Also known as medial tibial stress syndrome, shin splints are defined as pain in the shinbone (tibia) usually caused by running on hard surfaces. Although many leg injuries improve with more exercise, this is not the case when it comes to shin splints. In fact, the opposite is true; continuing to exercise when you are suffering from shin splint pain can make the condition worse and even lead to complications such as stress fractures.
For this reason, it is important to understand when shin pain is not a big deal versus when it should be cause for concern.
When Shin Pain is Okay
Sometimes the muscles in your shins need some time to adjust to playing a sport, which can cause mild pain or soreness during the beginning of your exercise. Usually, this kind of pain will subside as you warm up and be completely gone by the time your exercise is over. If you have taken a break from exercising for a period of time, once your muscles get stronger and become used to exercising again, the problem will go away.
The best way to approach these kinds of situations is to make sure to warm up your shin muscles before you begin exercising. Simple exercises such as toe stretches and calf lifts can help prevent this from happening.
When You Should Get Help
If you are experiencing shin pain that does not go away as you warm up and continues or worsens throughout your exercise, you could be setting yourself up for injury. If your shins are swollen after exercising and the pain continues even when you are stationary, you are probably experiencing shin splints.
This means that you are putting too much stress on your tibia, and the muscles attached to it are pulling at the bone every time you walk, run, or jump. Your bones are constantly repairing themselves, but when you are experiencing the pain of shin splints, this means that your tibia can’t keep up with the repairs it needs to make due to the stress it is under.
Shin splints are usually able to heal relatively quickly if you give yourself a few days to rest and recover. However, if you continue to put pressure on this bone when you are already experiencing stress-related pain, it could quickly turn into a stress fracture, which is a hairline break on the bone. If you continue to ignore a stress fracture, it can turn into a full fracture of your tibia. If this happens, it will be much more painful, and it will take much longer for your body to heal and recover from such a serious injury.
If you listen to your body and give yourself time to rest when needed, these kinds of problems can be avoided. When necessary, take a week off to let your body recover to avoid being out for months because of a more complicated injury.
