Mar
14
Whether you are a serious athlete or a recreational exerciser, experiencing shin splints, also known as medial tibial stress syndrome, is something that is in no way enjoyable and will want to be avoided. Not only can this condition be so painful that it takes you right away from the activity you enjoy, but it can also take a fair amount of time to recover from if serious enough, therefore taking care of it before it gets to this degree is very important.
While some people may only deal with shin splits on a single occasion during their life, for others it is a persistent problem that demands their attention on a regular basis. For these individuals it is particularly important that they pay attention to ways they may be able to build their muscles up so as to strengthen the whole area, thus reducing the chances that they keep experiencing issues.
Usually the most at risk individuals for experiencing this problem are those who already have weakened bones, such as dieting females (low calorie diets in combination with anemorrhea cause a decrease in bone density), those who are involved in high impact, repetitive sports such as running or soccer and those individuals who are heavier athletes and hence have more weight coming down on these bones each time they land on their feet. When performing weight baring exercises, there is often a force of about 2 to 3 times your total body weight that comes down on that bone, contributing to a total of 700 X your body weight in pounds of pressure loaded for every mile you go. Considering it is not uncommon for runners to log 20-30 miles per week, for someone weighing 150 pounds that would mean approximately 6-9 million pounds of force per week. It is no wonder this thin bone can start to get achy.
It is interesting to note as well that the fashion in which you run in can play a very significant role in whether or not you develop shin splints. When you are running, the primary role of the ankle dorsiflexors is going to be to help control how far your foot moves away from the shin. If you have weak ankle dorsiflexor muscles, they are not going to be able to prevent the foot from ’splapping down’ on the pavement. This is what is going to cause considerable amounts of pain, when compared to someone who hits the pavement with their heel first and then slowly (in comparison with the ‘foot slapper’ - in all reality this is going to be a very rapid action in whomever you look at) is able to lower the foot to the ground. If you notice when you are running that you are very loud, you are likely suffering from weak dorsiflexors and should pay particular attention to the muscle strengthening exercises section in this book.
Additionally, not only are these muscles going to control the up and down movement of the foot, they will also play a role in the side to side movements that you experience as well as helping so that you don’t experience as much pronation or supination of the foot (you will land on the foot more balanced, with force coming directly on the centre rather than off to the side).
The term shin splits itself basically refers to a pain that occurs along the shinbone, which is the front of the bottom portion of the leg, from the kneecap down. The pain that occurs is usually quite sharp in nature and is felt whenever there is a stress that is placed upon the bone. Depending on the severity of the condition, it may be felt only in high impact activities, however for those who are in a more advanced stage it can be felt simply through walking. Aside from the sharp pain, you may also experience a dull pain sensation, even after the activity has ended.
This pain is a result of an overloading stress to the shin bone and the connective tissues that associate it to the muscle, so when both of these are weak, you are definitely going to be at a higher risk for seeing problems. This is also a reason why preventative treatment is particularly important with regards to the stoppage of future problems. If you are someone who experiences this issue quite often, you definitely need to look at what you are doing in terms of strengthening because whatever you are currently doing isn’t working.
It may be helpful to also seek out the advice of a physiotherapist or doctor as some people will have severe cases where treatments will be necessary and simple strengthening exercises will not fully prevent the condition from occurring.
Regardless of your situation though, looking after this condition is in your best interest if you hope to remain active throughout your entire life, as it can be quite a debilitating problem if left to persist long enough.
