Symptoms:
Pain in the shins of one or both legs. There may, or may not, be a specific area of tenderness; pain, and aching will be felt in the front of the lower leg after, or during, activity.
Cause:
The experts are not clear as what shin splints are. They may be an irritation to the tendon which attaches the muscle to the bone. Or they may be a muscle irritation or the beginning of a stress fracture.
Active people have shin splints. For example, 28% of long distance runners have them and 22% of aerobic dancers.
They are caused by excessive walking, running, or jumping on a hard surface. But other factors include poor shoes, fallen arches, insufficient warm-up, poor posture, faulty walking and running techniques, or overstraining.
Sometimes the early stages of stress fractures are thought to be shin splints or vice verse. But there is a difference: Stress fractures begin pinpoint pain, about the size of a dime or quarter, around or on a bony area. A shin splint is a generalized pain or aching discomfort up and down the whole shin. But, if the problem is not stopped, shin splints can develop into stress fractures.
Treatment:
• Athletic trainers call it RICE: rest, ice, compression, and elevation. Do this for 20-30 minutes. Prop up the leg, wrap it with an Ace bandage, and place the ice pack on it for 20-30 minutes.
• An alternate method is a contrast bath of one minute, of ice, followed by a minute of heat. Do this for at least 12 minutes. This is especially good for pain in the inner leg (rather than the front where the shin splints occur).
• Massage the area near the shin splint pain, but not on it. If you rub on it, the inflammation will worsen. Sit on the floor and lightly stroke on the sides several times. Then wrap your hands around the calf and, with your finger tips, stroke deeply around on each side of the shin from ankle to knee. Do the entire area, pressing as deeply as possible.
• Try to correct flat feet or very high arches, if you can. They can also cause shin splints.
Prevention:
Try to avoid a lot of hard activity on unyielding surfaces, such as concrete. Even carpet on concrete can cause problems. Grass or dirt is better than asphalt; asphalt is better than concrete.
Wear good, comfortable shoes; and when they start wearing down, buy new ones.
Stretch your calves and Achilles tendon frequently. This helps prevent shin splints. Shortened calf muscles throw more weight and stress forward to the shins.
To stretch your calves, place your hands on a wall, extend one leg behind the other, and press the back heel slowly to the floor. Do this 20 times, and repeat on the other leg.
To stretch your Achilles tendons, have both feet flat on the ground, about 6 inches apart. Bend your ankles and knees forward while keeping the back straight. When you achieve tightness, hold it for 30 seconds. Repeat 10 times.