Shin Splints
Treating shin splints at home
Source: NHS
In this topic (7)
Shin splints can usually be treated at home. The followingmay help relieve the pain and allow your legs toheal:
- rest stop the activity that causes your shin splints for at least two to three weeks; you can then start gradually returning to your normal activities
- ice hold an ice pack against your shins (a bag of frozen peas wrapped in a tea towel works, too) for around 10 minutes every few hours for the first few days; this helps with pain and swelling
- pain relief take over-the-counter painkillers, such as paracetamol and ibuprofen , to help relieve the pain if you needto
- switch tolow-impact activities using a cross-trainer, cycling , swimming and yoga are good waysto keep fit without putting toomuch pressure on your shinswhile they heal
You can start to return to your usual activities over the following few weeks once the pain has gone. Take care to increase your activity level gradually, building up the time you spend running or doing sports.
Make sure you follow the steps to prevent shin splints outlined below to reduce the risk of the pain coming back.
Articles for Shin Splints
Causes of shin splints
It's not always clear what causes shin splints. They're usually brought on by running or repetitive weight bearing on the legs. It's thought this leads to swelling (inflammation) of the tissue around
Introduction
Find out what shin splints are, how they happen, and what you can do about them.
Other causes of lower leg pain
Pain in the lower legs and shins can also be caused by: stress fractures (tinycracks in the bone) the pain often affects one leg, but can affect both,and is usually focused in a small area; there ma
Preventing shin splints
The following measuresmay help reduceyour chances of gettingshin splints: wear trainers with appropriate cushioning and supportit may help tospeak to an expert ata specialist running shop for advice
Symptoms of shin splints
The main symptom of shin splints is pain inthe shin bones, which run down the front of yourlower legs. The pain tends to: begin soon after starting exercise gradually improve when resting sometime
Treating shin splints at home
Shin splints can usually be treated at home. The followingmay help relieve the pain and allow your legs toheal: rest stop the activity that causes your shin splints for at least two to three weeks;
When to see your GP
It's a good idea to see your GP if your pain doesn't improve despite the treatments mentioned above. Your GP may: ask about your symptoms and examine your legs to try to work out what's causing you