Shin Splints – mend Massage Therapy
If you’ve ever run you’ll more than likely already know what I’m talking about. Shin splints, the amount of befuddling research on this subject is vast and varied. Sift through though you’ll come to find that the term ‘shin splints’ actually refers to a number of different conditions surrounding the lower limb and is commonly used for any pain in the region of the tibia (the shin bone). Pain of this kind is generally felt in the anterior aspect (the posh term for front part) or in the posterior aspect (the posh term from back part).
It is widely believed that the cause of shin splints is primarily down to overuse, either through a high volume of running or a rapid increase in running volume. In simple terms, you overstress the muscle in the lower limb or you run too far too fast in a too short space of time.
There are many other contributing factors that may cause shin pain. We would primarily look at your gait (how your feet, ankles, knees and hips move) while running and walking, as well as the footwear you use when running. The complexity of the lower limb’s (shin, calf, ankles and feet) construction means it could be a number of different issues all balled into one
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Let’s take a step back and look up…
The muscles that best propel us forwards are the glutes and hamstrings. Now if these large muscles are weak or at least not accustomed to being used then that can play havoc lower down. This then causes us to rely upon our poor tiny little calves, and quads to do all the work. As you can see generally these small muscles aren’t fans of such huge forces being applied upon them. This then creates large amounts of stress on the tendons and muscles causing pain!
So as you can see all is not as it seems. Therefore shin pain is essentially a symptom of an inadequacy or weakness further up the chain. In the next part of this article i’ll talk more about the importance of hip strength in running to alleviate some of the pain and stress involved in shin splints.
If you are battling with shin pain, don’t hesitate to give us a call or click below for some advice or to book a FREE consultation now.
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