{"id":376,"date":"2009-10-14T12:06:42","date_gmt":"2009-10-14T19:06:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.brianschiff.com\/?p=376"},"modified":"2009-10-14T12:06:42","modified_gmt":"2009-10-14T19:06:42","slug":"shin-splints-be-gone","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.brianschiff.com\/?p=376","title":{"rendered":"Shin Splints Be Gone!"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Well, it is just days before I embark on my 3rd half marathon.\u00a0 Just one short run to go.\u00a0 And no, I am not suffering from shin splints (lol).\u00a0 But as I approach the Columbus Half Marathon on 10\/18, I am reminded about all the patients and clients I see who are in some way affected by shin splints.<\/p>\n<p>Shin splints, more commonly referred to as medial tibial stress syndrome (MTSS)\u00a0in medical circles, plague many runners, walkers and athletes.\u00a0 So, what is a shin splint?\u00a0 People often report pain and tenderness along the outer or innermost portion of the lower leg.\u00a0 Anterior shin splints affect the anterior tibialis muscle and are seen more commonly (my experience) in people who walk rapidly for the first time or do several hills without training for them.\u00a0 I saw a camper of mine who runs regularly develop shin splints doing a 5K walk and trying to walk fast and keep up with another camper.\u00a0 She never has had shin splints in years of running.<\/p>\n<p>Posterior shin splints are probably more widely seen among most runners.\u00a0 They tend to be more common in females as well.\u00a0 The\u00a0source\u00a0of pain\u00a0was commonly linked to the posterior tibialis muscle, but\u00a0is now thought to be along the origin of the medial soleus muscle and its deep fascial insertion.\u00a0 Hmmm&#8230;.. the soleus &#8211; now if you have read my earlier posts, that is a muscle I personally know a thing or two about when it comes\u00a0to injury.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0What are some causes of shin splints?<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Tight hamstrings (affects closed chain biomechanics)<\/li>\n<li>High or low arches (twice the injury incidence as those with normal arch height)<\/li>\n<li>Faulty training surfaces (uneven sidewalks and asphalt can\u00a0be brutal)<\/li>\n<li>Improper training technique or progression (this is a biggie for sure)<\/li>\n<li>Muscular imbalances (weak hips anyone?)<\/li>\n<li>Excessive foot pronation (flattens out or rolls in\u00a0too much during gait)<\/li>\n<li>Worn out\u00a0or improperly fitted\/cushioned footwear<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>What else may cause such pain?\u00a0 It may\u00a0be a good idea to see a medical professional for diagnostic testing to rule out a stress fracture (often severe pin point pain along the medial tibia), exercise-induced compartment syndrome, and a possible popliteal artery entrapment (<em>Tolbert and Binkley &#8211; NSCA Journal 2009<\/em>).\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Outdoor boot camps and running are gaining in popularity these days.\u00a0 Both activities are great for weight loss but also carry a higher risk of shin splints for participants, especially overweight women.\u00a0 Proper warm-up, selective footwear and stretching are great strategies to reduce or prevent injury.<\/p>\n<p>If you have been affected already and are seeking help, I suggest the following:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Relative or absolute rest from the offending activity<\/li>\n<li>Ice the affected area daily (2-3x\/day)<\/li>\n<li>Standing hamstring stretch (flat back) with and without foot rotation in and out &#8211; hold for 20-30 seconds in each position (repeat twice)<\/li>\n<li>Calf stretching on a step &#8211; knee straight &#8211; hold for 20-30 seconds (repeat twice)<\/li>\n<li>Soleus stretching ona\u00a0 step (knee slightly bent) &#8211; hold for 20-30 seconds (repeat twice)<\/li>\n<li>Single leg calf raises to strengthen the posterior tibialis muscle (once able to do pain free) Perform 2-3 sets of 10-15 reps<\/li>\n<li>Single leg balance on a slightly bent knee &#8211; perform 2 sets of 30 seconds without touching the other leg down (advance to eyes closed for more difficulty)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>In the end, combine prevention with sound footwear and a proper training progression and you will have no trouble at all with shin splints.\u00a0 At the first sign of pain, step back and evaluate if you need to adjust your training as trying to go through it will not make things better.\u00a0 Happy training all!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Well, it is just days before I embark on my 3rd half marathon.\u00a0 Just one short run to go.\u00a0 And no, I am not suffering from shin splints (lol).\u00a0 But as I approach the Columbus Half Marathon on 10\/18, I am reminded about all the patients and clients I see who are in some way [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,8,12,26],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-376","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-injury-prevention","category-rehab","category-running","category-training"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v20.10 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Shin Splints Be Gone! - Brian Schiff&#039;s Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.brianschiff.com\/?p=376\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Shin Splints Be Gone! - Brian Schiff&#039;s Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Well, it is just days before I embark on my 3rd half marathon.\u00a0 Just one short run to go.\u00a0 And no, I am not suffering from shin splints (lol).\u00a0 But as I approach the Columbus Half Marathon on 10\/18, I am reminded about all the patients and clients I see who are in some way [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/blog.brianschiff.com\/?p=376\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Brian Schiff&#039;s Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2009-10-14T19:06:42+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Brian Schiff\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Brian Schiff\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.brianschiff.com\/?p=376\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/blog.brianschiff.com\/?p=376\",\"name\":\"Shin Splints Be Gone! - Brian Schiff's Blog\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.brianschiff.com\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2009-10-14T19:06:42+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2009-10-14T19:06:42+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.brianschiff.com\/#\/schema\/person\/d7ecfca77bb5641821016294c8190473\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.brianschiff.com\/?p=376#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/blog.brianschiff.com\/?p=376\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.brianschiff.com\/?p=376#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/blog.brianschiff.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Shin Splints Be Gone!\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.brianschiff.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/blog.brianschiff.com\/\",\"name\":\"Brian Schiff's Blog\",\"description\":\"Injury Prevention, Sports Rehab &amp; 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