The scientific name for shin splints is medial tibial stress syndrome. It is caused by repetitive stress that injures the inside (medial) part of the lower leg (the tibia). This type of injury occurs frequently in people who put a lot of stress on their legs, such as gymnasts, ice skaters or runners. It happens over a period of time and is a result of overuse of the legs. It causes pain on the inside part of the lower leg that gets worse when running or doing other weight-bearing exercises.
Step 1
Purchase wide tape, preferably hockey or trainer's tape. This tape should be approximately 1 1/2 inches wide.
Step 2
Shave the parts of your leg that you will be taping.
Step 3
Wrap your shin. You need to make sure that you don't wrap your calf muscle, because this can cause it to cramp. As a result, you will want to wrap your shins one time, just above your ankle, and then tear, so that you start with wrapping your shin only once.
Step 4
Continue wrapping, each time only going around the shin once, gradually moving up the leg. You will want to make sure that each strip of tape partially overlaps.
Step 5
Test your wrapping job. Do this by standing up and walking around for a little bit. If the warp feels too tight, you will want to take the tape off and rewrap it. If your calf starts to hurt or cramp, you can cut a little slit in the top of the back of the wrap to help give the calf more room.
Things You'll Need
- Trainer's or hockey tape
