How to treat and prevent shin splints

 

I was recently asked about the best ways to prevent and treat shin splints.  Here are some of my top tips for shin splints:

  • Shin splints is a muscle imbalance. When you walk forward, you’re pushing off with your calf muscle.  The other side is where you get shin splints. So, to prevent shin splints, you should walk backwards, sideways, do ankle circles and hip circles.
  • Some stretches to relieve shin splints are: walk on a tennis ball to stretch the bottom of your foot.
  • You can also do a traditional calf stretch: Put both hands on the wall, feet together, then step back 2-3 feet with one leg, keeping both heels down.  Another calf stretch you can do is this: Bring the same foot you used to step back toward the wall by one foot and bend that leg at the knee, keeping heels down.  Repeat on both sides.
  • Treatments to reduce pain include: epsom salt baths, foam roller, peppermint oil, inversion table, infrared heat, cold laser.
  • Preventative treatments: walk backwards and sideways
  • Apply externally: arnica
  • Internally: turmeric

 

Shin splints are a pain, literally.  Hopefully these tips will help you treat and prevent them.

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