If your shins throb and ache after your daily run or just sprinting to catch the bus, you could have shin splints. Here is everything you need to know about shin splints, what causes them and when to call our home doctor for shin splints in Costa del Sol.
What are shin splints?
Shin splints refers to pain along the shin bone (tibia) and it's medically known as medial tibial stress syndrome The tibia is the large bone in the front of your lower leg. Shin splints in runners, dancers and military recruits are common.
Athletes who have recently intensified or changed their training routines often experience shin splints. The increased movement overworks the bone tissue, muscles, and tendons.
Most cases of shin splints can be treated with ice, rest and other measures of self-care. Wearing proper footwear and altering the workout routine will help avoid recurrence of shin splints.
Is it a shin splint?
If you have shin splints, you may feel tenderness, soreness or discomfort in your lower leg along the inner side of your shinbone and slight swelling. The pain can stop at first when you stop doing exercise. However, the pain may ultimately be constant and can lead to a stress reaction or a fracture of stress.
Causes of shin splints
Repetitive tension on the shinbone and the connective tissues that bind the muscles to the bone triggers shin splints.
Risk factors
Our home doctor for shin splints in Costa del Sol explains that you are at risk if you:
Are more at risk of shin splints if:
- Are a runner
- Suddenly increase the frequency, duration, or intensity of exercise
- Run on uneven terrain, such as hard surfaces or hills
- Are in military training
- Have flat feet or high arches
When to call our home doctor for shin splints in Costa del Sol
Call our home doctor for shin splints in Costa del Sol if rest, ice and over-the-counter pain relievers don't ease your shin pain.