What are Shin Splints?

Shin pain or shin splints also known as tibial stress syndrome refers to pain & swelling down the front bone of your lower leg, called the tibia. The pain occurs from repeated stress on the shin bone (tibia) and the tissue that connects the muscle to the tibia.

Anyone can suffer from this but it is extremely common in runners, dancers, triathletes and in the sporting community as increased activity overworks the muscles, tendons and bone tissue. Ten to fifteen percent of running injuries are shin splints. People usually with shin splints feel pain on the front, lower part of the leg & some may also notice mild swelling.

There are two common sites for shin splints:

Anterior  – refers to the front (or anterior) part of the shin bone and involve the tibialis anterior muscle.

Posterior  – usually occurring more on the inside rear (or medial/posterior) part of the shin bone and involve the tibialis posterior muscle.

Causes of shin splints

• Flat (pronated) feet
• Overuse or repetitive stress injuries (stress fractures)
• Inappropriate footwear (high arched or ill-fitted)
• Trauma
• Increased activity
• Physical overtraining or overloading:
• Sporting activities –running & jumping
• Tight calf muscles, hamstrings
• Poor footwear
• Trigger points
• Muscle strain or tears
• Increased weight

Symptoms of Shin Splints

• can cause dull, aching pain in the front of the lower leg.
• tenderness, soreness or pain along the inner side of your shinbone and mild swelling in your lower leg
• pain can be continuous and might progress to a stress reaction or stress fracture.
• The area may be painful to the touch.

Prevention of Shin Splints

• Choose the right shoes.
• Analyze your movement.
• Lessen the impact.
• Avoid overdoing.
• Consider arch supports.
• Consider shock-absorbing insoles.

Physical therapy for Shin Splints

SOS PHYSIO’s physical therapist can help ease the pain and guide your return to sport. They will make sure you don’t have a stress fracture — tiny cracks in your tibia.

There are many physical therapy treatments such as Manual therapy & Active Release Techniques (ART) are found to be very effective in treating this type of disorder.
For more information- Contact your local SOS PHYSIO clinic

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