What are shin splints?

Shin splints is a wide term that is used to define what is known as medial stress syndrome. A number of risk factors might contribute to the stress and traction forces that the individuals normally suffer from. This includes excessive pronation due to pes planus, training in uneven surfaces, metabolic bone health or lack of training with shock absorption footwear. It is an unusual syndrome which is detected among individuals doing repetitive exercise like military training. Other risk factors can be the increased BMI, the gender as it is more common among women, an increased external and internal rotation of the hip, and a previous history of stress fractures. Shin splints are characterized by a diffuse pain on the medial border of the tibia. The pain on this condition normally appears at the beginning of the exercises, during the exercise it eases and then it comes back during the cool down phase. If it gets worse the syndrome might remain for longer. Physiotherapists and musculoskeletal podiatrists treat this syndrome. Conservatively this condition can be managed by decreasing the workload, stretching calves and hamstrings and having a healthy body weight. Exercising in soft surfaces and wearing appropriate footwear are also very important to manage these symptoms. Shockwave therapy and steroid injections are also used to treat this condition, but there is little quality research to support the efficacy of the treatment. If the symptoms persist for several months, there is surgical treatment that can be performed called fasciotomy that can be performed by an orthopedist but it's very unlikely. The main difference between shin splints and stress fracture is that the stress fracture is an aggravation of the medial tibial stress syndrome.