Shin Splints

So you've stepped up the exercise, or you're just walking more, and then the pain hits – a nagging pain on the front of your legs. This pain, which runs down the front of your leg and commonly occurs when people overdo it, can be attributed to a shin splint.

A shin splint affects your two leg bones: the tibia and the fibula. Shin splints develop when the muscles attached to these bones become inflamed, causing intense pain.

A shin splint affects the outside of the shin, and is caused when the Tibialis anterior muscle, one of the muscles responsible for flexing your foot upwards, is overused during activity. A shin splint occurs from the constant flexing of the muscle.

Other causes include:

• Flat feet, or the turning of the foot outward, which puts strain on the leg muscles.
• Tight calf muscles or calf muscles that aren't 'warmed up' before exercising.
• Ill-fitting exercise/walking shoes that don't provide proper
  foot support.

The pain of a shin splint typically occurs during the repetitive motion involved in exercises such as walking, aerobics, jogging, tennis, basketball or other weight-bearing activities. The pain from shin splints is typically worse at the start of the exercise, and may appear to ease as the exercise progresses.

A shin splint will most likely develop when:

• You engage in an activity requiring constant pounding on the legs and feet.
• You perform the same action repeatedly, such as walking on a treadmill or just excessive walking.

Initial shin splint treatment involves the RICE principle: Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation.

• Rest your leg by taking up an aerobic exercise that reduces the amount of impact on your legs, such as swimming.
• Ice the painful area: Use a frozen cup of water to rub and massage the area.
• Add compression with wraps.

In addition, be sure to follow these tips to avoid against future shin
splint occurrences:

Warm up muscles before and after any physical fitness activity – including walking – taking special care to stretch the calf muscles.

• Wear walking and exercise shoes with proper support and a good fit.
• Discard worn out shoes that have lost their support.
• Use insoles and other shoe inserts to reduce the stress placed on muscles and tendons on the front and sides
  f the legs.
• Strengthen the Tibialis anterior muscle by performing toe tapping or placing a weight on the top of the foot and pull the foot up repetitively.

If your shin splints don't respond to these treatments, see a physician or podiatrist, as a shin splint can progress into a stress fracture. In addition, a similar pain is found in a condition called Intermittent Claudication. This condition is caused by poor circulation and needs immediate attention.

Information on foot, leg and lower body health conditions provided by The Podiatry Institute, dedicated to advancing the standard of care in podiatric medicine and its effects on muscoskeletal health.