What are shin splints?
Have you ever felt a strong burning pain and sensitivity to the touch on the lower leg and, more particularly, towards the inner edge of the shin bone? Then you might have experienced the pain of shin splints. It is usually not a serious injury (though it is always good to check with a doctor when you have these symptoms), but definitely a very annoying one. Indeed, it can take quite a long time to recover and require you to stop doing the activities you love.
The medical term for shin splints is Medial tibial stress syndrome. The pain comes from an inflammation of the muscles and connective tissues surrounding the shin.
Is there a way to prevent shin splints?
Shin splints are usually an overuse injury. Most people who get shin splints started something new too fast, doing too much of that new activity: usually an activity that involves running or jumping. Sometimes, shin splints can come from bio-mechanical issues and muscular imbalances that lead to strong shocks in the shins with each running steps. Some of these issues can be:- Weak core
- Tight hip flexors
- Weak hips (glutes and hip abductors)
- Over-striding (landing with your foot ahead of your centre of gravity)
- Weak Tibialis Anterior muscles (a muscle located in front of the shins that causes dorsiflexion and inversion of the feet)
- Unstable ankles
- Tight calves
- Plantar flexing upon impact (especially when sprinting or bounding)
- Weak feet
- Over-pronating (the ankle rolling inward and the arch of the foot flattening with each step)
Preventing shin splints is as simple as integrating the proper strengthening and stretching exercises in your workout to avoid these issues.
Exercise 1: work your balance and core
Everything in the body is connected and a weak core combined with tight hip flexors can be at the root of over-striding and can limit the body's capacity to absorb shocks properly. If you have a weak core you would also have bad balance on one foot, and running is an activity where you have to quickly alternate balancing on one foot after the other.
The Airplane or Warior III pose
1. Stand tall and take a deep breath in
2. If needed, put one hand on a chair or touch the wall to help you with your balance
3. Hinge forward from the hips: keep your body in a straight line from the head to the toes
4. Lean as much as you can while keeping your body in a plank-like alignment: do not bend at the waist to go lower
5. Slowly move back up while keeping the same alignment
When you can do 20 easily, you can try it holding weights in your hands and holding your arms wide to your sides like an airplane at the end of the lean to work on your upper-body posture.
This exercise will get your body progressively into a plank-like position while balancing on one foot. It will help you strengthen your core, stretch your hip flexors, and improve your balance all at once!
Exercise 2: strengthen your hips
Weak hip abductors and external rotators, can lead to inward buckling knees, which can lead to overpronation and, sometimes shin splints. So it is important to strengthen the hips to keep all the joints in alignment and therefore more efficient at absorbing the shocks from running.
Squat to Leg Raise
1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your hands out in front of you
2. Slowly sit into a wide squat making sure your knees stay above your ankles and do not move inward or forward. Imagine you are about to sit on a bench behind you and do not try to go lower than your body can with good form.
3. Stand up, then extend one leg up and lift it up to the side
4. Hold the position for about 5s, then slowly lower the leg until your feet are back into the wide squat position
Repeat 12 times. Hold dumbbells or a weighted vest when it is too easy.
Exercise 3: Strengthen your "shin muscles"
Weak Tibialis Anterior muscles together with strong and tight calves leads to muscular imbalances that put stress on the shins with each step. Wearing shoes with heels and spending a lot of time sitting can only make the issue worse. It is hard to strengthen the Tibialis Anterior muscles as it is difficult to add resistance to the dorsiflexion movement, but with a little of creativity, it is possible
Ankle-weight lifts with the toes
1. Place an ankle weight on top of your toes and strap it around your foot OR put another weight like a big book or a plate on half of your foot
2. Standing while leaning back against a wall or sitting doe slow toe raises until only the back of your heels touch the ground
3. Lower your toes slowly
Repeat it up to 12 times, then use a heavier weight.
Exercise 4: relax your calves
Tight calves, and more specifically, tight soleus muscles can pull on the shin bone with each running step or jump, putting undue stress on the bone. Running hills and on uneven surfaces is especially taxing on the calves, so make sure to warm up well and stretch extra before and after. Wearing compression sleeves can also help. Ideally, you should go to a massage therapist whenever you feel muscular tightness last longer than the regular 2-3 days of post-workout soreness. Self-massaging your calves regularly would also help.
Alternate heel dips
2. Use a wall or a bar for balance
3. Slowly alternate bending one knee and lowering the heel of the opposite leg by dropping the hip
4. Breathe out when stretching, breathe in when switching legs
Repeat 20 times.
Exercise 5: strengthen your feet
Weak feet are not as good at absorbing the impact of running or jumping and can flatten and overpronate. Strengthening your feet can help build a higher and stronger foot arch that will serve as your leg's shock absorbers. Whenever you can, do your workout barefoot or in comfortable minimalist shoes. Do as many exercises as you can on one foot as most exercises that challenge your balance can help strengthen your feet. Exercises specifically designed to strengthen the feet can be quite boring, but they are usually easy to do at home with minimum equipment, so just put on a nice show and do them while watching it.
