How to best treat Shin Splints – by Richard Grier, Athletic Therapist

Who is at risk?

Any one can develop shin splints, but it usually occurs in those who have

recently started a new activity or increased their training loads. E.g., a runner has gone from running 2x 5km per week to running 4x 5km per week.

We recommend incremental increases in your activity to avoid injuries like this, increase your load by 1km every week instead of an extra 5km suddenly. You might also be at risk if you have arch problems so a biomechanical assessment by a Physiotherapist might be of benefit.

How do you treat shin splints?

Shin splints can often be treated with some hands Deep tissue massage and Dry needling to reduce muscle tension in the muscles around your shin.

Rest and a proper rehab program as well as monitoring your load are huge parts of your rehabilitation.

A couple of things to keep in mind if you have shin splints:

• Am I training too much all of a sudden?
• Are my shoes ok, do I need to get new running shoes?
• Do I incorporate enough lower leg exercises in the gym to manage to load?