How to Cope With Shin Splints

If you've ever participated in a sport that involved a great deal of running, you may have experienced a painful condition known as shin splints. The technical name for this type of injury is "medial tibial stress syndrome." It occurs when the tibia (shin bone) and surrounding tissues that connect muscle to bone become stressed. The pain from shin splints occurs all along the shin bone and usually hurts more when walking, jogging or running. Although shin splints can be very uncomfortable, they usually can be treated fairly easily and prevented from reoccurring in the future.

Things You'll Need

• Doctor
• Ice packs
• Ibuprofen
• Crutches
• Proper shoes

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Instructions

• 1

  Visit a doctor. It's best to have suspected cases of shin splints checked out in order to rule out a stress fracture of the bone. Your doctor also can advise you on the course of treatment that's best for you.

• 2

  Take it easy. With shin splints you usually don't have to refrain from sports or exercise completely, but you may need to scale back the amount of running you do. Be careful with quick starts and stops, as this type of motion can aggravate shin splints. If the pain is severe enough, you may need to use crutches for a while.

• 3

  Use ice to help reduce swelling. Rub ice packs or small bags of frozen vegetables on the area about six times a day. If you're still working out, make sure you ice your shins before and after exercising.

• 4

  Prop your feet up above your heart, especially at night, in order to help with the swelling.

• 5

  Try ibuprofen to help relieve swelling and pain.

• 6

  Wear shoes that have substantial arch supports and are suitable for the sport you are playing.

• 7

  Prevent future shin splints by stretching properly before working out and by gradually strengthening the muscles in your legs through weight training.