Physiotherapy For Shin Splints
It's quite often you will find yourself hurrying to catch the bus, or running to get somewhere fast. Have you ever felt a throbbing pain in the shin after a short sprint or even a workout? This is usually due to a shin splint. The shin is the great bone that is at the front of our legs.
Physiotherapists Burnaby , usually call this the medial tibial stress syndrome. How the pain occurs is when a lot of stress is applied to the shinbone and the tissues that connect the muscles to the bone. It is mostly when the muscles, bone and tissues are overworked and they are painfully inflamed.
You will first notice soreness, and tenderness along the inside of the shin bone, which will improve into pain and mild swelling towards the lower area of the leg. At first, even though the pain stops once you are done with the strict activity When it gets worse it can evolve into a stress fracture.
Causes Of Shin Splints
Military recruits, dancers, and runners are commonly affected by shin splints. The causes for shin splints are flat feet , ill-fitting shoes that don't provide the necessary support, not warming up and cooling down before and after a workout and having weak ankles, core muscles and hips.
If you are an athlete and suffering from shin splints, it may be due to a sudden increase in the intensity of your workout or when running you run on uneven terrains or hard surfaces. These are bound to add extra pressure on the shin bone, muscles and tissues connected to the said bone.
By analyzing your techniques when running and bettering the techniques so no added pressure is applied on the muscles, choosing fitting shoes, using shock-absorbing insoles, arch supports and doing more strengthening exercises will help prevent shin splints.
Treatments For Shin Splints
If you visit our physiotherapy clinic in Burnaby the physiotherapists will ask you to go through a physical exam and take an X-ray to diagnose. The X-rays will be helpful in finding out if the pain is due to another reason such as stress fractures.
Our physiotherapy services Burnaby will be of any need only if the pain is unbearable. If not self-care steps should help with treating a shin splint. The most important step is to give your shin enough rest. Activities that are strenuous should be avoided however physical activities such as swimming or even low impact exercises .
Icing the shin also should help with the splint. Ice packs should be wrapped around in a towel to protect the skin. Icing should be done every 3 to 4 hours for about 20 - 30 mins. This should be continued for 2 to 3 days till the pain subsides.
If your foot arch flattens or collapses when standing, insertion of insoles or orthotics should help reduce the pressure felt in the shin. For the pain and swelling non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can be used. The most popular NSAIDs are ibuprofen, naproxen and aspirin. However, ulcers and bleeding are some side effects felt from these drugs.
Has Your Shin Splint Healed?
How do you know if the shin splint you suffered from has healed?
If the injured leg is as flexible as the other, if it feels as strong, or if you can press in spots that are hard without feeling any pain and if you can jog and sprint this means the shin splint is healed.
There is no guarantee of a timeline for the shin splint to heal, it will depend on what caused the splint. A longer recovery period of 3 to 6 months is not unusual.
However, if the pain is unbearable it is always a good idea to visit Burnaby physio clinic.