What is Shin Splints?
Understanding your injury – Brisbane Physiotherapy Edition.
Overview of Shin Splints:
Description
- ‘Shin splints’ is a vague symptom athletes describe for leg pain most commonly along the posterior medial border of the tibia (shin bone). Some clinicians refer to the condition as medial tibial stress syndrome.
- The most descriptive term used for the condition is medial tibial periostitis or medial tibial traction periostitis.
- The condition is an inflammatory, traction phenomena on the medial aspect of the leg induced by exercise.
- It most commonly occurs in runners and other athletes that are exposed to intense and explosive activities such as jumpers.
- Historically the tibialis posterior muscle was thought to be the source of the pain but more recently the soleus and flexor digitorum longus have been implicated.
- Females are 3x more likely to develop the condition.
Presentation
- Diffuse pain along the medial border of the shin bone which usually decreases with warming up.
- The athlete is able to complete the training session, but pain gradually recurs after exercise and is worse the following morning.
- Earlier onset of pain with more frequent training.
- Intensive tenderness on palpation of the involved medial tibial border.
- Achilles tendon and calf muscle tightness
- Risk factors: excessive pronation (flat feet), training errors, shoe design, hard surface type, muscle dysfunction, muscle weakness of triceps surae, fatigue, decreased flexibility (especially in the hips) and metabolic bone health (lower bone mineral density at the affected region).