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Shin Splints

Shin Splints By Paranjai Patil

Shin splints is the common name for the medical term medial tibial stress syndrome (MTSS). The injury occurs in the namesake shin or tibia which is located next to the fibula and under the patella and femur. It is an injury that is common in athletes, dancers, military personnel, and people who engage in general physical activity. This injury happens to over 3 million Americans every year. It worsens over time, and the pain is enough to prevent people from taking part in physical activity during the duration of the injury. However, the injury is not very hard to treat, and while it is recommended to see a doctor, people have recovered by just applying ice and resting at their own house.


Causes

As mentioned, people who are physically active tend to get shin splints at a much higher rate than those who are not physically active. This does not mean that people should be less active to avoid getting shin splints; rather, people should take more precautions while exercising or taking part in physical activity. Sports in which one is required to quickly accelerate, stop, and change directions cause shin splints at a higher rate than sports that do not require these movements. Examples of such sports where the ability to stop and start quickly is required are basketball, racquetball, tennis, and soccer. The force required to stop after running at a fast rate is extremely high, and if this pressure is taken out on the shin, swelling can occur.

People who are running should also be mindful of where and how they are running because running improperly is another common cause for shin splints. Running downhill increases the risk of shin splints because the body needs to slow itself in order to stay balanced, and this extra effort by the body puts more stress on the shins. The surface that someone is running can also increase one’s likelihood of getting shin splints. Running on a hard material like concrete rather than grass and dirt causes more force on the shins when the leg touches the ground and increases the risk of shin splints. Running on uneven terrain where there may be small hills and bumps that the body has to compensate for to keep balance also affects the body. Wearing improper shoes that do not fit while running is yet another cause because the body is not landing on the ground with distribution of weight on the balls of the feet, so the shin tends to absorb that force.

Weaknesses in other parts of the body will also often cause shin splints to develop because the shin is required to do more work. Weakness in the thigh and glute areas of the body can cause people to walk in an uneven way that puts more stress on the shin, leading to shin splints. People who are flat footed and cannot walk properly are at a much higher risk of shin splints because, once again, they tend to put more force on their shins. This, however, is a condition that often but not always develops during birth, and there is not much that the people who have flat-footedness can do to prevent shin splints.


How to Prevent It

Most of the causes that I listed in part one other than flat-footedness were preventable things that could stop a person from being sidelined for a while and developing a painful injury if they just took a little more precaution. When running always make sure that the terrain that you’re running on doesn’t have random bumps or isn’t too hard like concrete. For many people there isn’t just a flat soft area so running on concrete is still okay as long as you make sure not to land too hard while running. Running downhill is always a bad idea and while people may feel faster running downhill their times help their times by a lot. It isn't worth it because painful shin splints may develop and they won’t be able to run at all.

People who are already feeling a little bit weak because of muscle pain in parts of the leg or even those who have bruises should avoid physical activity. While pushing through it in order to stay fit may seem like something that doesn’t have much harm it could be possibly detrimental if shin splints develop. While participating in sports that require stop start ability like basketball, tennis, and soccer if any sort of pain in the leg area develops people should be more mindful of this pain and go a little bit easier. Staying in seems like a good option because it would allow the player to play more during that game but if shin splints develop the amount of time of the field/court will likely be longer.

Wearing proper footwear is always important and it should go without saying that when running or walking somewhat long distances you should always wear shoes that fit well and that are comfortable rather than wearing worn out shoes that don’t fit or wearing sandals or crocs. People who run should replace their running shoes after running anywhere in the 350-500 mile range and that range gets even lower when running with regular shoes instead of running shoes.

Shin Splints Symptoms

Knowing that one has shin splints isn’t always obvious at first but over time the pain will get to a point where it’s excruciating enough to where it’s obvious that a person has shin splints. An ache in the front part of the lower leg is a clear and obvious sign that shin splints may be starting to develop. If that overall area becomes numb or weak shin splints may be occuring. Swelling doesn’t normally occur until the shin splints get bad but it’s another tell tale sign that shin splints may be forming. Muscle pain in that area can also be a sign because the body may be attempting to avoid pressuring the shin and muscles will have to do more work. While the pain is normally on the front part of the shin, pain on the sides may also be shin splints and at times when this happens the skin in that area will feel tender and soft. If these symptoms occur during exercise the case of shin splints may be a bit more mild.

Symptoms of more severe cases of shin splints are a bit different than those of just a mild case that hasn’t completely developed yet and these symptoms prompt going to a doctor immediately. If the shin is swelling a lot a hairline fracture in the shin may have already occured. If the shin feels hot when touched the fracture may already be there in the shin. If pain continues at the same rate even while resting and not exercising this is also another sign that the shin splints have already occurred and a doctor must be seen immediately.


Treating Shin Splints

If the symptoms that are occuring only occur during exercise, the case of shin splints may be more mild and a doctor may not be needed for the splints and the pain to go away. The first thing that anyone should do is to stop exercising because that’s just going to make it worse and a lot of times the pain eases a lot after exercise is stopped. Icing the shin is a great way to ease the pain and lessen the impact of the splints especially if the case is more mild. Twenty minutes every three of four hours or so for a couple days or so is a good number to consistently ease the pain. Wearing elastic compression bands will ease the pain on the shins if ice doesn’t work and stretching the shins is never a bad idea.

If the symptoms are on the more severe side with a lot of swelling, heat, or pain while not exercising, seeing a doctor is the best thing to do. The doctor will likely want to take an x-ray to see how bad the injury is and even see if a stress-fracture has occurred. If the pain is really bad the doctors are likely to prescribe an anti-inflammatory painkiller such as ibuprofen to treat the shin splints. If the condition doesn’t get any better over the course of months a fasciotomy may be required which is a type of surgery. In this surgery doctors make small cuts in the fascia tissue which are near the calves and this tends to ease the pain of the shin a little bit.


Recovery

Knowing when you’re still hurt and can’t exercise and knowing that you can go back is important and it’s good to always stay on the safe side but there are some signs that make it obvious that you’ve recovered from shin splints. Comparing the injured leg to the non-injured one is another important step, checking for flexibility and strength in the previously injured leg and comparing it is a good way to see how well the leg has recovered. If they don’t feel quite the same it could be a sign that the leg hasn’t fully healed yet. Pressing on the spot that previously hurt and feeling no pain is one of the best signs that the shin have recovered. Going for a test run or jog not going 100% to test and see if the shin is going is a great idea. If the pain continues, the person should probably stop running but no pain means that the person running can ramp it up a bit. It’s always important to go step by step and not suddenly increase the rate of exercise.


Significance

While shin splints are much higher in certain groups of people like dancers and runners who are more than 10 times likely to have shin splints happen to them, shin splints is still something that can happen to anyone. Almost 1% of all of America has had shin splints at one point or another and it’s not that hard to avoid. People tend to be careless at times and something as simple as making sure not to run on uneven terrains or switching shoes at a certain point can be enough to avoid shin splints. While it may not be life threatening shin splints cause a lot of pain and learning how to avoid them and how to stop it from developing before they get really bad is important information and can save people a lot of pain and time.




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