How to Deal with Shin Splints

April 25, 2023

Shin splints can be a painful part of being an active person, especially one who enjoys running. You can get shin splints when you first start to ramp up an activity or when you are logging a lot of miles. Shin splints are caused by the irritation of the inside border of the tibia (shin bone) as our ligaments and tendons pull apart from that bone. Symptoms include pain that worsens with activity. If left untreated shin splints can lead to stress fractures. Shin splints are one of the more common overuse injuries one can get and usually can be resolved with rest and ice. 

What if ice and rest do not work of if you don’t feel like you can take time off from these activities? Physical therapy can help to improve the healing time of shin splints. Using ultrasound and other modalities we can work to decrease the inflammation. Physical therapy will work to find and correct any issues in your mechanics. We can use exercise, manual therapy, shoe and activity modifications to help with these mechanics and to work to keep you active. Some examples of these are improving lower extremity flexibility, managing your exercise load, strengthening and supporting your hips, knees, and feet. Knee compression sleeves or orthotics can also be utilized. As the pain gets better and you are healing we can work to help you gradually return to full activity and running to work to avoid other flareups and issues. 

References:

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/17467-shin-splints#:~:text=Shin%20splints%20are%20a%20very,into%20a%20tibial%20stress%20fracture.

https://www.choosept.com/health-tips/8-tips-prevent-shin-splints