Shin Splints?

Question

what can I do to cure or at least relieve the pain of shin splints

Answer 1

Home Care

For posterior tibial and tibial periostitis shin splints, the healing process usually takes a week of rest with ice treatment for 20 minutes twice a day. Over-the-counter pain medications will also help. Do not resume running for another 2-4 weeks.

For anterior compartment syndrome, pain will usually subside as the muscles gradually accustom themselves to the vigorous exercise. Complete rest is probably not necessary.

For a stress fracture, rest for at least 1 month is required. Complete healing requires 4-6 weeks. Crutches can be used but typically are not necessary.

Call your health care provider if

Although shin splints are seldom serious, you may need to call your health care provider:

If the pain is prolonged and persistent, even with rest
If you are not sure your pain is caused by shin splints
If there is no progress with home treatment after several weeks
What to expect at your health care provider's office Return to top

The health care provider will perform a physical examination and will obtain your medical history.

Medical history questions documenting your symptom in detail may include the following:

Time pattern
When did the pain develop?
Is it present all of the time?
Quality
Describe the pain.
Is it a sharp pain?
Location
Are both legs affected?
Where exactly on the leg is the pain?
Aggravating factors
Have you recently begun exercising?
Have you recently increased the amount that you exercise?
Have you recently changed the type of exercise that you do?
Relieving factors
What have you done for the pain?
How well did it work?
Other: What other symptoms are also present?
The physical examination may include an examination of the legs.

Home treatment will be prescribed for any of the different types of shin splints. Surgical intervention might be indicated in the rare event that shin splints caused by an anterior compartment syndrome do not go away over time.

The pressure can be relieved by splitting the tough, fibrous tissue that surrounds the muscles. Surgery may also be necessary in the cases of nonhealing stress fractures.

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003177.htm

Answer 2

You really need to read "Stop Shin Splints" by Gary Buchenic (also available in electronic format here: http://www.shinsplintscure.org ). It's about how to permanently cure your shin splints naturally. Worked for me and for thousands of people. Good luck!

Answer 3

Shin splints have a number of different causes. You're at risk of getting shin splints if you:

have been running for less than five years
run on hard surfaces or slopes
wear poorly fitting or worn-out trainers that don't cushion and support your feet properly
are overweight, as this places extra stress on your legs
have flat feet or your feet roll inwards, as this puts more pressure on your lower legs
have weak ankles or a tight Achilles tendon (the band of tissue connecting the heel bone to the calf muscle)
have tight calf muscles

Answer 4

The best treatment for shin splints is rest. It is not one of those leg pains that recovers faster with physical activity. In the majority of cases the doctor will recommend two weeks' rest. This means no running or taking part in any kind of sport linked to higher shin splint risk. However, gentle activities, such as cycling, swimming or walking are probably acceptable (check with your doctor or physical therapist).

Raising the leg and applying an ice pack to the affected area can help reduce the swelling.

To alleviate pain, an OTC (over-the-counter) analgesic, such as paracetamol (acetaminophen, Tylenol) or ibuprofen may help. Check with your doctor first.

Answer 5

Shin splints are caused by running on hard surfaces. The best thing to do is start walking/running on softer surfaces like grass etc. When I used to get shin splints all I would need to do is take a hot water bath and get the area around my tibia(shin bone) and fibula messaged. It relaxed the Gastronemius muscle that was causing me problems.