Do you have pain in your shins?
Shin splints (Tibial stress syndrome) are a very common issue in runners, or people involved in running dominated sports like football or netball.
Shin splints occur when the muscles and connective tissues attaching to the shin (tibia) become overloaded – which irritates the outer portion of the bone.
A thorough Physiotherapy assessment can help identify the underlying cause of irritation, which include some of the following:
- Training errors and poor load management
- Poor movement patterns or running technique
- Poor mobility through the foot and ankle
- Weakness in some muscles, particularly the glutes/hip stabilisers and calf
- Tightness in some muscles, particularly in the calf
It is important to address the underlying cause and reduce the acute pain; which may involve interventions such as load management, hands on treatments and short-term specific exercises.
After reducing the acute pain, it is important to address relevant contributing factors to your pain and address them with strengthening exercises, running drills/technique prompts, functional exercises and a load management plan.
