Shin splints or medial tibial stress syndrome is a painful condition of the shins that is caused when the shin bone and its connective tissues are overworked due to some athletic activity such as jumping, running, sprinting etc. It may cause an extreme pain in the front of your lower leg and untreated shin splints can even lead to a stress fracture. Therefore, it becomes very important that one should properly treat shin splints, train with resistance training exercises and take different preventive measures to avoid re-occurrence of shin splints in future.
If you are recovering from a current lapse of medial tibial stress syndrome, it is a good idea to focus on light exercises such as swimming, walking etc. It is important to keep in your mind that sports like basket ball and soccer involve flexing and working of shin muscles to a great deal and therefore; they should be avoided until the pain is completely healed. Moreover, a finger massage on the affected area can be very effective for relieving the pain.
As an overused muscle is considered as one of the most important reasons to cause shin splints, one needs to wear footwear with sufficient arch support during any activity that involves jumping, running, jogging, Long boarding, Netball, Tennis etc. The idea is to take strain off the shins and minimize stress on your lower legs.
Another main cause of the shin muscle pain might be the weakness of the muscles around the shins. Therefore, it is very important that one should regularly perform the shin-muscle strengthening exercises to develop and strengthen muscles on the front of his lower legs. Strength training makes a wonderful routine to incorporate in your daily life to prevent the risk of the shin splints. One simple resistance training exercise to strengthen your shins is “Calf Raises”. In order to start this exercise, you need to strand up straight with your feet 8-10 inches apart. Next step is to lift your heels off the ground and then lower your heels back to the ground. You can do 3-5 sets of 10 reps each. During this exercise, you can grasp the corner of a table or a wall to maintain your balance.
You can also use a lower leg press machine to strengthen your shins. In order to begin this exercise, sit on the machine and extend your legs in a way so that your feet are resting on the leg press bar with your knees slightly bent. Adjust the weight to an amount that is comfortable to you. Next step is to push the leg press bar with your feet up to a certain distance and then bring it back to its starting position. You can do 3 sets of 10 reps each. Make sure that you rest your shins between each set as well. If you are a beginner or don’t know how to do this exercise, you can simply hire the services of a professional gym trainer in your area. He not only will show you how to do this exercise safely, but will also tell you tips to keep your shins healthy and fit.
Guy Long offers Personal Training in St Kilda and is a PersonalTrainer in Balaclava where he specializes in resistance training, body transformation, weight control, and overall muscular strength for local residents.
