Shin Splints: Symptoms, Causes and Treatment
Author:
Dr. Gururaj S Puranik, Senior Consultant Trauma and Orthopaedics
SHIN SPLINTS is the name for pain in the front of the lower legs. Common in people who do a lot of running.
Shin Splints Symptoms
The pain tends to:
- Begin soon after starting an exercise
- Gradually improve when resting
- Dull and achy to begin with, but becomes increasingly sharp
Shin Splints Causes
- Running or repetitive weight-bearing leads to inflammation of the tissue around the shin bone.
- Predisposing factors
- A sudden change in activity level – such as starting a new exercise or suddenly increasing the running distance
- Running on hard or uneven surfaces
- Poorly fitting trainers
- Overweight
- Flat feet
- Tight calf muscles or weak ankles
Shin Splints Treatment
- Rest
- Stop the activity that causes pain for 2-3 weeks
- Ice packs for 10 minutes every few hours
- Painkillers
- Switch to low-impact activities – Eg cross-trainer or swimming and yoga
You can start to return to activities over the following few weeks once the pain has gone
Prevention
- Wear trainers with appropriate cushioning
- Run and train on flat, soft surfaces
- Introduce any changes in activity level gradually
- Mix high-impact exercises like running with low-impact exercises like swimming
- Lose weight if you’re overweight
- Warmup before exercising and stretch after exercising especially stretches of calves and leg muscles