What are shin splints?
Shin splints is the generic name for medial tibial stress syndrome.
What are shin splints or medial tibial stress syndrome?
This answer can get nerdy fast, so here is the simplest explanation we have
- Your lower leg muscles get tight from doing too much of something, causing them to pull on the highly sensitive bone coating called the periosteum. We see it most often with runners and Irish dancers w who are training too hard without proper recovery.
- Microfractures in your tibia are caused by overloading the lower leg.
- Running technique errors place too much stress on the wrong part of the lower leg.
What causes shin splints?
They are normally caused by repetitive stresses, such as:
- Running on a slanted surface or downhill
- Participating in a sport with frequent starts and stops
- Training errors
- Shoe wear
- Changes in training intensity, duration, and surface
What can be done once you have shin splints?
Once we have an actual diagnosis, we can game plan what combination of stretches, strength training, running technique adjustments, and training plan modifications we need to make to get you back to full speed.
If you have microfractures you will have to go on rest from your sport for a long time to prevent permanent damage.
How can you prevent shin splints?
Preventing shin splints comes down to following a solid training plan, having good technique, fueling your body properly, and supplementing running with heavy strength training.
What Should You Do to Treat Your Shin Splints?
Check out this video we made for some ideas on reducing the pain and moving better.
