What are shin splints and how can I make them better?!
Question: What are shin splints and how can I make them better!?
I have been playing softball 4-5 times a week for the past month!. I've never been a good runner and I'm about 20lbs overweight (I had a baby 4 months ago), but I've been working on it!. The problem is, at our last game, my shins started hurting really bad, so bad I felt like my shin bones were splitting with each step especially when running!. I described the pain to our coach who said it sounded like shin splints!. The told me to ice my shins and use some icy-hot type cream on them!. Once the icy-hot stuff went on they felt better!. Now, a few hours later, my shins ache but aren't as bad as they were during the game!. What causes them!? What can I do to prevent it from happening again!?!Www@Answer-Health@Com
Answers:
Firstly to clear things up, 'shin splints' isn't actually a diagnosis, its a symptom!. Kind of like saying you have ankle pain when really you've sprained it!.
So moving on, there are two main causes of shin pain - stress fractures of the tibia and medial tibial periostitis (aka MTTP, MTP or MTSS)!. Stress fractures are like miniature fractures along the edge of your bone!.
From what you've described I'm more inclined to suggest MTTP as you're getting delayed pain post-physical activity!. Basically the muscles that attach to your tibia are being over stressed, which is causing them to pull on their attachment point on your tibia (shin bone) and as you can tell it's very painful! You're doing the right thing by using ice, but it would be worth checking in with a physio to get some soft tissue massage done which will actually relieve the cause (not just the pain) and they can help you with any biomechanical issues such as muscle imbalances, flat feet etc
Good luck!Www@Answer-Health@Com
So moving on, there are two main causes of shin pain - stress fractures of the tibia and medial tibial periostitis (aka MTTP, MTP or MTSS)!. Stress fractures are like miniature fractures along the edge of your bone!.
From what you've described I'm more inclined to suggest MTTP as you're getting delayed pain post-physical activity!. Basically the muscles that attach to your tibia are being over stressed, which is causing them to pull on their attachment point on your tibia (shin bone) and as you can tell it's very painful! You're doing the right thing by using ice, but it would be worth checking in with a physio to get some soft tissue massage done which will actually relieve the cause (not just the pain) and they can help you with any biomechanical issues such as muscle imbalances, flat feet etc
Good luck!Www@Answer-Health@Com