What causes recurrent shin splints?

Question

My teen son has had xrays, now they want a bone scan. When he stands too long it bothers him too. Could this also be apart of growing pains?

Answer 1

Shin splints is the general name given to pain at the front of the lower leg. Shin splints is not a diagnosis in itself but a description of symptoms of which there could be a number of causes. The most common cause is inflammation of the periostium of the tibia (sheath surrounding the bone). Traction forces occur from the muscles of the lower leg on the periostium.

Take these steps to help prevent injury to your shins:

* Wear proper footwear. Choose a shoe that suits your sport — and your foot. If you're a runner, buy new shoes about every 400 miles.
* Consider shoe inserts. If you have flatfeet, you may benefit from wearing an arch support to help cushion and disperse the impact on your legs.
* Lessen the impact. Cross-train with a sport that places less impact on your shins, such as swimming, walking or riding a bicycle.
* Start smart. If you're starting a new athletic activity, start slowly and add time and intensity gradually. If you're a new runner, start with a pace that meets the "talk test" — if you can't carry on a conversation with your running buddy, you're moving too fast.
* Add strengthening and stability training to your workout. Stronger muscles can better withstand the impact of athletic activities, and stability training may help minimize forces being transmitted up your lower leg. Strengthen your lower leg muscles with calf raises and leg presses. Strengthen your ankles with exercises using a resistance band or tube. For stability training, try one-leg standing. Place your feet at shoulder width and extend your arms straight in front of you. Then lift one of your legs and bend it back. Hold for about five seconds and repeat several times, and then switch legs.

Self-care

If you have shin splints, try the R.I.C.E. method for self-care — rest, ice, compression, elevation.

* Rest. Avoid activities that cause pain, swelling or discomfort. But don't avoid all physical activity. Instead, give yourself relative rest. That means reducing the duration and frequency of your high-impact athletic activities. Just how far you cut back depends on the severity of your pain. For a while, you may need to switch to low-impact exercises, such as swimming, bicycling or water running. If your shin pain is severe and causes you to limp, you may need to use crutches until you can walk normally without pain. When you resume your activities, ease back into them. If you don't, your symptoms may return.
* Ice. For at least several days after injury and as long as there is any swelling, apply an ice pack to the painful area for 15 minutes several times a day. Cold reduces pain, swelling and inflammation in injured muscles, joints and connective tissues.
* Compression. Compress the area with an elastic bandage or compression sleeve to help control swelling and improve symptoms. A compression sleeve is especially helpful if sore muscles are the main cause of your pain. If you use an elastic bandage, don't wrap it too tightly or you may hinder circulation. Begin wrapping at the end farthest from your heart. Loosen the wrap if the pain increases, the area becomes numb or swelling is occurring below the wrapped area.
* Elevation. To reduce swelling, elevate the injured area above the level of your heart, especially at night. Gravity helps reduce swelling by draining excess fluid.

For pain relief, try an over-the-counter medication such as acetaminophen (Tylenol, others), ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, others) or naproxen (Aleve, others).

Answer 2

It is probably "growing pains" and it usually comes from a bone that is attached from the knee to the shin. This pain has a name which I can't think of right now. He needs to rest his legs. No running, jumping. He can ride a bike but not too hard. Needs to take the stairs normally not jumping off the last 3 steps (don't know any teen that doesn't do that). It should only take a week or two to calm down.

You can see a chiropractor or dr. about it but I don't think they can do much for him other than tell him not to strain the legs.

Answer 3

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 4

Try to apply Dolobene gel. I tried it just in case, I didn't expect it to work because the pain was clearly in the bones but... it helped. It doesn't trouble me anymore. It always became worse after jumping or running. Now I'm ok.

Answer 5

poor blood circulation and not enuff calcium and b-12 in ya diet

Answer 6

wrong shoes