Medial tibial stress syndrome is a painful condition that affects many athletes. It is more commonly known as shin splints, because of the pain it causes in the shin. This condition develops when activities such as running or jumping exert tremendous pressure on the muscles of your lower leg. Your muscles are connected to bones by tendons, and the partial tearing of these tendons away from your bones results in shin splints.
Rest
To heal shin splints, you need to give the tendons, muscles and bones in your lower legs a rest. Avoid any activities that exacerbate the pain in your shins, such as running, dancing or any other high impact sport that you are performing. Giving your body a break to allow it to heal itself doesn't mean you have to give up all physical activities, however. Switch to low impact exercises while you wait for your shin splints to heal. Swimming and biking are two examples of physical activities that should not further injure your lower legs.
Ice
Icing is another technique that will help shin splints heal. Ice the affected area for 20 minutes at a time, at least two times per day. To ice, elevate your leg and place the ice on top of your shin. When you ice, protect your skin by wrapping a thin cloth around an ice pack or a bag of ice cubes.
Wear Properly Fitted Shoes
Proper footwear is important for healing shin splints. Buy your shoes at a store where employees are trained to fit you based on your particular feet, your stride and the activity you plan to use them for. In addition to wearing correctly fitted shoes, consider wearing arch supports inside of them. Arch supports help alleviate shin splints because they provide cushioning that spreads the stress on your shinbones more equally across your feet. You can buy different shapes and sizes of arch supports in many stores, or have them custom fitted.
Seek Medical Attention If Necessary
Although shin splints are completely treatable and usually heal on their own, you should seek medical attention if the pain becomes too severe, or if your shins have not healed within a few weeks of rest. Your doctor will be able to correctly diagnose shin splints and refer you to additional resources, such as medications or physical therapy.
