Shin splints or medial tibial stress syndrome are one of the most disabling and frustrating injuries to deal with. These injuries almost always occur when the individual has done too much too soon. Primarily this injury is brought on by repetitive running and walking without the body being accustomed to the loads. This leads to pain in the shin which can sometimes feel like a sharp stabbing pain when running/walking.

When it comes to loading, the body must be able to tolerate what it is being exposed to. If there was not a slow, gradual build up of chronic loading, then an injury likely occurs. We quite frequently see this injury very early on into pre-season training or very early on into the playing season. Why would the prevalence of shin splints occur after pre-season training has been done and now games are being played? Well, the matches are performed at a much higher intensity and the loading is performed in multiple planes of motion. This leads to a higher magnitude of stress being sustained by the shin bone and the muscles attaching to it.

Muscles that are typically involved in the pathology of shin splints are the posterior and anterior tibialis muscles. The posterior tibialis muscle is most commonly involved as this sits posterior and medially to the shin, helping support the foot during take-off from the gait cycle. This is the reason why it is known as medial tibial stress syndrome. The prevalence of shin splints in the running/sporting population is 9.1%.

What is important to distinguish with this painful injury is whether the pain is actually shin splints, or has it advanced to a tibial bone stress fracture. The military population are very prevalent for sustaining stress fractures due to sustained shin splints not receiving the appropriate management at the right time.

Osteopath and director Jackson is passionate about this injury as he has suffered with it in the past and has successfully rehabilitated it. He understands the importance of education with this injury and how a structured running/exercise rehabilitation program is essential. At The Reform Lab Osteopathy we provide rehabilitation in the elite facility Project Reform. This ensures you that your management is not limited by equipment.

Ensure you read our informative blog with modern research ‘Are shin splints stopping you from running?’