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Shinsplints Home Remedies
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Shinsplints aren't hard to get.
Faulty posture, poor shoes, fallen arches, insufficient warmups, poor running mechanics, poor walking mechanics, and overtraining can lead to the telltale shin pain.
Shinsplints are one of the most common and disabling conditions in aerobics. Long-distance runners have probably suffered with them since the first road was paved.
Most people know when they have shinsplints, but very few—experts included—know what they are. Most doctors prefer the terms tendinitis, or periostitis, though they can't say for certain which of those terms, if either, actually describes the condition.
Some say shinsplints are the start of a stress fracture. Others contend they are a muscle irritation. Still others think they are an irritation of the tendon that attaches muscle to the bone.
The symptoms of shinsplints are often confused with those of stress fracture. But shinsplints typically include pain in the shin of one or both legs, though there may or may not be a specific area of tenderness. Pain and aching will be felt in the front of the leg after activity, although it may occur during activity as the condition progresses.
The remedies here are designed to help keep that shinsplint condition from progressing to the point of stress fracture and to let you continue your active lifestyle without causing undue harm. Let pain be your guide. If anything recommended here causes increased discomfort, don't do it.
When to call a doctor
Because some experts believe shinsplints may actually be stress fractures in an early stage, telling the difference between the two is sometimes tricky. Even so, shinsplints can become full-blown stress fractures with continued abuse, so seeing your doctor for an early diagnosis is crucial.
"With a stress fracture, you're going to have pinpoint pain, about the size of a dime or quarter," says trainer Marjorie Albohm. "If somebody asks you where it hurts, you'll be able to go right to it, put one or two fingers on it, and tell them exactly where it is. It'll be right on or around a bony area, and it's point-specific. A shinsplint will be an aching discomfort up and down the whole lower leg."
Panel of Advisors
Marjorie Albohm is a certified athletic trainer and is president-elect of the National Athletic Trainers' Association. She served on the medical staffs for the 1980 Winter and 1996 Summer Olympics and the 1987 Pan American Games.
Gary M. Gordon, D.P.M., has a sports medicine practice in Glenside, Pennsylvania, where he specializes in podiatric medicine and foot surgery.
Rich Phaigh has taught more than 250 classes in advanced therapeutic technique in the United States and abroad. Phaigh has worked on the likes of running stars Alberto Salazar and Joan Samuelson.
Remedies
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Now tend to the tendons
Dr. Gordon offers this simple technique for stretching the Achilles tendon: Keep both feet flat on the ground about 6 inches apart.
Build muscle, reduce pain
Shinsplint pain can sometimes be prevented by strengthening the muscles surrounding the shin. These muscles help decelerate the foot and reduce shock whenever you walk or run.
Check out the ground you walk on
Unyielding surfaces can produce shinsplints in an instant. "Start by looking at the surface," advises trainer Marjorie Albohm.
Then move to the shoes
If you can't change your surface, or if you find that's not the problem, look at different footwear.
Change shoes often
One way to make sure your shoes retain as much cushioning ability as possible is to change them frequently.
Put it on RICE
As soon as you notice shinsplint pain, follow the rules of RICE: rest, ice, compression, and elevation for 20 to 30 minutes a day.
Go for contrast
A variation on the RICE treatment is the contrast bath, which seems especially effective for pain on the inner leg. With this method, alternate 1 minute of ice with 1 minute of heat.
Master massage
"For shinsplints in the front of the leg, you want to massage the area right near the edge of the shin—not directly on it," says masseur Rich Phaigh.
Correct faulty feet
Flat feet or very high arches can sometimes cause shinsplints, Dr. Gordon says.
Stretch those calves
Stretching the Achilles tendon and the calf muscles is an excellent preventive measure for shinsplints, Albohm says.
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Stretch those calves
Correct faulty feet
Check out the ground you walk on