One area of concern for many young athletes is the lower leg or shin. Your lower leg is comprised of the area below your knee and above the ankle. This area consists of two bones: Fibula (lateral or outside portion of the lower leg) and Tibia (medial or inside portion of your leg). Muscles that work in this area are comprised of ankle and toe flexors, extensors, everters and inverters.
A term that is heard throughout the area during the early spring months is “shin splints.” This catchall phrase describes chronic pain within the lower leg area. The medical diagnosis or term used to describe this pain is medial tibial stress syndrome. This term encompasses over three injuries such as stress fractures, muscle strain and chronic anterior compartment syndrome. Typically “shin splints” involve the muscles and tendons that attach to the bones in the lower leg. They simply become irritated. Shin pain generally occurs early in a training program or after the training program has been put on hold and resumed. These types of injuries usually appear after repetitive training on hard surfaces, forcible excessive use of lower leg musculature, and overtraining.
Symptoms can occur anywhere in the lower leg, however primarily occur over the anteromedial or front/inside portion of the lower leg. This pain can be debilitating if left untreated. There are four grades for shin pain. Grade 1 is when pain occurs after the activity. Grade 2 is when pain occurs before and after activity but does not affect performance. Grade 3 includes pain before, during and after the completion of activity. Grade 4 involves severe pain that does not allow any performance.
Treatment varies on the final diagnosis made by an orthopedic physician and the level or grade of the injury. However, these injuries usually require rest for a certain amount of time. Additional treatments can include, ice, anti-inflammatory medications and arch supports/orthotics. No matter which grade or injury that was suffered, some amount of rehabilitation is required. These treatments and exercises can be conducted with an ATC or Physical Therapist.
If you experience pain after resuming or continuing your training program, make sure that you avoid losing valuable training time by seeking medical care before it is too late.
References:
The Sports Medicine Patient Advisor – Pierre Rouzier
Athletic Injury Assessment – James M Booher, Gary Thibodeau
Principles of Athletic Training, tenth edition – Daniel Arnheim, William Prentice
