How to Fix Shin Splints

Depending on what part of the country you are living in, you may be still in the thick of winter or in the beginning stages of springtime. This means that you could either be revving up to hit the streets again, or you may still be on the treadmill in the gym. Either way, there are many injuries that can occur with running. One of these is shin splints.

Shin splints can present in a variety of ways. You can feel pain literally in your shins which could be a result of tiny breaks in your bones from repetitive trauma. It can also involve pain in your calves, this stems from little tears in your muscle belly. Regardless of what the cause though, the treatment is about the same; rest. It is important that you find out what the cause of your pain is though. Just because you have pain in your shins or calves, this doesn’t necessarily mean that it is shin splints. This is why a thorough physical exam from your podiatrist can help determine what the actual cause of your pain is.

Now, the more important part of shin splints is how to prevent them in the future. Runners tend to have very definite patterns that they follow every single day. For instance, you may run on the same side of the road every day, both there and back. That means that you are running on the same slope every day, putting the same stress on the same muscles, every day. Or you may always run on cement, asphalt or grass, instead of switching up the surface you are running on. Any of these kinds of patterns can lead to the same kind of stress on your body every day.

One way that you can help prevent shin splints is to switch up your pattern. Vary your running path every day, vary the surface, and vary the length of your runs. If you are first starting out, it’s not smart to instantly strive for a marathon distance, instead start slow. Stretching, is probably the most important thing you can do as a runner. Your muscles are going to be sore and tight after every run you do. It doesn’t matter if you are a weekend warrior or a cross country runner, every run puts stress on your muscles. People who get shin splints are also more likely to be flat footed. If you are flat footed, then putting some sort of arch support into your shoes will help relieve the stress that is being put on your muscles.

If you or someone you know has shin splints it is important that you see your local podiatrist to talk about the best treatment plans for you. If you live in the Tewksbury or North Reading, Massachusetts area, Dr. Wachtel would be more than happy to see you and help treat your calluses. We are also happy to announce our Methuen and North Andover offices located at 451 Andover St. Suite 300, North Andover MA 01845 and 87 Jackson St, Methuen, MA 01835.