Shin splints can be devastating to athletes because they can entirely derail an exercise routine. Not only are shin splints extremely painful, but the injury can take weeks to recover from. To help you stay on track (pun intended), here’s how to treat shin splints.
What are Shin Splints?
Shin splints are a common injury encountered by runners and athletes which is caused by overusing anterior and posterior muscle groups in the lower legs. While there are multiple causes to shin splints, often, shin splints are caused by a muscle strength imbalance between the shin muscle and the calf muscle. The calf muscle can become stronger than the shin muscle, causing it to pull the shin muscle off of the bone.
You may get shin splints if you:
- Exercise on hard surfaces
- Exercise in worn or poorly fitted shoes
- Begin exercising intensely after a long period of inactivity
- Run excessively on uphill or downhill surfaces
- Return to your exercise routine without adequate recovery
- Exercise on uneven surfaces
- Use improper running mechanics
- Excessively land jumps on the balls of your feet
How Do You Treat Shin Splints?
Despite what you might read elsewhere on the internet, there are no quick fixes to shin splints. Sometimes a complete recovery can take up to 2-3 weeks of rest. It is also important to make sure that you are properly diagnosed. Some people think they have shin splints when they actually are suffering from a stress fracture. In addition to proper diagnosis, here are a few things you should do to speed recovery:
- Stop all exercise activity involving those muscle groups (This is hard for some people)
- Wrap your shins in a damp towel with ice for 10 minutes every 2 hours
- Wear a compression sleeve or bandage to help minimize tissue swelling
- Limit blood flow to your legs by keeping them elevated
- Rest your leg muscles as much as possible
For most sports injuries, remember R.I.C.E.: (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation).
Prevention
Knowing how to treat shin splints is only half the battle. You must also know what to do to prevent them. To prevent shin splints, make sure you exercise with proper mechanics. Be sure give your legs time to transition from running on soft and hard surfaces before going into a full sprint. This will help loss in and prepare the soft tissue in your leg and prevent fatigue. Always remember to wear adequate footwear. If you have questions about what to look for in a shoes contact our doctors for a podiatric evaluation. Remember to always stretch, before and after a workout to strengthen your anterior shin muscles and drink plenty of water.
For more information on shin splints and other sports injuries, call us at 801-724-9840.