the legs. More specifically the muscles, tendons and bone tissues in the lower leg become overworked. As a result, there is a stress reaction that causes pain on the front of the shin. The likelihood of developing shin splints depends on several causal factors which is what we address in this article.

Note: Left unchecked, shin splints can persist and eventually even lead to stress fractures in the shin hence it is important to ask a Biokineticist for help.

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Causal factors and remedies

There are several factors that increase the risk of developing shin splints. Often these factors occur in combinations. Therefore, it is important to consult with a Biokineticist to find the exact cause. Thereafter, we can provide treatment so you can return to running with a reduced risk of reoccurrence. Shin splints are caused by the following:

1. Too much too soon

Shin splints commonly occur in people who are new to running. This occurs as there is a sudden increase in training load (i.e., ”too much too soon”). Running too far, too often or at a fast pace places stress on the legs that they are not ready for. The muscles and connective tissue around the shin bone become irritated resulting in painful symptoms. Biokineticists understand how the human body adapts to physical exercise/stress. As a result, we provide tailored guidance training and goals that goals that do not result in injury. Whether you are preparing for your first 5km race or marathon (42km), we have expertise to help you. We will ensure that you gradually increase demands on your body that allow the body to adapt and better handle the demands of running.

2. Muscle weakness and poor mobility

Runners, and those involved in other endurance sports, often don’t incorporate strength and mobility training in their routine. Resistance training (i.e., using your own body or external weights) should form an essential part of training. Muscle imbalances or weakness can significantly increase the risk of developing shin splints. Weaker muscles struggle to tolerate demands placed on the body from running and jumping and then become irritated leading to pain. Strength training is regularly implemented in our Biokinetics training programmes to iron out any deficits in muscle weakness that you may have. The goal is to ”bullet proof” muscles, tendons, and bones so that they are well conditioned and prepared to handle the demands of running and other physical activities.

3. Running technique

Technique is key, not only for running, but also other fundamental movements such as jumping which occurs in many sporting codes. These activities involve these repetitive movement patterns which can place a great demand on your legs. Therefore, it is important to ensure these actions are performed with good technique. Poor technique increases the stress placed on the shin bone. Biokineticists provide you with a movement diagnosis. Simply put, we can perform a video analysis of how you run and determine where your technique can be improved. The analysis also helps identify muscles that are potentially weak or not working effectively to bring about an effective running pattern.

4. Running surface

Running surface is important as it directly affects physical demand on the legs. Running on a hard surface such as a tar road places greater stress on the legs compared to running on grass. Running on an uneven surface (e.g., hills) also affects the level of stress placed on shins. Transitioning from grass to a hard surface significantly increases the load placed on your legs during training. It’s important that you tell the Biokineticist what surface you are running on so that you can get the correct guidance.

4. Running shoes

Choosing the correct running shoe is a significant ”game changer”. At Health & Fitness Hub, the Biokineticist often refers patients out to a local podiatrist. Podiatrists are feet experts who accurately determine which shoes are best for you. Older running shoes have reduced shock absorption which increases stress on the shins. Its important that your shoes are replaced after running every 560 – 800 kilometres.

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Signs and symptoms of shin splints

Pain or tenderness along the inner side of the shin bone,
There may be some swelling your lower leg
Initially, pain subsides at the end of a run/training session
Eventually the pain becomes constant as shin splints get worse

Treatment for shin splints

We are often asked how shin splints can be fixed and how long it will take. The time required for healing depends on how extreme the shin splints are and how long you have suffered. Biokineticist will conduct a thorough evaluation and treat the injury in such as way as to heal the shin splints and reduce the risk of shin splints recurring back. Some effective treatment strategies include:

Perform strength training and mobility exercises at least 2 times per week. This is essential to increase the resiliency of your body so that it can deal with the high impact of running.
Change running technique with guidance of a video analysis.
Gradually increase running distance and don’t run too far, too quickly. A general rule is to increase distance by no more than 10% each successive week.
Reduce impact activities (especially in the initial stages of recovery) through cross training such as cycling or swimming. This maintains your cardiovascular fitness while greatly reducing impact stress on your legs.
Wear the correct running shoes and replace worn shoes for better shock absorption.