Shin splints is an ailment of the muscles that mainly affects the front side of the lower leg, near the shin bone. This problem is characterized by pain in the lower leg, precisely between the ankle and the knee. Shin splints is a common occurrence among footballers, runners, and other athletes. Basically, people who engage in a high level of walking or running activities are susceptible to this syndrome. High-intensity sports or activities like tennis, soccer, football, etc. can trigger this syndrome even in a healthy person. In medical science, this problem is often referred to as Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome (MTSS). Pain in the shin area generally occurs at the beginning of the exercise and can fizzle out after a few moments. The pain can also return upon rest, once the exercise regime gets finished even with great severity.
Causes
There is no specific consensus on the causes of shin splints and it is challenging to explain the exact causes. However, risk factors for shin splints include flat feet or excessive pronation, over usage of feet during physical activities, poor footwear, decreased flexibilities, hormonal imbalances in women, and low bone mineral density.
What are the symptoms
The symptoms of shin splints are swelling, pain, tenderness and inflammation at the front and inside the leg. These symptoms are very similar to other ailments such as tibialis anterior tendonitis, compartment syndrome and a stress fracture in the tibial region. So the syndrome needs to be identified and diagnosed carefully. This syndrome can cause excruciating pain in one leg, though both legs can be affected too. The pain can be evoked on palpation of the shin bone and happen during or after physical activity. These syndromes can make someone feel worse in the morning as because muscles have tightened, after having rested overnight.
Treatment
The main agenda of the treatment is to minimize imprudent pronation of the foot which would, in turn, minimize the overused action of the tibialis posterior muscle, which is one primary reason for shin pain. the Shin pain can occur due to several reasons, such as due to a stress fracture or muscle strains at the front of the leg. Knowledgeable and efficient Foot orthotics can help to treat such cause of pain if one is suffering from this ailments by devising a treatment plan. The knowledgeable and experienced teams of Peel Podiatry in Mandurah help to strengthen the muscles around the tibia and reduce the pain due to this Shin Splints. Their treatment plan may include gait retaining following an activity-based assessment along with the conditioning exercises to enhance the flexibility and strengthen any other areas of weaknesses.
Prevention
The knowledgeable and experienced podiatrists at Peel Podiatry would go through all of the possible contributing factors and treat those individuals with shin pain. They would advise supportive sports shoes and stretching exercises to address tight muscles that are pulling on the affected shin bone. Supportive shoes and orthotics are frequently used to minimize tension away from damaged tissues and muscles as well as rectifying any biomechanical abnormalities in the leg such as flat feet to avoid the risks of the symptoms returning. They thoroughly review activity regimes of the patients to make sure that high-intensity exercises should not re-trigger the onset of this ailment. The main aim of Podiatrists Mandurah is to not only ease your existing symptoms but to prevent them from returning in the future.
Conclusion: Shin splints are common ailments in people who enjoy high-intensity activities and sports. Foot orthotics can provide effective treatment and advice to alleviate the pain related to Shin Splints while allowing the patients to return to their daily activities as soon as possible.