If you’re an athlete or runner, odds are you’ve experienced shin splints at some point in your life. Shin splints involve microtears in the muscle and bone tissue in the shinbone, and at their worst can be quite painful. However, new research suggests that shin splints can cause more problems for other areas of your legs and feet than previously thought.
The new findings come out of the University of Michigan, where researchers looked at imaged legs and feet of adolescents who did and did not experience shin splints. Here’s what they found:
- Compared to healthy runners, injured runners had decreased foot and calf muscle and tendon size. Also, the angle of certain muscle fibers in the calves and feet decreased, which indicates reduced strength and quality of muscle.
- More muscles in the feet and calves of injured runners were compromised than previously believed. Knee tendon quality changes suggest that an injury lower in the leg or foot may cause abnormalities higher up. Assessing the whole individual is important when developing a treatment plan.
- Musculoskeletal ultrasound is a good tool in formulating rehabilitation plans for shin splints. Standard practice for non-acute lower leg injuries like shin splints is to manually test strength and flexibility, but it does not include images.
Treating Shin Splints
Researchers also noted that aside from working with a foot and ankle specialist to help overcome shin splints, a patient may benefit from toe yoga exercises to strengthen core foot muscles and aid in the shin splint recovery process. Here’s how these toe yoga exercises are performed:
- Start with your feet flat on the floor.
- Try to bring the ball of your foot closer to your heel by contracting the muscles in your arch, which will cause it to rise.
- Here’s the tricky part. Don’t curl your toes under. Keep them on the floor, just try to shorten your foot and release.
- Other toe yoga exercises include raising, flexing or curling your toes, drawing the alphabet with your big toe, and trying to bend over and pick an object off the ground while balancing on one foot.
Researchers say the exercises should be repeated several times a day in order to target the endurance muscles in your feet. Ensuring these muscles are better equipped to handle stress could help to limit strain on your shinbone and prevent shin splints from coming back.
Shin splints can be a tricky condition to treat, and they may return if you aren’t proactive in protecting your feet once the injury has resolved. We’ve helped a number of runners and athletes keep their shin splints at bay or quickly recover once an issue develops. If you’ve been bothered by shin pain, especially during activity, don’t keep trying to power through, because symptoms will only likely get worse.
