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| Shin Splint Treatment |
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| 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. When you begin to experience this pain, you should implement some type of shin splint treatment. |
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| Understand the Causes Before Pursuing Shin Splint Treatment |
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Shin splints affect your two leg bones: the tibia and the fibula. Shin splints develop when the muscles attached to these bones become inflamed, causing intense pain. This pain, usually on the outside of the shin, will most likely compel you to seek shin splint treatment.
Shin splints are caused when the Tibialis anterior muscle, one of the muscles responsible for flexing your foot upwards, is overused during activity. You’ll experience pain when this muscle is flexed too much, which may lead you to pursue shin splint treatment.
Here are some other causes of shin splints.
- Flat feet, or the turning of the foot outward – which puts strain on the leg muscles – can cause shin splints.
- Tight calf muscles, or calf muscles that aren’t ‘warmed up’ before exercising, may be responsible for shin splints.
- Ill-fitting exercise/walking shoes that don’t provide proper foot support could be the reason why you have shin splints.
If you feel you could have shin splints, please pursue shin splint treatment. |
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| Know the Symptoms Before Pursuing Shin Splint Treatment |
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The pain of shin splints 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, but may appear to ease as the exercise progresses, so don’t put off seeking shin splint treatment.
Shin splints 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.
If you think you may have pain caused by shin splints, please talk toy our doctor about shin splint treatment options. |
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| Shin Split Treatment and Prevention Techniques: |
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Initial shin splint treatment involves the RICE principle: Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation. Other shin splint treatment options include:
- 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 shin splint treatment 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. This is a great shin splint treatment plan.
- Wear walking and exercise shoes with proper support and a good fit. This is a good shin splint treatment option.
- Discard worn out shoes that have lost their support. This is an excellent shin splint treatment technique.
- Use insoles and other shoe inserts to reduce the stress placed on muscles and tendons on the front and sides of the legs. This is a great shin splint treatment tip.
- 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. This is a fantastic shin splint treatment plan.
If your shin splint treatment plan does not work, 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. |
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| Disclaimer for Health Content Pages |
FootSmart lower body health condition content pages describe general principles of healthcare that should not in any event be construed as specific instructions for individual consumers. This material is not intended as a guide to self-medication or as a substitute for proper medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. This healthcare content is for reference only and should not be used to determine treatment for specific medical conditions – only a healthcare provider can do that.
You should discuss the information provided with a podiatrist, physician or other licensed healthcare professional, and make sure to read any product information (including package inserts) regarding dosage, precautions, warnings, interactions and contraindications before administering or using any device, support, brace, compression hosiery, shoes intended for use by diabetics, skincare product, herb, vitamin or supplement discussed on this site.
Proper treatment of lower body health conditions depends upon a number of factors, including, but not limited to, your medical history, diet, lifestyle and medications that may be taking. Your healthcare provider can best assess and address your individual healthcare needs. |
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