Shin splints is a collective term for various types of pain and discomfort in the lower leg often faced by athletes. Such pains are caused by problems like muscle tears, stress fractures, tendonitis and nerve problems. However, to be more precise, shin splints refers to Medial Tibial Stress Syndrom (MTSS), i.e. the tearing of a tissue muscle in the front of the tibia.
How shin splints are caused?
If you re a runner, you could experience shin splints due to inexperienced running on uneven or hard surface. Bad running practices like suddenly changing your running speed, leaning too much forward or backward during the run, landing hard on the ball of your feet or landing entirely on your heels and running with your toes jutting out are some of the common causes of shin splints.
Ways to counter shin splints
Sometimes shin splints are caused by wearing poor fitting or overused shoes, having tight, stiff lower leg muscles or running after a long break. These factors could be avoided by buying well-fitting running shoes of good quality, stretching your lower leg muscles before and after a run, doing suitable exercises and warming up properly before beginning a run.
How to take care of shin splints?
If you have got shin splints, you must stop running immediately and take some rest. Now, keep applying a cold compress to the aching muscles for the first 48-72 hours. Keep your affected leg(s) at an elevated position to reduce pain. After 2/3 days, you could massage your legs by applying heat before and after doing leg exercises.
You could overcome the stress of running and the risk of injuries by stretching the leg muscles. Finally, start running again softly and slowly when the pain starts to subside around the fourth day. If shin splints are a recurrent problem that brings about unbearable pain, you must consult a doctor immediately.
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