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South 10 Woodham Focus
South Woodham Focus
SHIN SPLINTS (OR MEDIAL AND LATERAL TIbIAL STRESS SYNDROME)
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Shin splints (or ‘medial
and lateral tibial stress
syndrome’ for those who
like medical jargon) are
very common in people
who do vigorous
exercise, particularly on
hard surfaces. They can
be incredibly painful but
they are avoidable and
they can be treated.
If, in the middle of an exercise class or when running, you’ve
experienced sudden shooting pains from the front of your ankle
up to below your kneecap and it feels sore to touch either side
of your shinbone, then you may have shin splints.
The pain is caused by inflammation of the muscles in front of
the shinbone (these muscles allow you to flex your foot
upwards). They are sealed in a tough membrane so when
swelling occurs the muscle can’t expand much and you
experience pain and tenderness in that area.
Although very painful, shin splints isn’t a serious condition unless
it progresses to cause tiny stress fractures in the shinbone. If shin
splints reoccur or persist it is important to see your GP for
treatment. Over the years I’ve treated many patients with shin
splints and a common theme is over rolling (pronation) of the
foot when in motion. Over rolling of the foot causes weakness,
muscle spasms and over stretching of the muscle in front of the
shinbone. All of this contributes to the inflammation and pain in
this muscle or ‘shin splints’.
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One successful way to treat shin splints is to wear custom made
shoe inserts or orthotics in your everyday and your exercise shoes
to stop you ‘over-rolling’ as you walk, run or exercise. Orthotics
can improve your foot function, alleviate pain and prevent
future problems. In addition to orthotics, you will benefit from
tutoring by either one of our clinicians or our trusted lst of
rehabilitation experts, on how to exercise safely and effectively.
Indeed, I’ve suffered from shin splints myself and have found
that orthotics, and improved running technique plus a regular
sports massage has kept the problem at bay.
As I initially mentioned, shin splints are avoidable if you take a
few precautions. To reduce the impact of your exercise, choose
to run, dance, aerobicise etc on surfaces that have give to them.
Cement surfaces are particularly harsh so avoid these and choose
surfaces such as grass, crushed gravel, tarmac or a dedicated
running track. Running up or down hills can aggravate shin
splints so to stick to flat surfaces. For exercise classes, a suspended
wooden floor is ideal.
Wearing properly cushioned exercise shoes will also help to avoid
the misery of shin splints. When shopping for trainers, look for
a good fit (with at least a thumb’s width room at the toe, and the
heel held firmly), good cushioning (especially in the forefoot, for
an aerobics shoe), and extra supportive material on the inside
heel-edge of the sole.
I would suggest that you only buy from a dedicated sports shop
that has trained assistants who can advise you on the most
appropriate footwear. Getting a cheap pair of supermarket
trainers really is a false economy. Just as it would be dangerous
to drive your car with bald tyres, you shouldn’t use worn out
trainers. Runners and walkers should replace their shoes
approximately every 500 miles; aerobicisers every four to five
months.
Always warm up before exercising to get blood flowing to the
tissues. Warm muscles are less likely than cold muscles to be
injured. Warm up with a few minutes of easy walking or gentle
stretching.
If you do get shin splints, the most important message is that you
should stop exercising. Continuing to exercise could cause
minute stress fractures in your shinbone. Take it easy for a couple
of days and seek the advice of your chiropractically trained
health care provider or GP.
As a qualified extremity practitioner, I tape patients’ shins up to
alleviate the pressure. As a home solution, some patients have
reported that it is comforting to wear an elastic bandage to
compress the inflammation slightly.
Use an icepack or a pack of frozen peas wrapped in a towel to
reduce the inflammation of the muscle. Be careful to only apply
the ice for 20 minutes at a time and do not reapply until the skin
has returned to its normal temperature.
Listen to your body. When you exercise be conscious of how you
are using your feet, focus on feeling how your muscles move.
Pain and restricted movement in joints are warning signs that if
ignored in the short term, you will regret at leisure later.
Stuart Lawrence
Contact us for more information
telephone 01245 333900
www.spinalcarecentre.co.uk
14-18 Heralds Way, South Woodham, CM3 5TQ
SOUTH WOODHAM
FOCUS