The common name for Shin Splints is Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome (MTSS).
Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome is used to describe pain felt in the medial part of the tibia (shin bone).
This pain is often felt with exercise that involves landing and impact loading, for example running and jumping sports, such as basketball, hockey, soccer and football.
Often it is training error that results in pain developing in the medial shin.
Training error can results in overloading of the tibia, such as increasing training for a marathon too quickly, or from a sudden increase in load after a period of rest, such as not training, or a reduction in training due to sickness or a holiday, then immediately returning to your same training program.
Often, you may find that biomechanical factors that can predispose a person to feeling pain in the shin.
Collapsing of the medial arches of the foot, also known as overpronation, can contribute to MTSS. Weakness in particular muscles may also be a contributing factor.
Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome is to some degree a spectrum, and the pain in the shin can range in severity from just some tightness of the muscles in this area, to more painful periostitis (inflammation of the tissue surrounding bone), and even a bone stress reaction to work case scenario - a stress fracture.
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What Should Someone Do If They Have Shin Splints Or Shin Pain?
If you have pain in the shin, a thorough assessment by a Sports Doctor, Sports Physiotherapist or Sports Podiatrist is highly recommended.
A thorough assessment by a practitioner with experience in sports injuries will help you to determine the severity of the condition and to devise the best and most appropriate management plan.
In the more severe cases, and if there is a possibility of a more significant issue such as a stress reaction or stress fracture, a scan may be needed to make an accurate diagnosis and to help guide management. Your local Essendon Sports Doctor can assist with all the imaging that is required to assess and diagnose shin splints correctly.
What Treatments Work The Best For Shin Splints?
Treatment will usually involve modifying your training loads, and sometimes modified rest from the aggravating activities.
A gradual reload to allow for all the bony and muscle tissues to adapt is the key to not flaring your symptoms once you resume again.
A Sports Physiotherapist and Sports Podiatrist can then also address any other contributing factors to your pain.
This includes correcting biomechanics, sometimes with the use of orthotics, though not always, so that the medial tibia isn’t overloaded.
Additionally, a specific strengthening program to improve and counteract and muscle weaknesses and imbalances needs to be included.
What If Your Shin Pain Is Diagnosed As A More Serious Bony Injury?
If your shin pain is diagnosed to be towards the more serious side of the spectrum, your local Sports Doctor will be able to guide you through the necessary steps and planning to assist in your return to peak performance.
In same cases, a complete offloading of the area by wearing a moonboot is an option and a great assistance to assist bone healing.
This will usually follow a period of significant rest for loaded activity (e.g. running), however you can do many other activities to keep your body ticking along!
Your Sports Doctor in Essendon will carefully devise a plan that is safe for your shins to gradually be reloaded, and teach you how to monitor your loads.
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Can A Sports Doctor Help My Shin Pain?
Absolutely YES! A Sports Doctor can definitely assist you with fixing your shin pain.
If you are suffering from shin splints or pain on the inside of your shin, the Sports Doctors at Essendon Sports Medicine can help in diagnosing your Shin Splints or Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome and then create a treatment plan to assist you in returning to you desired level of activity.
Your Sports Doctor will also provide you with an injury prevention plan and strategies so that the shin pain doesn’t return.
If you are currently suffering from shin pain and would like some guidance on management from a Sports Doctor in Essendon, please contact us or book in online.