Shin Splints

Continuing our segment on the World Cup, another common injury that soccer players suffer is shin splints. It shows up as pain on the front part of the lower leg during exercise, usually after a period of relative inactivity. Many other types of athletes get shin splints too, especially runners and sports that involve more running activities. So what causes it?

The exact injury is not quite known, but the pain appears to stem from inflammation due to injury to a tendon in the front of the outer leg. This is commonly described as an overuse injury. A sudden increase in distance or intensity of a workout can be associated with this inflammation. Other factors can cause shin splints, such as a tight Achilles tendon, weak ankle muscles, and a tendency to overpronate the foot. Some have even stated that athletes with worn-out footwear have shin splints due to the shoe’s inability to absorb the shock of the ground.

So how can your podiatrist help you with your shin splints? Usually this diagnosis can be made with a careful patient history on the details of their exercise routine. For an unclear diagnosis, a bone scan or x-ray could be implemented to separate this from a stress fracture. After your podiatrist properly narrows down the condition, they will decide the best treatment plan for the athlete. For shin splints the best medicine may be rest from the activity. This could also include switching to non-weight bearing activities until the condition is healed. Your podiatrist may also recommend ice or medication to reduce inflammation, an Ace bandage, and strengthening and stretching exercises. For this and any other sports injury, be sure to come by and see Dr. Grimm or Dr. Pattison.