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Shin Splints (Periostitis) - Prevention and Treatment Shin
Splints is a general term used to cover a number of quite different muscular problems
in the lower leg. If you have pain at the front of the lower leg, i.e. in your shin,
then you are suffering from shin splints. But rest assures, the cure does not involve
putting your leg into splints.Symptoms The main symptom of shin splints is pain at the front of the leg. This can include mild swelling, redness of the upper or lower shin, pain when bending the ankle or foot upwards or downwards (though less so if rotating the foot) and general tenderness anywhere in the lower leg area. Causes of Shin Splints The basic cause of shin splints is overuse of the lower leg, particularly if accompanied with jarring of the leg from jumping, especially when landing on hard surfaces. This makes shin splints a common problem in areas other than sport. The military, for example, seem to delight in leaping from the back of vehicles while wearing heavy boots and carrying all manner of equipment. Other possible causes are:
Prevention It's also important to build training up gradually and not rigorously increase it just because a special event is looming. If you must increase mileage or speed, do it incrementally, increasing by small amounts, then dropping back to previous levels every few sessions so as to give your legs a rest. You should also be especially wary of increasing the amount of hill work or of running on harder surfaces.
Treatment If after a few days you're still in pain or if you get recurring pain whenever you restart training, then go see a doctor and try to get a referall to a podiatrist..
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