Shin Splints

Shin splints, often a word thrown around by athletes, but what is it?

Until recently I had heard of these “shin splints” but wasn’t too clued up on the injury or knew how it was sustained, needless to say I learnt the hard way, during training for the half marathon I recently ran, I doubled my training time and distance which lead to shin splints, which put a bit of a dent in my training, so I decided I would research a little further and provide the readers with a little more insight into the overuse injury.

Medial tibial stress syndrome (M.T.S.S) is the scientific name given to shin splints, It is an overuse injury to the lower medial (inside) portion of the leg which results in inflammation due to excessive force placed on the connective tissue and bone, the area in which the pain is felt usually extends for approximately 15cm along the tibia. Shin splints are a form of compartment syndrome.

The causes of shin splints include:

· Increasing training intensity to rapidly, muscle and tendons can no longer absorb the shock.

· Training on un even terrain

· Foot wear is also a major factor, each athlete needs to assess their gate cycle and determine what shoe to use (e.g. whether they pronate or supernate), it is highly important to have sufficient support from your shoes.

· Persons who run flat footed are prone to shin splints.

The pain experienced is a result of the pressure and force exceeding the body’s ability to repair and restore the damage.

Muscles are covered fascia (connective tissue which covers and hold the muscle together), fascia is an inelastic tissue. When the muscle becomes inflamed due to an excessive work load this pressure exerted on the inelastic fascia results in the pain experienced from M.T.S.S.

In the initial stages of M.T.S.S, pain is felt at the beginning of exercise and the pain goes away after a couple of minutes of the activity and once the activity is stopped the pain returns.

So once you have shin splints, what can you do?

The initial treatment for shin splints involves the R.I.C.E (rest, ice, compress and elevate) principle, however the most effective way to recover from shin splints is rest, this is the only method which gives the muscle the adequate time to recover.

The amount of time to rest varies on the extent of the damage from a few weeks up to 3 months in the more severe cases.

There are other modalities of physical treatment, such as:

· Ultrasound

· Whirlpool Baths

· Phonophoresis

· Augumented soft tissue mobilization

· Electrical Simulation

· Unweighted ambulation

The aim of treatment is to restore strength to the tibialis anterior as well as the surrounding muscles which control inversion and eversion of the foot.

Finally correct shoes play a vital role in the treatment and prevent the condition from deteriorating further, sometimes a simple insole can prevent shin splints.

So before you purchase another pair of runners ask a staff member to check your old runners for pronation, supernation or flat foot ,to see whether a specific shoe of extra padding is required, It will save you hours spent rehabilitating injuries and a whole lot of pain.

Wade Botha

Bachelor of Sport Science HONS Exercise Science UKZN 2010

References:

· Galbraith, M, & Lavallee, M. (2009). Medial tibial stress syndrome: conservative treatment options. 2(3):127–133. Retrieved from Pubmed

· What Cause Shin Splints - Claude T. Moorman III

· Yates, B., White, S. (2004). The incidence and risk factors in the development of medial tibial stress syndrome among naval recruits. American Journal of Sports Medicine, 32(3), 772-780

· Craig, D. I. (2008). Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome: Evidence-Based Prevention. Journal of Athletic Training, 43(3), 316-318. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.