People who play sport which involves running are more prone to shin splints. The cause of shin splints is unknown but it is said to be caused by the Tibialis Anterior muscle pulling on the tibia (a bone in the lower leg) which then causes inflammation. Shin splints are a stress reaction to overuse or exercising beyond your strength/stability levels. Flat feet, incorrect running technique and wearing the wrong type of running shoes can also cause shin splints. See how we fix that below…

The boring parts: The Tibialis Anterior (the sore muscle during shin splints) is a muscle located in your lower leg. It originates from the tibia (front shin bone) and it inserts into your big toe. It is responsible for flexing and inverting (turning in) your foot. Shin splints also called medial tibial stress syndrome refers to any pain that is felt anywhere along the shin to the ankle (along the tibialis anterior muscle).

Shin splints and your core:
Weakness of the pelvic gridle, deep abdominal muscles and glutes, can be a contributing factor to developing shin splints. Lack of pelvis control, especially when running can cause the knee to then deviate inwards towards the other leg when landing. A lack of flexibility in the foot due to a tight Achilles tendon (bottom of the calf) as well as a lack of flexibility at the ankle is compensated by the body flattening the foot and rotating the leg inwards.

Strengthening your core musculature is also imperative, as anterior pelvic tilt (sway back) is a major contributor to putting the weight in the front of your feet and contributing to the shin splints problem.

Orthotics are commonly prescribed to help treat shin splints but they are not the most effective way for correcting shin splints. Orthotics affect foot proprioception more than most footwear because they support the muscles, tendons, and ligaments in a way so that they don’t have the need to function as they normally would without the foot support.

This causes the feet become weaker and weaker, and soon it spreads to other areas of the body including the nervous system. Then the orthotic user has to rely on other aspects of proprioception such as vision, because their feet are in such disarray. Orthotics and arch supports that are used to treat flat feet, fallen arches, and painful feet, it may not support the arch of the foot where it actually needs to be supported.

To properly support any arch of the foot, the heel and the forefoot should be supported, preferably by your own muscles.

What you can do to fix it:

To strengthen the entire foot and all the arches, it’s important to position the foot correctly at all times. This means that in natural stance the heel should be flat on the ground, as should the forefoot, side of the foot and the toes should be allowed to naturally splay apart for proper support.

During running however there’s a lot of arguments ‘for’ running on ones toes and also barefoot, which promotes the full use of the foots architecture and promotes strength development when done correctly.

Exercises to fix the need for orthotics and help eliminate shin splints:
Exercises that can help strengthen the fascia in your foot include, spreading the toes and then scrunching a towel with your toes.

Plus calf raises, lowering yourself very slowly. Do these until it’s uncomfortable to perform them anymore (burning feeling in the arch of your foot), eg. 30-45 seconds of each exercise, rpt x 2-3 times. Then repeat several times per week. See pics below:

If you need help with any of your aches and pains or running and strengthening advice don’t hesitate to contact Kate for a free call – Click here

By Teena Kyriazis and Kate Martin