Shin Splints

[xxLEExx]

Hi,

I play basketball and used to play at a fairly high level but ever since I grew during puberty - I'm now 6' 4" - I get shin splints and is stopping me training enough to take my game to the next level. I've had multiple ankle sprains and my ankles probabaly aren't as strong as they should be. According to the podiatrist I went to see, my feet slightly overpronate and when I jump I put most of the force through my big and longest toe. He mentioned that this was probably the problem. However recently I've notice that most severe pain occurs when I perform defensive slides on the court which involves lateral movement with sharp changes in direction. The pain is most sharp of all when the quick direction changes take place. Is it my ankle instabilty causing the shin splints or what? Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Lee

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[BIMScott]

Hi Lee,

Going on a limb and saying it is Shin splints and not pain experienced due to some form of compartment syndrome then the following might be useful.

Shin splints is a descriptive term for pain experienced at the front of your leg. Better known as Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome (MTSS) or Medial Tibial Traction
Periostitis is an overuse injury seen commonly in sports involving running.

You will experience tenderness in the inner aspect of your tibia. During early days the pain is bearable and decreases during activity but returns after activity and becomes quite painful. As the disease progresses it often prevents training all together as well as becoming debilitating for everyday activities, even some night pains.

This condition occurs if stress is too high or rest periods inadequate, the rate of healing may be outstripped by the rate of damage and symptoms will become steadily worse. In the case of MTSS damage is usually at the site of attachment of the lower leg muscles to the shin bone. Often near the attachments of soleus, tib post and FHL. Think of it simply as overpulling where the muscle attaches to the bone. It may progress into a stress fracture!!

The greater the shock through the lower limb, the higher the likelihood of damage to
the tissues. Shock may be increased by running on hard surfaces (surfaces in order of increasing hardness: soft grass, smooth dirt, asphalt, concrete pavement), by running downhill or by worn-out shoes. Some biomechanical factors can also increase stress on the tissues, these include: tight calves and hamstrings, stiff ankle and foot joints, weak calf muscles, bow-legs, and most commonly I have found in pronating feet.

Management:
-Rest from impact- train NWB (swim, water running, cycle)
-Taping, ice massage
-Slow progression of return to WB activites
-Specific Soft tissue massage- see a qualified physio
-Correction of Biomechanical issues to improve shock absorption: possibly orthotics and correct footwear, calf and H/S stretches, ankle mobilisation- depending on assessment

Hope that helps a bit,
Scott

[xxLEExx]

Thanks for the advice. I'll take a trip to my local sports physio and see what she says.

[JTrempe]

Hi,

It could be shin splints but that pain would feel very different from ankle pain. Generally ankle instability would give you pain over the outside of the ankle. I hope you are addressing your foot issues....wear VERY good shoes even if you also have shoe inserts. Also, don't ignore lateral hip strength both because of the previous ankle injuries and the foot pronation.

For more info you can check out this site:

Foot Joint Pain, Symptoms and solutions for foot pain conditions.

Good luck.

[xxLEExx]

Could you elaborate on lateral hip strength please?

[the.powerhouse]

Ha, shin splints, I’ve been there. I used to try to dunk too much when I was younger. It’s amazing how quickly injuries like shin splints go away when you stop trying to play above the rim;-)!

[xxLEExx]

Ha! I can't help myself though, especially when my legs feel good... I LOVE to fly!