Shin splints, that lower leg pain you feel when running or walking on a hard surface, is technically called medial tibial stress syndrome, or MTSS. The force placed on the tendons that connect the muscles to your tibia, a bone in your lower leg, can cause the tendons to start to pull away from the bone. The pulling away causes the pain of shin splints. Stretching can be a preventive tool and treatment for shin splints.
Benefits of Stretching
Overload in your lower legs is one of the primary causes of shin splints; if your muscles and tendons are overly tight, they are more susceptible. Stretching before running or participating in another form of physical activity warms and loosens your muscles, which protects you against injury, including shin splints.
Kneeling Stretch
Stretching all of the muscles of your lower leg can help prevent shin splints, but the front muscles are harder to stretch than the calves. The kneeling stretch for shin splints targets the front of your lower leg. Sit in a kneeling position with your buttocks resting on your heels and both knees bent. Lean back, keeping your back straight, and put pressure on your heels. You will feel the stretch in your shins and also your thighs. Perform the stretch with both legs at the same time or stretch each one separately by raising one knee up with your hands for a deeper stretch.
Toe-Up Stretch
Use the first step of a staircase or an aerobics block to perform a toe-up stretch that works on your Achilles' tendon and can be helpful for shin splints as well. Put only the ball of your foot against the step while you balance your weight on your other leg, which is planted on the floor slightly in back of your body. Bend your front knee slightly and lean forward to feel the stretch in the back of your heel and up your calf.
Calf Stretches
Calf stretches that are beneficial to shin splint sufferers include increasing flexibility in both of your calf muscle groups, the gastrocnemius and the soleus. To stretch the gastrocnemius, the bigger of the two muscles, stand facing a wall with one foot about a shoulder's width in front of the other. Keep your back leg --the one you are stretching -- straight and your front leg slightly bent at the knee. Push against the wall with your hands until you feel a stretch in your back calf. Soleus stretching can also be done using a wall as support. As with the gastroc stretch, one foot will be in back of the other, but this time, keep both knees bent. Keep your balance by touching your fingers to the wall if needed, but try to stay upright in the bent-knee position with both heels on the floor, for 30 seconds.
