5 ways how to quickly reduce shin splints!
As Pre-Season is upon us its time to reflect on what we can do better to reduce and prevent injuries occurring prior to competition. We all understand how debilitating shin splints can be so we need to make sure we can get ontop of pain before it becomes to a level which is uncomfortable and forces you to stop doing what you love.
As Pre-Season is upon us its time to reflect on what we can do better to reduce and prevent injuries occurring prior to competition such as shin splints.
We have already seen a lot of soft tissue injuries from returning to sport too quickly after having time off. This is due to not allowing the body to properly adjust to the current amount of LOAD.
If we can control the load variable with athletes or people returning to their chosen sport the chance of injuries is lowered therefore meaning over a period of time the capacity of the individual is higher meaning they can perform at a higher level for longer periods of time!
What to do if Shin Splints occur? 🤷♂️
Follow our 5 tips to get rid of shin splints!
5️⃣ SHIN SPLINTS TIPS FOR RUNNERS 💥👟 👣Shin splints (medial tibial stress syndrome) is the most common cause of lower leg pain in runners. It accounts for between 16 & 35% of all running related injuries (1) 😩
👉🏻shin splints is characterised by pain along the edge of the tibia (shin). Pain usually extends over at least a 5cm length of the lower one third of the tibia. It is believed that pain that occurs early in presentation is likely to be muscle tenderness + is a precursor to the actual development of bony shin pain (splints).
👉🏻Risk Factors 📛: People most at risk of developing MTSS are female gender with a past history of MTSS (ie. once you’ve had it once, you are at increased risk of developing it again). Those people with fewer years of running history, previous orthotic use, increased BMI, and an increased navicular drop all have a significantly increased risk of developing MTSS, as do males with increased external rotation of the hip (2).
📌TAKE HOME: Implement these 5 tips to help you rehabilitate your shin splints & make a successful return to your running 🏃♂️🏃♀️.
If you know a runner this can help please tag them in ✋🏻. 💻References: . (1) Newman P, Adams R & Waddington G (2012). Two simple clinical tests for predicting onset of medial tibial stress syndrome: shin palpation test and shin oedema test.
British Journal of Sports Medicine. 46, 861-864. (2) Newman P, Witchalls J, Waddington G & Adams R (2013). Risk factors associated with medial tibial stress syndrome in runners: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Open Access Journal of Sports Medicine 4, 229-241. _ ❓
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