How to treat shin splints

Shin splints (medial tibial stress syndrome) is an inflammation of the muscles, tendons, and bone tissue around your tibia. Pain typically occurs along the inner border of the tibia, where muscles attach to the bone. Typically, it is a nagging pain that is concentrated in the front of your leg along the tibia that usually is felt after exercise. When pain persists, it almost becomes possible to run. During the summer months, injuries such as shin splints can crop up as runners ramp up their mileage too quickly. If you have experienced shin splint pain at any point this summer, here are our suggestions on how to them:

bone related shin splints: we recommend visiting a podiatrist for a proper diagnosis. Stress injuries can easily lead to stress fractures if not addressed properly. These types of injuries can often sideline you for a long period of time. We recommend resting your injured leg and finding another activity that doesn’t put pressure on your legs.

muscle related shin splints: this type of injury can often be addressed through proper stretching and using a foam roller. Often, the problem resides in a tight fascia, the tough material that wraps around most of our muscles. To help loosen the fascia, we recommend running your shins and calves over a foam roller for 3-5 minutes several times a day. We also recommend trying arch support to stability shoes as this can often help correct biomechanical issues that you may have in your feet and lessen the stress on the impacted areas. If problems still persists, we recommend speaking with a podiatrist immediately.

As running becomes more a focal point for those trying to stay in shape during COVID-19, we recommend proactively addressing your pain in order to prevent further injury by speaking with a podiatrist today.