Shin Splints

A Pain in the Leg!

After last night's football game, your son complained that his shins hurt, so you iced his legs before he went to bed. His legs felt fine after a good night's sleep and you sent him off to school this morning with a kiss and soccer practice clothes in his backpack. Now he's calling and saying that his legs hurt again. Could it be something more than simple pain?

Shin splints are a common injury among athletes - especially runners, sprinters, figure skaters, and gymnasts. The term "shin splints" refers to pain felt in the shinbone or tibia (the large bone in the front of your lower leg) after an athlete has run or "pounded the ground" for a period of time. This force of impact can sometimes cause the muscles around the tibia to tighten, pull, or become inflamed, which leads to pain. Shin splints often respond well to home treatment, but if the pain continues, it's a good idea to have a medical professional check it out just to be sure it's not a stress fracture in your shinbone or another serious condition.

Symptoms of Shin Splints

The most common symptoms of shin splints include:

•                Tenderness, soreness, or pain along the inner part of your leg

•                Mild swelling

•                Pain that worsens when you run or participate in other weight-bearing exercise

•                Discomfort in your lower leg that lingers even after you've stopped exercising

These symptoms are most likely to occur after you've been running downhill, on a slanted or tilted surface, or engaging in sports like basketball or tennis that require frequent starts and stops. You may also experience shin splints if you're running in worn out footwear, which offer less support for your feet.

Treating Shin Splints at Home

The good news about shin splints is that you can treat the condition at home in most cases. If you or a loved one is experiencing shin splints, try these remedies to relieve your pain.

•                Rest. Most of the time, your legs just need time to recover after high-impact activities like running. However, don't give up totally on exercise while you're resting your legs. Try lower-impact sports like swimming or bicycling.

•                Ice. Icing your legs can help relieve pain caused by shin splints. Just apply an icepack wrapped in a towel (to protect your skin) for about 20 minutes up to four times a day.

•                Reduce swelling. If your legs swell when you get shin splints, try elevating your legs above the level of your heart (especially at night).

•                Take non-prescription pain relievers. Several pain relievers, including ibuprofen, naproxen, and aspirin can help to relieve pain and inflammation.

•                Wear the right shoes. If you think your shoes are causing shin splints, try buying a new pair of athletic shoes. If your foot shape is hard to shop for, ask your physician for tips on what kind of shoe to purchase.

•                Consider arch supports. Arch supports can drastically reduce your risk of shin splints. You can buy off-the-shelf arch supports that can immediately be fitted into your shoe or you can get custom-made arch supports.

Remember, it's important to avoid overdoing it when you get shin splints. Take a break from your exercise and recover before gradually working back to your previous athletic level.

3 Tips to Prevent Shin Splints

Rather run past shin splints? Here are a few tips to stop the pain in your shins before it ever starts.

Tip #1: Keep up with your shoes. Your footwear is a very important part of preventing shin splints - especially if you're a runner. Replace your shoes as soon as they begin to get old, usually about every 350 to 500 miles of wear.

Tip #2: Lessen the impact. Instead of running or exclusively participating in high-impact activities, try cross-training with exercises that are easier on the legs, such as swimming or walking.

Tip #3: Add strength training to your routine. Strengthening your shins is key. Try slowly rising up on your toes while you're standing and then slowly lowering your heels to the floor. Repeat 10 times. If this exercise gets easy, try holding weights in your hands as you perform the exercise.

Sprains - How to prevent them

Sprains come in all shapes and sizes - none of which is too fun. Here's how to avoid sprain pain.

You're in the middle of a football match, rowing a boat across the river, or working under the hood of your car. Suddenly, a pain springs up that you can't ignore. It's a sprain.

A sprain is a common injury that occurs when you overstretch or tear a ligament somewhere in your body. Elastic bands of tissue, ligaments' job is to connect bones where they meet together in joints such as ankles, knees, wrists, and thumbs. A sprain is common in sports, but it can occur any time you fall or twist in the wrong direction.

What can you do to avoid getting a sprain, and what is the treatment for sprains if you do get one?

Contributing Factors

There are many causes of sprains, and they depend on the ligament sprained.

You are more likely to sprain your ankle if you walk or run on an uneven surface or if you fall on the side of your foot. Spraining your knee occurs during activities during which you pivot or twist your legs. Your wrist is at risk for sprains if you land on your hand during a fall. And believe it or not - you can sprain your thumb. This is most likely to occur during sports such as skiing or those that use a racquet such as tennis. While anyone can suffer a sprain, your muscles are weaker and are more likely to get injured if you're not in good shape.

Fatigue is also a contributing factor in getting a sprain, so calling it quits when you've run out of energy can protect against sprains. Additionally, if you exercise without a sufficient warm up, your muscles and joints will be tight and more prone to tears and stretches.

Prevention

To best avoid sprains, it is important to be in good physical shape. Keep your muscles strong by eating a healthy diet, maintaining a healthy weight, and exercising every day. Before you hit the gym hard and heavy, spend a few minutes stretching and warming up. Any time you're tired or have suffered a minor injury, don't fight through it. Get off your feet and rest.

When running or walking, wear shoes that fit well and that offer protection and support. Any time the tread or heels on your shoes wear down, get new shoes. Also, wear the correct protective equipment when playing sports.

When the Unexpected Happens

Unfortunately, accidents happen and sprains do occur. Symptoms of a sprained ligament include pain, bruising, swelling, inability to completely move the injured joint, and possible redness or streaks radiating from the injured area. Another telltale sign? When the sprain occurs, you may hear a popping sound and feel a tear. The pain will begin right away. It may be so severe you think you've broken a bone.

Sprains range from mild to severe. Initial treatment for the pain and swelling are rest, ice, compression, and elevation (RICE).

Rest: Avoid using the joint for the first day or two, and get around by using a cane or crutches if necessary.

Ice: Apply ice to the injured joint 20 minutes, four to eight times a day.

Compression: Use special bandages, splints, casts or boots to squeeze the injured area.

Elevation: Be sure to elevate your ankle, wrist, knee, or thumb on a pillow. This prevents excess blood from causing the sprained area to swell.
Along with RICE treatment, take over-the-counter pain relievers such as ibuprofen as needed. After treating the pain and swelling for a day or two, it is helpful to gently exercise the affected area to prevent stiffness and strengthen the joint.

In most cases, home treatment is enough to overcome a sprain. However, if pain and swelling are severe or continue after two or three days, head to your physician to determine the next step in treatment.