Shin Splints Treatment

Shin splints are a rather common problem that stem from excessive exercise. A shin splint specifically refers to the pain and inflammation that develops in the muscles, tendons and tissues of your shin bone, or your tibia. Shin splints are also known as “Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome” (MTSS), and commonly affect runners, dancers, and military recruits due to their grueling training. This injury is caused by overworking your muscles in repetitive activity, leading to muscle fatigue. The fatigue puts pressure on the fascia tissue of the shin that attaches muscles to the bone. However, the area that you’re feeling pain in is actually in the muscles of the tibia, which are the soleus muscle that helps you flex your ankles, and the flexor digitorum longus that flexes your toes. Injury to the bone itself does not cause MTSS.

Pain from shin splints can start at the beginning of an exercise or training session, and disappear as the exercise continues. If the injury gets worse, the episodes of your pain can lengthen and strengthen.

If your shin splints are left untreated and you keep stressing your injured area, the bone itself can start to feel pain and may eventually develop small cracks called stress fractures. Stress fractures are a more serious condition and require you to restrict your activities in order to heal. When a shin splint becomes a stress fracture, the pain will feel sharp and may also bruise.

As shin splints are caused by overworking your shin muscles, treatment will typically require resting from the activities that caused them, like your exercise routine. When returning to exercise, make sure you do so gradually, stretching before any activities, warming up, and increasing your routine slowly. Stop exercising when you feel pain, and stick to low-impact activities like swimming until your shin splints fully heal. Your doctor may also recommend taking anti-inflammatory medications (NSAIDs) like ibuprofen, icing the aforementioned area, and wearing a compression wrap to relieve your pain.

If your pain persists, you may need a second opinion; getting a bone scan or MRI can help determine your real diagnosis. More severe conditions may require surgery, but a full return to sports may not be possible if you choose this route.

Prevention is important; to keep yourself from developing shin splints, be sure to wear proper fitting shoes that are designed for your sport. Wearing a shoe made for tennis or a leisurely exercise while running can cause this condition. Also, if you want to pump up your exercise routine, make sure that you’re doing so gradually. Pushing too hard too fast will stress your muscles and put them at risk for injury.

Your risk for shin splints may increase if you:

• Have flat feet or your feet’s arches are rigid

• Have “knock-knees” or “bowlegs”

• Are an intensive runner

• Are an aerobic dancer

If you suspect that you have signs or symptoms of shin splints, the pain is prolonged, or if there is no improvement with rest, see your doctor for further evaluation and shin splint treatment in the Fort Myers area.

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