Shin Pain: Causes And Treatment With Running Shoe Insoles

Shin Splints consists in a throbbing pain in the shin bone area or tibia caused by injury to the tendon adjacent to the tibia. The consequent inflammation arises in the front or inside section of the tibia. In most cases, shin pain can result from intense physical activity such as running or jumping; shin pain often needs a long period of time to heal.

Common Symptoms of Shin Splints

Common shin splint symptoms include inflammation and/or soreness around the shin area, particularly after running or walking for long distances. The pain typically presents itself at the beginning of the workout, then lessens slightly, and reappears when settling into rest. It is not uncommon for shin splints to occur in people who have just started to get involved in running or walking activities.


Shin Splints: Common Causes

The main cause of shin pain is undue stretching of the muscles and tendons adjacent to the shin bones, which are the tibia and the fibula. Excessive use of these muscles by athletes and runners is the most common factor for this condition. Other causes for shin pain can also be due to excessive use of the anterior tibialis muscle in the front of the leg, along the outside front of the shin bones.

Excessive pronation of the feet can also be a major contributing factor for shin pain. Excessive pronation causes internal tibial rotation and increases the tractional forces upon the muscles and ligaments in the lower leg.

Shin Splints: Treatment and Relief

For the immediate term, rest is required to help alleviate shin pain. Running and other intense physical activities should be minimized until the condition is controlled. Shin splints are often prevented by going through a warm-up period before strong sports activity. It is of utmost importance for runners and athletes to steadily increment their level of activity, and always go through a proper warm-up before sudden or intense exercise. Changing your running style to reduce stride length and softening your heel strike can also contribute to a reduction of shin splints in the long term.

Using adequate footwear is also a good way to prevent and reduce the effect of shin splints, particularly for athletes who use a heavy heel strike. Running shoes with proper rear foot stability should be used whenever possible. Additionally, insoles for sports are useful by helping to correct over pronation and providing heel cushioning, thus reducing the impact while assisting with heel stability.

Runners and other athletes need to continuously engage in proper foot health care in order to perform properly at all times.