If you’re an active person, you may be familiar with shin splints. This pain can occur on either side of your leg bone, caused by muscle or tendon inflammation. It mostly happens if you over-exercise.
Causes
Having repetitive stress on your shinbones and the connective tissues can lead to shin splints. The following people are more prone to shin splints:
- You are an avid running.
- You are increasing the amount or intensity of a workout.
- You run on uneven terrain—hills, hard surfaces, concrete.
- You either have flat feet or high arches.
Treatments
The most common treatments for shin splints can be completed at home on your own time. Make sure you rest from the activities that are causing pain—consider participating in low-impact activities such as biking and swimming. Apply ice packs to your shines for roughly 20 minutes at a time, several times a day. In order to protect your skin from the ice packs, make sure you wrap the ice in a thin towel. If the pain is still there, consider taking over-the-counter medications, such as ibuprofen to reduce the pain.
Prevention
Once you feel the pain of shin splints, you will make sure that you can do everything possible to avoid getting them again. Here are some prevention tips:
- Analyze your running technique in order to identify your patterns and alter your motion.
- Try to avoid running for too long or at a high intensity.
- Wear the correct running shoes and change them out every 500 miles.
- Add strength training to your runs to stabilize your legs, ankles, and hips.
Contact Alpine Foot Specialists
If you have shin splints, consider contacting us today for an appointment. We can lead you to appropriate shoe gear and corrective orthotics to prevent further pain.