Shin Splints Treatment

Shin splints treatment has undergone a evolution of late. Previously, two schools of thought dominated sports podiatrist's treatment of athletes diagnosed with shin splints.

On one side, podiatrists recommended a "full rest" approach, basically staying off your legs untill the pain went away.

Conversely there was the "run through it" train of thought, whereby athletes would basically stomach the pain until natural conditioning strengthened the effected tendons to the point where the pain stopped.

Unfortunately, the full rest did not appeal to competitive athletes as the downtime left them at an obvious disadvantage to their rivals.

Even more unfortunately, running through the pain often amounted to running until the pain could simply not be tolerated anymore, doing further damage to affected tendons, and hence requiring a longer recovery window.

Recently, trainers have adopted a hybrid of the primitive treatment models called the "relative rest" approach.

The method is 'relative' because... the specific affected areas are rested while the athlete maintains a conditioning and strengthening regime for other parts of the body.

As shin splints are often caused by a relative weakness of the calf muscles (as compared to the work load the athlete is subjecting them to), the "Relative Rest" approach includes a strong element of calf stretching and strengthening. This hopefully contributes a bit of a prevention element while the athlete is still in recovery mode.

To maintain cardio-vascular fitness, athletes also spend increased time on either machines or real bikes to help them recover without "missing a beat".

During the rehab, ice and anti-inflammatory drugs often help reduce swelling and recovery time.

The usual recovery window for shin splint injuries is about two weeks under the relative rest method.

Of course, as shin splints are caused by over use and wear and tear in the first place, the athlete should gradually work his way back to pre-injury levels / mileage, spending the first two weeks running on soft and level surfaces (no concrete!).

And last but by no means least - careful attention should be paid to shoe selection as an athlete's tendency to overpronate, supinate or run neutrally can be a major contribuitor to shin splints.

In some cases, orthoses can help prevent re-injury and play key role in shin splints treatment.

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