Shinsplints for runners
Many runners suffer from it: shinsplints. Shinsplints is a collective name for various lower leg injuries, with the pain on or around the shin. In this article you can read about the various complaints or symptoms and what you should do if you have these complaints.
About 20-30% of all running injuries are around the shin and therefore fall under the term shinsplints.
Symptoms shinsplints:
- Pain on the inside or outside of the tibia;
- Pain in front of the lower leg during and after exercise;
- Possible swelling in lower leg / ankle;
- Cramp in the calf muscles
- Pressure pain on and just next to the tibia.
If you have doubts about your complaints or are they there for a long time? Please contact us so we can help you out.
What causes shinsplints?
If you suffer from your shin, it is very important to have a good diagnosis. It can have various causes. The complaint can be in muscles, bones or even in a nerve or blood vessel. Do you want to find out if your complaint is in the bone or muscle? Find out for yourself by following the instruction in the video below!
Test yourself!
There is a lot of uncertainty about what exactly causes tibia complaints, but there are a number of points that can be indicated as risk factors.
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Incorrect way of training
There are three mistakes that are commonly made. Too rapid an increase in the number of kilometers you walk. Many complaints around the shin are caused by over training. By building up with a proper program and not making to much kilometers to soon you can prevent overload.
Another common mistake is to do more or faster interval / pace training than you are used to. If you run faster than you are used to, you also have to recover enough from this. If you do not do this, you can overload. Make sure you have enough recovery time after an interval training.
Change in training environment can also cause problems. Think of unpaved versus paved surface or hills versus flat. When you change the surface, the load on your body changes and you also have to get used to this. So pay attention when you are on vacation or training in a different environment.
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Weak muscles
Al lot of muscles affect the shin. There are therefore a number of muscle groups that must function properly to prevent or cure tibia complaints.
The first group are the calf muscles, especially the deep calf muscle. It attaches to the shin. If this muscle is not strong enough and is under a lot of load, it will quickly become very stiff.
The second group is the stabilizing muscles around the foot. If the foot stability is insufficient, greater forces are placed on the lower leg that can give a stress response to the shin.
The third group are the hip muscles, which generate stability in the entire leg and are also a major supplier of strength to the leg. By making these muscles strong enough they will make the lower leg muscles less hard to work.
The way you walk can also have a big impact. A number of characteristics in the running style can be related to the occurrence of shine splints. Namely: 1. Overstriding 2. A low stride frequency 3. A big movement in pronation of the ankle (rolling in the ankle).
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Treat quickly to avoid long-term complaints
Complaints around the shin should be taken seriously from the start. The chance that you will otherwise continue to suffer for a long time is very high.
Make sure to visit a specialist to check what exactly is going on. You can go to Running Solutions to get a proper diagnosis. We look for the origin of the complaint and see if there are no underlying problems that cause the complaint.
What can you do yourself?
Start your own rehabilitation process today! With the exercises below you can start controlling your shine splints yourself! If this is not enough, make an appointment and get professional help with rehabilitation.
Exercise 1 Stretch calf muscles short and long
Exercise 2 Internal rotation foot.
Exercise 3 Calfraises extended and bend knee
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