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What are Shin Splints and How Can I Treat Them?

Written By Wes Cox - November 16 2015

What Are Shin Splints?

Shin pain stinks, and unfortunately, it is very common for so many of us. We often associate shin pain with runners, and while that’s true for many, a lot of other types of athletes get shin pain as well. It is very common for dancers, military recruits, and general athletes in conditioning programs to be plagued with shin pain.

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True shin splint pain, is also called Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome (MTSS) and can be very disruptive to your workout or exercise plans. Shin splints are most commonly seen when the activity is increased significantly or too quickly, or when familiar activities are intensified. There are numerous causes for shin pain, and they can hurt in different places.

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Shin pain is often referred to as an overuse syndrome. Depending on the specific cause of the pain (instigator), the location of the pain may very. The pain can be coming from muscles, tendons, bones or a combination of these. If you decide to suddenly take up running and you’re not usually a runner, then you need to ease into it or your shins may fight back.

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Sometimes even seasoned runners get shin splints as well. This can come from uneven running surfaces such as trail running, running in shoes too long, or running with the wrong type of shoes. Any activity that involves repetitive impact, changes in routine, or intensifying your current routine can lead to shin splints.

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All of these scenarios put higher demand on tendons, bones, and muscles than they are used to. This leads to inflammation and pain, and in many cases a very tight feeling. If the activities that prompted the shin pain aren’t adjusted, and you keep pushing through the pain, then you run the risk of compensation injuries and stress fractures.

So How do I Prevent Shin Pain?

The most important thing you can do to prevent shin pain from ever occurring is to slowly work into new routines. Some experts suggest that you should increase you distance or time of a particular exercise by about 10% a week. This is largely debated, but its good general rule to avoid shin splints.

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One of the absolute keys in preventing shin pain is ensuring that your muscles are properly stretched before and after impact activity. As is usually the case, ensuring proper muscle readiness significantly aids in injury reduction and performance enhancement. Also, proper stretching after activity helps improve muscle recovery.

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Providing the muscles and tendons with additional support using compression wraps are key for many people. Most who try it, feel that compression of the muscles, especially the calf muscles, reduces their pain during and after a workout, and can aid in speeding up recovery. Proper fitting footwear is also critically important. It is important that your shoe is appropriate for you foot shape and size.

How Do I Treat Shin Pain?

First, it is important to back down the activity a bit that prompted the pain. Listen to your body, and respond to it.

Additional Treatments Include:

Compression Supports such as Flexxline's Shin Splint Support
Anti-Inflammatory Medications (consult your doctor if needed)
Stretches (stretch your brains out, it is hard to stretch too much)
Icing the sore portions of the leg (protect the skin with a towel or cloth. 15 min/ice on 30/min ice off.

If simple things aren’t working for you, then it may be time to consult a physician who can help insure that your shin splint isn’t a sign of a larger issue such as stress fracture.

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What are Shin Splints and How Can I Treat Them?