Running & Fitness

Running Injury Basics: Shin Splints

Meredith O’Brien
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Hi everyone!  It’s Meredith from over at FitNiceRunner.  I’m a Crossfit Endurance Coach, USA Track and Field Level I Coach and ACSM Certified Personal Trainer.  A passionate runner, I love helping people reach their fitness goals and am excited to team up with Matt at The Runner Dad to cover basic running injuries.  This week we kick off with shin splints.  An injury most new runners have handled, here’s a little more about them.

What

Shin splints is the common name for the official medical condition known as medial tibial stress syndrome.  It causes pain along the long bone in the front of the lower leg called the tibia and is frequently seen in runners, especially new ones or those increasing mileage.

Cause

Shin splints are caused by inflammation of the muscles, tendons and tissues surrounding the tibia.  This inflammation can result from a sudden change in training routines, an increase in intensity or a poor foot strike due to weak hips, over pronation and a lack of core strength.

Symptoms

Symptoms of shin splints include tenderness and soreness along the length of the tibia and inner leg as well as possible swelling of the lower leg.  Sometimes the pain will go away as activity continues but eventually it becomes constant.  Of course, if you’re having serious constant pain, getting an x-ray to rule out a stress fracture is always a good idea.

Treatments

Shin splints are usually treated with rest, ice four times a day for 15-20 minutes and mild anti-inflammatories.  Compression sleeves are a good way to provide additional support and warmth to weaker areas during healing.

Recovery

During the healing process, it’s important to swap out your high impact activity that caused the injury for lower impact activities like swimming, water running and biking.  You’ll also want to spend some time doing range of motion and strength training exercises that will help your body move correctly and prevent shin splints from occurring.  Once you’re healed, slowly rebuild high impact activities back in being sure to give your bones, tissues and muscles time to toughen up.

Do you or have you suffered from shin splints? How did you survive? Share in the comments below!