Tips for Dealing with Shin Splints

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by Renae Chiovaro on March 3, 2015

shin splints

A common injury from over doing it with exercise is shin splints. Back in January when I went two weeks straight without a rest day, I ended up with shin splints. Thankfully  I paid attention to my body and I have been able to keep the shin splints manageable. If you do not take care of shin splints in the early stages, it can lead to stress fractures.

So what are shin splints?

Shin splints usually occur from a rapid increase in physical activity. It is an overuse injury most common in athletes and fitness junkies who practice higher impact sports. The official name for shin splints is Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome. Shin splints start with inflammation in the soft tissue on the front part of your shin. It can start as a dull pain but if not corrected can become very severe pain.

Tips for Dealing with Shin Splints

  • Ice and Ibuprofen: The first thing you want to do is reduce the inflammation. Take ibuprofen if you are medically able to. Use ice for 20 minutes two to three times a day.
  • Rest: Refrain from running and jumping exercises until the inflammation is reduced and the pain subsides.
  • Check your equipment: If you are running, make sure your shoes are not worn out.

    compression sleeves

  • Use compression sleeves: The compression sleeves were the key to my recovery. I wore my compression sleeves all day at work as well as at karate. Compression sleeves reduce swelling and increase blood flow.
  • Stretch: Make sure you are stretching your calves and foam rolling.
  • Tape Shins: KT Tape is great for taping up injured areas. I did try the KT Tape on my shins and it worked well. My shins felt better with the tape. However, KT Tape is expensive and I found the compression sleeves worked just as well.

The most important thing with shin splints is to listen to your body! The hardest thing for me is to cut back on a workout. I hated sitting out for part of my karate workouts while the team continued with jumping exercises. However, I knew if I did not address the issue now, it would get worse. Remember to keep in mind these activities for active rest days.

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Renae Chiovaro

Renae is a married working mom of two handsome boys. She works as a registered dental hygienist by day and blogs here at How to Have it All by night. She enjoys cooking from scratch, working in her vegetable garden and functional training.

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