Prevention and Treatment of Shin Splints

Overuse injuries in track & field

It is not surprising that overuse injuries are common in track & field given the constant pounding to which runners subject their bodies, and the repetition involved in perfecting field event technique. Many of the overuse injuries suffered by track & field athletes are preventable if athletes and their parents educate themselves about common types and causes of injury and train the right way.

Shin splints: the most common overuse injury,

The number one overuse injury, according to Laura Ann Christopher, MS, ATC, an athletic trainer for the University of Maryland track & field team, are shin splints.

Shin splints generally refer to inflammation of the tendons attaching the shin muscles to the tibia (shin bone). They occur when the muscles on the inside part of the tibia which control foot movement when running, or the tibia lining itself, become inflamed.

The inflammation is a warning sign that, for whatever reason, the muscles are unable to handle the stress being placed on them.

Shin splints: common causes

Shin splints commonly result from overuse. All of the following create overuse in running:

• A structural imbalance or irregularity, such as foot placement (usually overpronation, e.g. where the foot flattens when the athlete runs), can predispose an athlete to shin splints. Where this occurs, orthotics can be helpful;

• Too many miles running on hard surfaces;

• Abrupt changes in running surfacesuch as going from an indoor to outdoor track, or from the grass and/or dirt of a cross country course to the harder surface of an outdoor or indoor track; or

• Abrupt change in training regimensuch as going from running on flat surfaces to running up and down hills (i.e. adding plyometrics, a type of training designed to produce fast, powerful movements, generally for the purposes of improving performance).

All can stress the muscles around the tibia. If they are not strong enough to adapt to the change they become tired and fatigued, resulting in more foot motion and more stress on the muscle causing inflammation. Shin splints make running very painful, pain which is increased by the added stress of wearing spikes during training and competitions.