Shin splints are a painful condition that occurs when running or other exercise places pressure on shinbones, overloading the connective tissue between the muscles of your calf and the tibia. The risk for shin splints increases during sports like soccer or track where running plays an integral role, but can also be increased during any type of running, such as training for a marathon or even your morning jog. Several options are available to help remedy the pain and problems associated with shin splints.
Support Braces
Support braces can be worn to help treat problems with shin splints. A shin splint brace typically wraps around the calf muscle to provide support as well compression to the muscle to prevent shin splints from occurring. The brace also traps in heat to help relax the muscle.
Shoes/Arch Support
Special shoes with good arch support can also help treat problems with shin splints. The right shoes can help cushion and support the foot while dispersing stress off of the shinbone, suggests MayoClinic.com. This helps reduce the pressure on the connective tissue of the muscle. Shock-absorbing insoles can also help reduce the impact of running on the muscle.
Elevation
Elevating the leg affected by shin splints can also help treat the problem. Elevating the leg above the level of your heart, especially when sleeping at night, helps reduce the swelling that can be associated with shin splints.
Ice
Applying ice the the shin and calf works in two ways on shin splints. First, ice helps reduce the inflammation which can occur soon after the injury. Second, ice can help dull the pain associated with shin splints. MayoClinic.com suggests applying ice to the affected area for 15 to 20 minutes at a time, four to eight times each day, until the pain and swelling subsides.
Compression
Compression can also be used to help treat problems with shin splints. Compression sleeves or bandages wrapped around the calf muscle help reduce inflammation, and allows blood to flow to the damaged tissues for help in healing. If you lose feeling below the compression bandage, you probably have it on too tight and need to slightly loosen it to allow regular blood flow to return.
Medications
Over-the-counter pain killers can be used with shin splints to help reduce the associated pain. Common examples include aspirin, ibuprofen, naproxen and acetaminophen.
