Athletes Affliction: Shin Splints

“It’s very hard in the beginning to understand that the whole ideas is not to beat the other runners. Eventually you learn that the competition is against the little voice inside you that wants you to quit.”

Today we are looking at “shin splints: a common running injury, injuries are all to common in running. Statistics have shown the if you regularly run you have a 37-56% chance of getting injured, with a majority of the injuries coming from overuse of the musculoskeletal system. It gets worse its estimated up to 70% of injuries are likely to reoccur. Injuries are related to overuse, increases in training load, changes in training surface, as well as lower extremity alignment and increases in bodyweight and a tight achilles tendon or weak ankle. I have to thank one of my clients for requesting the article on shin splints, they kept cropping up, until we put a plan in place. Now she is running injury free and wanted me to pass along some of this knowledge on. 

Shin splints symptoms can include pain the front or the back of the leg, a dull aching sensation after you run or walk sometimes while you run or walk. They can be split into two types anterior and posterior shin splints. We will be looking at the anterior shin splints first, it involves the shock absorbers of the lower leg. The muscles we are looking at are namely the tibialis anterior, extensor hallucis longus and digitorum longus muscles.  The main causes for anterior shin splints are weak or overstrained muscles as well as worn out shoes with little or no shock absorption. Posterior shin splints involves the ankle stabilizer muscles they are the tibialis posterior, flexor hallucis longus and flexor digitorum longus muscles. The cause for these type of shin splints are usually overstrained due to hyperpronation, that shows up as pain and tenderness in the middle or lower portion of the posterior shins. 

The solutions for shin splints is dependent upon the type of shin splints. Generally it will be Ice, rest and anti-inflammatories, this would also be an opportune time to use ART.  ART treatments on people with shin splints can greatly reduce them coming back. The muscles tear away from the bone, in the healing process the nature of the muscles changes, becoming fibrotic. This inhibits the ability of the muscle to lengthen, ART breaks down the adhesions giving the muscle the ability to lengthen again. During this time training would be curtailed and you would continue to ice your legs.  There is a nutritional component as well mirroring the one seen in Pills, Tape and Lasers. Some of the nutrients to address swelling in the first 72 hours are Trypsin, Chromotrypsin and Bromelain. They are three proteolytic enzymes which some studies suggest that people who receive proteolytic enzymes showed reduced swelling, pain, inflammation also had faster healing and recovery rates, and must be taken in between meals. These natural anti-inflammatories are responsible for they known to decrease pain and promote healing they are Boswellia, Tumeric, Ginger, Cayenne and Quercitin. If the muscles need to be relaxed you can use Calcium, Magnesium, Lemon Balm and Valerian Root. Phase two will start around day four and last until eight weeks post injury the symptoms include continued joint or muscle pain, palpable inflammation surrounding the injury, range of motion may be compromise, and tissue repair and remodeling has begun. Our objectives are initial soft tissue support, to aid in collagen synthesis, improve joint stability, as well as control pain and inflammation. The soft tissue we will be supporting is the extra cellular matrix its the network that binds us together our tendons, ligaments, cartilage and the fascia. The tendons heal in overlapping phases inflammation, repair and remodeling. One of the strategies we use to support the health and integrity of the extra cellular matrix is to modulate expression of MMP’s or matrix metalloproteinases. They are the collagen digesting enzymes naturally produced at the time of injury if excessively released they can damage healthy tendon and cartilage tissue. If controlled it can help to remodel connective tissue. The nutrients that modulate the mmps are Berberin, Thiaa, Selenium, along with Folic acid. Now you can address collagen synthesis with Amino acids, Vitamin C, B6, B5, L-Taurine, Silica, Zinc, and Copper. The nutrients you can use to support joint stability and the connective tissues is Glucosamine and Chondroitin. Onto Phase three this is the and ongoing care phase, the objectives are to achieve optimal issue remodeling, support wellness prevention care by maintaining foundation nutrition and reducing the risk of re-injury and degeneration. Also keep up on the 5 foundation nutrition supplements which are a Multivitamin-Multimineral, Omega 3-fatty acids, Vitamin D, Probiotics and Phytonutrient supplement. You can also use compression garments as well kinesio tape and rock tape for shin splints. It is highly suggested you get fitted for proper shoes and possibly a biomechanical analysis. 

 It is to be hoped that this keeps you in the game, on the track and at the gym. We will have a few more blogs for you this week. So keep your eyes out, sign up for the mailing list and share the blog!