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Shin Splints

Shin splints refer to pain anywhere in the vicinity of the shin area (front of calves). The main two types of shin splints are medial shin splints and anterior shin splints.

Medial shin splints refer to pain in the medial aspect of the leg, adjacent to the medial tibia. Tenderness is usually found between 3 and 12 centimeters above the tip of the medial mealleolus at the posteriomedial aspect of the tibia. In laymen’s terms, you have a lot of pain in the lower 2/3rds of the inside of your shin.

Anterior shin splints refers to pain in the anterior tibial region, or laymen’s terms, pain on the outside of your shin area. The involved section of the upper tibia is usually 5 to 8 centimeters long and about 1 to 2 centimeters wide.

• What causes it?

The most common causes for medial shin splints are overtraining, pronation, and running on a slanted surface (i.e. crowned roads).

The most common causes for anterior shin splints are tight posterior muscles; imbalance between the posterior and anterior muscles; running on concrete or other hard surfaces; improper shoes with inadequate shock protection; and overtraining.

• How to prevent or treat it?

To prevent or treat medial shin splints:

1. Decrease your training immediately. Substitute non-impact cross-training activities such as swimming, biking or pool running.
2. Running on soft surfaces will also help as long as you do not pronate excessively.
3. Stretching the posterior muscle groups will also help.
4. Applying ice will help provide some relief but will not be curative.
5. Anti-inflammatory medication may be used.
6. Electrical stimulation and ultrasound may be helpful to treat the problem.
7. Taping the foot the limit pronation and decrease stress on the medial structures of the leg
8. Try different shoes or orthotics.

To prevent or treat anterior shin splints:

1. Decrease training immediately.
2. Stretch your posterior muscles.
3. Don’t log too many miles on your running shoes.
4. Avoid downhill running.
5. Don’t run on concrete.
6. Apply ice to alleviate the symptoms.
7. Take anti-inflammatory medication.
8. Use electrical stimulation.
9. Use a heel lift to reduce the tightening of the posterior muscles.
10. Consider using orthotics.