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'Shin splints' and other Overuse Injuries
Bianca Quagliata
Overuse Injuries are very common in athletes with high training loads but can also plague recreational sportspeople and those starting a new exercise program. Despite your best intentions to get fit, an overuse injury can cause frustrating setbacks and dampen your newfound motivation.
Overuse Injuries occur as a result of repetitive micro trauma and can affect bones, muscles, cartilage, bursae and most commonly, tendons. Depending on the type of physical activity, they can occur anywhere in the body. Common examples include Achilles tendinosis, 'shin splints', rotator cuff tendinosis or bursitis, and 'tennis elbow'. These niggling and frustrating injuries can be blamed on both intrinsic and extrinsic factors. Intrinsic factors include malalignment, muscle strength imbalances, lack of flexibility, and genetic factors. Extrinsic factors are things like training surfaces, footwear and equipment, training load, technique and recovery time.
Shin pain, often termed 'shin splints', is a common complaint in both new and experienced exercisers, particularly those who run, jog or participate in other high impact exercise. There are a number of causes of shin pain, the most common being medial tibial periostitis. This refers to pain along the inside border of the shin bone where several muscles of the calf are attached. Repetitive traction forces at the muscle-bone interface leads to inflammation and pain. The pain is typically worse at the onset of exercise, often eases with warm up but is sore the following morning.
In contrast, shin pain that gets progressively worse with exercise could represent the beginnings of a stress fracture or compartment syndrome. Each of these conditions requires different management, so it is vital to get a correct diagnosis. Your physiotherapist can identify what the source of the pain is, how to manage it, and most importantly, how to correct the predisposing factors that led to the injury. With the right advice, you should be back on track with your exercise program in no time!