Everything You Need To Know About Shin Splints and How To Treat It

Anyone who has ever experienced shin splints knows that this is a very frustrating and painful condition. If a person suffers from this, he would feel a nagging pain mainly in the front of his leg along his tibia. Usually, the person would experience the pain while exercising and after the workout. He would also feel the pain if he presses on the affected area. Sometimes though, a person would feel a tightening pain in the outside muscular area of the shin which is soft. The pain could get so bad that running would become an impossible task. Then when the person stops running, the pain subsides.

This condition affects athletes and, in fact, it has derailed a lot of careers already. It’s a very frustrating condition which doesn’t just involve the lower leg. If the shin pain is bone-related, this is known as medial tibial stress syndrome and this can cover different types of ailments from a simple stress injury to a bone irritation, a stress fracture or even a crack in one of the bones. Shin splints generally occur because of some main variables including how much activity a person does, the mechanics of his body, and even bone density.

A person’s activity can cause the condition in such cases where a person ups his training workload too fast and too soon. Body mechanics, on the other hand, refers to a person’s foot strike, foot type, and how his body is built. Finally, bone density can be a major factor for women. Fortunately, a person can alter all these factors to help alleviate the condition.

When shin splints affect the muscles, this usually indicates a condition known as exertional compartment syndrome or ECS. This condition may happen in any part of a person’s lower leg and is usually characterized by a tightening sensation in a person’s shin which gets aggravated when he exercises. A lot of times, patients would claim that the tightness is so severe that they feel like their legs might explode. To learn more about shin splints and how to treat it, read on!

So, What Are Shin Splints?
The term “shin splints” refers to a pain that a person feels along the front of his lower leg or his shin bone. The pain is usually concentrated on the lower leg between the ankle and the knee. Doctors may refer to this condition as MTSS or medial tibial stress syndrome.

Shin splints typically affect those who engage frequently in moderate to heavy physical activity. Therefore, one is more likely to get the condition if he participates in a lot of strenuous physical activities or sports. These include basketball, tennis, racquetball, soccer, and the like. Sometimes, the pain felt by someone suffering from shin splints can get so severe that he should stop the activity.

Also, shin splints are considered a cumulative stress disorder which means that it can develop over time. One may get shin splints because of repeated stress or pounding on the muscles, joints, and bones of a person’s lower legs. This prevents the body from being able to restore or repair itself naturally.

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Symptoms of Shin Splints
People who have shin splints will experience a number of symptoms including:

• a dull pain in the front portion of the person’s lower leg
• a pain which worsens during exercise or physical activity
• a pain felt on either side of the person’s shin bone
• muscle pain
• a pain along the inner portion of the person’s lower legs
• soreness or tenderness along the inner portion of the person’s lower legs
• swelling (usually mild) in the person’s lower legs
• weakness and numbness of the feet

These are the common symptoms which usually respond to treatments. But if they don’t or if a person experiences other types of symptoms, then he should seek medical help immediately. Such symptoms include:

• a severe pain in the shin after an accident such as a fall
• a shin that feels very hot
• a shin that’s noticeably swollen
• a pain felt in the shin even when the person is resting

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Treatment of Shin Splints
Some experts believe that shin splints may be the early stage of stress fractures, therefore, determining the difference between these two can be quite tricky. In any case, shin splints can eventually become complete stress fractures if the person doesn’t have it checked and he keeps on performing his activities. When it comes to shin splints, early diagnosis is vital.

When a person has a stress fracture, he’s bound to experience pinpoint pain which is about the size of a quarter or a dime. This means that if the doctor asks the person to point to the pain, he will be able to point to it right away. Usually, the pain would be very point-specific and it would be around the bony part of the leg. With a shin splint, the person would feel a kind of aching discomfort up and down his entire lower leg.

A doctor will be able to diagnose the condition through a physical exam. He will ask the person about any types of training or physical activities he performs and how often he does them. Doctors may also prescribe some diagnostic tests such as x-rays or imaging scans if they think that the patient suffers from bone fractures or other conditions apart from shin splints.

Shin splints typically require the person to take a rest from his training or physical activities in order to give the legs time to heal. The discomfort felt by the person may go away completely in a matter of hours up to several days with limited activity and rest. Ideally, the person should take about two weeks off if he really wants the condition to heal. At this time, one can still engage in physical activities as long as they don’t cause additional stress or harm to his legs. The doctor may suggest these home remedies:

• keeping the legs elevated
• using ice packs to reduce the swelling
• taking OTC anti-inflammatory medications
• wearing elastic compression bandages
• using a foam roller to massage the shins
• It’s also a good idea to check with the doctor first before re-starting any of his usual activities. Also, warming up before performing any exercise is an excellent way to make sure that the legs don’t become sore.

People often believe that one would need surgery as a treatment for shin splints but this isn’t really true. In fact, surgery is rarely used in the treatment of this condition. Normally, a doctor would only recommend surgery if the shin splints are causing severe symptoms and pain for more than a few months. The surgery for shin splints which is called fasciotomy involves making tiny cuts in the fascia tissue around the calf muscles. Potentially, this can ease some of the pain caused by the condition. (Positive Health Wellness)