Shin splints are pain near and or around the shine bone. It can be a dull or aching pain. Some people experience it only when running or walking while others may continue to feel it even when resting.

Shin splints are often looked at as an overuse injury, but can also occur in someone who is unaccustomed to running/walking or training.

People can also experience shin splints when they have changed their running or walking environment/surface. This could also include changing their shoes.

Shin splint are often the sign of tight muscles. Particularly your calf muscles and your Achilles heel. This is yet another example of why stretching is so important and how it can save your from injury.

Another reason people experience shin splints is because they struggle with over-pronation(when your feet roll in too much) or “flat” feet.

Getting an arch support for your shoes will help over-pronation or “flat” feet greatly. I recommend Super Feet. Most any running store will carry them. They are fantastic inserts that will slip into your shoes and GREATLY support your arch.

Here is a little anatomy lesson for ya:

The arch in your foot is VERY connected to your tibia bone, which runs from your knee to your ankle. This is in essence your “shin” area. As your foot strikes the ground when you are running/walking the muscle responsible for raising your arch is attached to your shin bone. When the tendon(tendons connect muscle to bone) of this muscle becomes stressed over time, the muscle fibers in your arch will begin to tear away from the bone. This will cause bleeding around the lining of your bone, which is painful. This is what you are actually “feeling” when you say you have shin splints.

Shin splints are easy to treat, but unfortunately can take a varied amount of time to heal.

I would start with obviously avoiding the activity that originally brought on the shin splints. Next, be sure to ice for 20 minutes every 2-4 hours until the pain subsides. Also, have a glass of tarty cherry juice or 20 tart cherries. This will greatly help to reduce the pain and inflammation.

Be careful to take the steps necessary to fully recover from your shin splints before you return to your activity or else it could potentially lead into a stress fracture or something worse. =O

To avoid shin splints in the future be sure to always have good arch support and the right shoes. Never rush into anything when working out. Ease into new environments/surfaces/intensities. Also, be sure to always stretch!

And lastly, in an effort to avoid any injury, a healthy diet is KEY!

Stress fractures are an overuse injury that happens when your muscles become so fatigued that the actual bone takes on the stress and work load that your muscles should be taking. This results in tiny, hairlike cracks in the bone called stress fractures. More than 50 percent of reported stress fractures occur in the lower leg and the foot. Studies also report that women are more susceptible to stress fractures.

Most stress fractures happen over the span of time, but can be instantly brought out or exposed by one of the following scenarios:

1. Stress fractures can be brought on by a sudden change in the intensity or the amount of time spent doing your sport/workout.

2. Stress fractures can be brought on by a new change in the environment or surface your sport/workout is performed on. For example, someone who runs on the treadmill all the time may experience a stress fracture when they run outside on the cement for the first time.

3. Stress fractures can also be brought on by a change in shoe shape or support. An old shoe that is worn out could lead to a stress fracture. Or transitioning from a highly supportive shoe to a less supportive shoe too quickly could cause a stress fracture.

Stress fractures can take up to 6-8 weeks to completely heal and even then it may take longer. You must avoid the sport/workout that lead to the stress fracture in the first place and in addition practice RICE, which stands for:

Rest. Ice. Compression. Elevate.

If you return to the sport/workout that caused the stress fracture too quickly you could exasperate the stress fracture even more and it could easily lead to a worse injury such as a complete break in the bone.

Avoid stress fractures by :

1. Set incremental goals to improve your sport/workout in a manageable and realistic time line. Don’t over do it by trying to advance your sport/workout too quickly. Pace yourself.

2. Try to mix up your sport/workout so that you can allow the typically engaged muscles to rest. If you run everyday, try running every other day and mix in swimming or biking.

3. Wear and use safe equipment such as proper shoes.

4. Be sure your diet is healthy and includes the recommended amount of calcium and vitamin D.

5. Listen to your body! If you feel pain. RICE it! And of course , never hesitate to see an Orthopaedic doctor.

That concludes my Stress Fractures 101 course.

Hopefully you feel informed and knowledgeable so that you can avoid stress fractures in your sport/workout.

Check out my recent experience with my very first stress fracture.