Website	http://home.sprynet.com/~holtrun/injuries.htm
Original Link	http://home.sprynet.com/~holtrun/shin.htm

Shin Splints

The most likely injury for beginner runners and walkers is:

SHIN SPLINTS - painful shins

A stress fracture pain is likely to be a continuous pain and

restricted to one spot. Do not run.

If you have a more diffuse pain or tenderness in the lower third

of the leg on the inside, or along the entire shin, a fracture is less

likely. Pain is felt on extending the toes and weight bearing. It

hurts if you press the area with your finger. Physiologically, it's

an inflammation of the tendons OR muscle in this area. Pain

eases when you're well warmed up, but resumes at the end of

exercise. 

Causes - Running with the weight too far forward; 

	striking the ground with the first third of the foot; 

	over-striding;

	shoes too tight around the toes;

	inflexible shoes; 

	weak arches may be present;

	tight calf muscles stress the shin structures;

	running or walking on hard surfaces;

	overpronation;

	overtraining is its trademark;

	beginners are very susceptible.

Prevention--Flexible foreshoe--use a combination or slip lasted

design. Use a heel lift to reduce jarring, along with arch supports

or padding if necessary. Run or walk fewer miles; do them on softer

surfaces. Pool run. Bring back road mileage a mile or two at a

time as you ease back to full training. Use orthotics or

anti-pronation shoes.

The shin muscle works against the large calf muscles; the shin

muscle is the last muscle to warm up and the first to cool down.

With this in mind, do an exercise to build it up--the paint pot

exercise, or hooking an elastic belt or similar item under the toes

and pushing against it ten times each day should suffice.

Wearing long thick socks will help to avoid the chill when not

running, making it easier to warm up the muscle before you do

run or walk. 

Treatment - Flexibility work: ice alternating with moist heat...then

put the muscle through its full range of motion. Use NSAIDs. 

Compartment Syndrome

	COMPARTMENT SYNDROME is a muscle pain due to the 

muscles growing faster than the

sheath surrounding them. It includes one form of shin splints; it

also affects the other smallish muscles of the lower leg. Ice and

anti-inflammatories can help, but surgery may be required to

allow the muscle more room to expand.

Some muscles grow so much that they constrict the blood flow

into the sheath...resulting in necrosis (a medical emergency) of

the muscle.

Stress Fracture of the shin bone (the tibia)

If you feel pain when you put pressure on the shin...rest. Stress

fractures don't show up on x-ray until healing is well under way; they

can be confirmed quite early by a bone scan. The dilemma--a fracture

requires six to eight weeks non impact exercise to heal. Use non

running exercise to maintain muscle tone until you've confirmed if you

have a fracture. 

Muscle and connective tissue injuries to the front of the leg are due to
overtraining--too many miles before your body has adapted to the load--or by too
much fast training on surfaces which are too hard.

Concrete is six times harsher to your shin tissues
than asphalt. Asphalt is three or more times harsher on your shin muscles than
packed dirt trails. Grass and muddy trails are still softer, and significantly
decrease your risk of shin splints.