Preventing Shin Splints
Nothing can bring your daily run to a halt like pain in your shins. When you have shin splints, also known as medial tibial stress syndrome, you have pain in the front part of your lower leg, typically on the inner edge of the tibia, or shinbone. By preventing shin splints before they happen, you can avoid the need to interrupt your exercise routine.
At Summit Orthopedics, our sports medicine specialists can help runners throughout the Minneapolis/St. Paul area get back on track if pain from shin splints or other injuries becomes severe.
What Causes Shin Splints?
People who participate in high-impact sports and activities are at risk for shin splints. Runners, dancers, gymnasts and military recruits often develop this type of injury. The pain stems from the inflammation of the tendons, muscles and tissue surrounding the shin after repetitive exercise that puts stress on the lower legs.
Certain factors increase the likelihood of shin splints, including:
- Doing activities that involve sudden stops and starts, such as basketball or dancing
- Running on hills, especially if you are new to running
- Suddenly increasing the intensity or duration of your activity level, such as running for longer distances or adding days to your training schedule
You are also at increased risk of shin splints if you:
- Exercise on hard surfaces, such as running on pavement
- Have very rigid arches or flat feet
- Wear improper footwear, including worn-out running shoes
How to Know if You Have Shin Splints
The most common symptom of shin splints is pain along the side of the shinbone. Pain could be sharp or aching and gets worse when you exercise and put weight on your shins. The pain sometimes gets better with rest. But with severe shin splints, your legs may hurt even when you are not putting pressure on them.
If pain from shin splints worsens, it’s important to see a doctor. If shin splints don’t improve, your doctor may order imaging, such as a bone scan or an MRI, to determine if you have a stress fracture.
Can You Treat Shin Splints at Home?
If you recognize symptoms of shin splints, you should take a break from the exercise that caused the injury for a few weeks. In most cases, the pain gets better with rest and home treatments. During this time, you can do lower-impact activities, such as swimming or using a stationary bike, that don’t put stress on the shins. Don’t participate in any sports or exercises that cause pain. You can begin running again after you have been pain-free for at least two weeks, but be sure to start slowly.
Other tips for healing shin splints include:
- Doing stretches that target the front of the lower legs to ease discomfort
- Icing the area several times a day for 20 minutes at a time, using a cold pack or ice wrapped in a towel
- Taking nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medicines, such as ibuprofen or aspirin, to reduce pain and swelling
- Wearing compression stockings or an elastic wrap to reduce swelling and help with pain
- Wearing supportive shoes during daily activities to reduce pressure on the shins
Tips for Avoiding Shin Splints
Whether you have had shin splints and want to prevent them from recurring or you want to help ensure they don’t develop at all, consider these tips for avoiding shin splints:
- Do exercises to strengthen leg muscles. If you have had shin splints, a physical therapist can give you exercise ideas that can help.
- Incorporate cross-training in your exercise routine, doing different activities on different days. Alternate running with low-impact activities like cycling or swimming to give your legs a break.
- Run on softer surfaces, if possible.
- Warm up and stretch thoroughly before exercising.
- Wear supportive, properly fitting footwear designed for your activity. Using arch supports or shock-absorbing insoles in your shoes can also help.
When starting a workout routine or returning to exercise after an injury, gradually increase your intensity, duration and frequency. Don’t do too much too soon. For example, when starting a running regime, begin by doing a run-walk: one minute of running followed by one minute of walking, and gradually increase the running time while decreasing the walking time.
Schedule an appointment with a Summit Orthopedics sports medicine provider.
