Shin Splints (MTSS): What You Need To Know
/Shin Splints, also known as Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome, is a common overuse injury in the lower leg. Shin splints often refer to pain along the inside of the shin bone (the tibia). Pain is aggravated with activity and can persist activity has stopped. It ofter appears in running and jumping based sports and activities such as dancing, military training, and running.
Shin splints occur due to increased repeated stress to the periosteum, a layer of connective tissue over the tibia bone. This repeated stress causes irritation of the periosteum and can impact the cortical bone. This stress is often due to traction of the tibialias posterior or soleus muscle. Over time shin splints can develop into stress fractures.
Shin Splints often occur due to a combination of factors:
- rapid increases in training volume and/or intensity
- training on hard surfaces
-poor biomechanics
- insufficient strength
- poor footwear including worn out runners: Old shoes or shoes that lack support provide a poor base for shock absorption, increasing the load on the muscles and bones.
- Overpronating
How do I manage shin splints?
As shin splints are due to overuse rest is a large factor in managing them. Modifying training to reduce your load in the lower legs will help shin splints. Swapping running for swimming or cycling is an easy switch reduce the load while still training your cardiovascular system. Swapping out repetitive plyometrics and load bearing exercises will also decrease the load. Interventions such as massage, dry needling, ice and anti-inflammatories canhelp manage the symptoms as well.
Once symptoms have reduced load should be gradually reintroduced. Starting at a low load will help minimise re-aggravation of the injury. For runners starting on flat surfaces will provide manage the load.
To avoid taking time off of training prevention is key. :
• Slowly increasing training load will allow your body to adapt and minimise adverse reactions. Try to keep the increases at around 10% a week.
• Monitor your footwear, swapping out your runners after every 500-800km of use. Each person has different feet as well so making sure you get shoes that work for your feet and movement style will help reduce the risk of developing shin splints.
• Making sure to have variety within your training will help reduce the same repetitive strain on the body.
• Building strength in the whole lower body to ensure your body can handle the repetitive loads of your sport.
• Good biomachnics and force absorption patterns will ensure you are using the right muscles when you move and reduce the risk of overloading specific muscle groups
• Stretching and mobility work will ensure appropriate ranges of motion to allow for good biomachanics and loading patterns
Jade Reid