Shinsplints

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DISCLAIMER: This is not sound medical advice, please consult a real professional


Shin splints are really a symptom of injury as opposed to a specific injury. The term shin splints describe muscle pain normally a throbbing or an aching along the shin bone. However this can be easily confused with stress fractures. Stress fractures will be a more localized pain, a spot the size of a large coin, rather than down the front of the shin. If you think you have a stress fracture please refrain from activity and consult your doctor.

There are two muscles involved. One shin muscle (anterior tibialis) runs on the outside of your shin and the pain is right out front, very easy to find. The other muscle (posterior tibialis) runs back behind the shinbone and has a distinct dull nagging pain inside the lower leg.

[edit] Causes

These muscle pains are normally caused by overuse. Also increasing the intensity, the duration or even the training surface before you body can adapt can trigger shin pain. This is especially true for wushu athletes that are forced to train on concrete or hard wood floors.

[edit] Treatment

According to Dr. Garrick there seem to be "two kinds of shin splints: those that disappear in a few weeks and those that simply won't go away."

  • Stop the activity that triggered the pain until the pain goes away and slowly build the intensity back up
  • Ice after any activity that aggravates the leg
  • Massage along the muscle on the front of the shin
  • Stretch the calf (gastrocnemius and soleus muscles)
  • Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen
  • Braces for the lower leg designed to reduce swelling and help dissipate shock (Cho-pat)
  • Orthotics to prevent overpronation (flat feet)
  • Strengthen the dorsiflexors
    • Toe Taps - repeated pointing and flexing of the foot.
    • Foot curls - hanging a weight over the toes and flexing the foot toward the leg
    • Heel raises - the opposite of a calf raise, stand on a book/stair/weight plate with your heels and your toes hanging off, and flex the foot toward the legs and lifting your body.

[edit] Resources

Anybody's Sports Medicine Book James G. Garrick, MD Peter Radetsky. M.D. Ten Speed Press ISBN: 1580081444

Listen to Your Pain Ben E. Benjamin Penguin Books ISBN: 014006687X

External links Cho-pat shin splint brace

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