Pain in the shins or the front of the lower legs and above ankles especially during walking and exercising i.e. tennis, running , basketball, football.
It’s thought this leads to swelling (inflammation) of the tissue around the shin bone.
A ‘one-leg hop test’ – is a functional test, that can be used to distinguish between medial tibial stress syndrome and a stress fracture: a patient with medial tibial stress syndrome can hop at least 10 times on the affected leg where a patient with a stress fracture cannot hop without severe pain.
The sensitivity of the hop test for diagnosing medial tibial stress fracture when pain and tenderness were present was 100%, the specificity 45%, the positive predictive value 74%, and the negative predictive value 100%
One should expect it to take two to six weeks to recover from shin splints. Runners with more irritable shin pain may take up to six months to fully heal. Runners who rest their shins as soon as symptoms begin usually return to pain-free running more quickly.
Kinetic Revolution
It’s important not to run through the pain.
Please see your Medical Doctor If symptoms not improving after a week or one is in a lot of pain
Cause
Unknown
Soon after starting exercise, running or repetitive weight bearing on the legs
Sudden change in your activity level – such as starting a new exercise plan or suddenly increasing the distance or pace you run
Running on hard or uneven surfaces
wearing poorly fitting or worn-out trainers that don’t cushion and support your feet properly
being overweight
Flat feet or feet that roll inwards (Over-pronation)
Pain in the shin bones, which run down the front of your lower legs soon after exercise?
Gradually improve when resting (sometimes the pain may fade) while you’re still exercising, but it can eventually become constant and continue even when resting?
Dull and achy to begin with, but may become increasingly sharp or severe and stop you exercising?
Affect both shins?
Pain felt over a large part of the shin (an area over 5cm across)?
NHS Choices
Complications /Information to beware of/General tips:
General Tips
Rest – stop the exercise or activities that caused the injury until you feel better
Ice – put an ice pack (you could use a bag of frozen peas wrapped in a teatowel) on the injury for up to 20 minutes every 2 to 3 hours
Compress – wrap a bandage around the injury to support it
Elevate – if possible, keep the injured area raised on a pillow when sitting or lying down
This condition may show similar symptoms to:
Pain in a small area on lower leg may be caused by: Stress fracture (tiny cracks in the bone)
Please talk to your healthcare professional (i.e. Medical Doctor/Pharmacist) for further advice
Detailed Information
Please copy and paste any key words from the title: Shin Splints in the following respective 'Medtick References and/or Sources' to find out more about the disease (this also may include diagnosis tests and generic medical treatments).
The Pharmaceutical Journal covers analysis, features, opinion, learning and careers articles, providing insight and knowledge about drugs, pharmacy practice, medicines use and healthcare policy in the context of the pharmacy profession and pharmaceutical science.
