Shin Splints(?)

[Caesar]

Not sure if that's even the problem I have. Basically, the muscles behind my tibia.

I used to get a bit of pain there after exercise, but I had my orthotics recast and adjusted a few months ago which has seemingly eliminated that. However, if I apply pressure to the side of my shin it's still extremely painful and tender, which seems to indicate to me that it's still inflamed and a problem even though I can't ordinarily feel it.

Is there anything I can do to fix this? I have extremely tight hamstrings and suffer from back problems so I stretch those muscles fairly diligently, but I'm not sure how to address this problem in particular.

I presently run/bike ride daily and also play tennis a couple of times a week so I am sure that's not helping with the impact.

 

[cptkirk]

Shin Splints is actually a localised injury and you get it mosly from a history of repetitive movements, especially running. If you're running on concrete then it only makes the problem worse because of the higher impact.

My suggestion here is to back off the running a bit (you might be able to replace some road running with sprints) and/or move to grass if you haven't already. Try doing do 1 long distance run a week and then some 200 - 400m sprints.

You'll also need to activate and strengthen the psoas (a hip flexor muscle) that will actually "lift your leg up" each step so the stress of the impact goes through the entire leg, not just the lower leg.

The point of this exercise is to hold your knee above 90 degrees of hip flexion (higher than parallel) while keeping your lower back flat against the wall. Do 3 x 15secs each leg.

If you haven't done any foam rolling before then I suggest you start, especially for the lower body.

If you find a tender spot then sit on it and hopefully it dissipates. It will over time anyway. Do this daily.

http://aussierulestraining.blogspot.com/2010/03/shin-splints.html

 

[MF_Hawks]

Walk on your toes and ice them to help them get better in just a couple of days

 

[Purvo]

I had the same kind pain/symptoms coming from the same area it turned out to be stress fractures and compartment syndrome, i also had inserts which kind of helped. If your problem persists I highly recommend getting them checked as i didn't and it got a lot worse.

 

[deeman94]

gday caesar,

im a podiatrist down in melbourne.

this is something that walks (or usually limps) through the doors of my clinics reguarly.

there are a number of treatments that are available for pain in this area but the biggest issue here is getting the correct imaging completed before treatment is undertaken due to the amount of anatomy in the area. It sounds like the orthotic that you were prescribed was quite successful for a period of time. this may be due to the orthotic having a beneficial overall effect on the offending area but possibly not quite hit the 'nail on the head' with respect to the exact point of pathology.

often with injuries in this area of the leg (i think a previous poster mentioned this) you can get an increase in pressure in the muscle compartment - which unfortunately does require a slightly different form of treatment than just the orthotics. (orthotics successfully treat this condition in 77% of these cases, so says the literature - you may be one of the unlucky ones)

another issue that may have arised is that you may have a small stress fracture on the posterior portion of your tibia. unfortunately this doesnt get picked up via x ray unless its very long standing. we can usually pick this with a machine called an extra corporal shockwave ultrasound machine (used to treat soft tissue but great at picking stress fractures because it makes the area hurt like hell if there is a stress fracture)

like the previous poster said, ease up on your exercise for a bit and see how you go. if not please feel free to attend my clinic and we will get it sorted for you.

cheers

 

[SJ]

I've start to suffer from them or something similar in the past six months too. Never had an issue with them before.

It's painful when I push on the tibia, moreso on the inside, about half to two-thirds down both legs.

Never worn any type of orthotics nor got my feet checked apart from as a child when both my brothers required orthotics but my feet were ticked off. So maybe I did/do need them and I've never known.

Do new shoes make a difference? I've probably had the current pair for a year.

 

[Richo is God]

Do new shoes make a difference? I've probably had the current pair for a year.

Depends on your foot i.e flat, high arch, low arch, pronation supination etc.. Probably best to go see a podiatrist and they will recommend some shoes to suit your foot type.

Massage up and down the Tibialis Posterior with something like Voltaren Gel and ice after exercise.