Physical Therapy for Shin Splints
Which Muscles Are Affected With Shin Splints (Tibial Stress Syndrome)?
Your tibia, or shinbone, has muscles attached to its inner and outer sides. Medial tibial stress syndrome (MTSS), or “shin splints,” usually causes pain along the inner edge due to the tibialis posterior muscle. Pain in the upper, outer part of the shinbone stems from the anterior tibialis muscle. Both conditions result from overuse, improper training techniques, or inadequate footwear. Activities like running, repetitive jumping and landing on hard surfaces can contribute to the development of this condition.
How Do I Know if I Have Shin Splints (Tibial Stress Syndrome)?
Symptoms of shin splints include pain when lifting the foot, whether dorsiflexing (pointing toes up) or plantarflexing (pointing toes down). You may also feel pain and tenderness along the inner lower shinbone or the outer upper shin. These symptoms often worsen during activities that involve repetitive overuse and impact or stress. The sooner you recognize these signs is crucial for seeking timely treatment, addressing the condition, and preventing further complications.
What Does Physical Therapy Treatment for Shin Splints Look Like?
Physical therapy plays an important role in managing and rehabilitating shin splints. The primary focus is on finding the root cause of the problem. This will allow us to reduce pain, promote healing of the tissue, and prevent the problem from occurring again. Many times with MTSS, there is a biomechanical deficiency leading to increased pressure through the lower leg. If there is any sort of muscle imbalance or weakness, this can lead to additional stress and of the stabilizing muscles of the lower leg (tibialis posterior and anterior tibialis) leading to the condition. We, as physical therapists, can significantly impact the affected tissues through a combination of treatments. This approach speeds up the recovery process and allows for a safe and effective return to activity.
The first step in the physical rehabilitation process is to avoid or modify activities that worsen symptoms. This allows the affected muscles and tendons to rest and heal. Without this step, the tissues can become overused or subjected to high stress. This can worsen the condition and potentially lead to other issues or injuries.
Reducing pain level to allow for improved participation in your daily activities would be next in the process. Treatments such as Dry Needling, soft tissue mobilization (STM), WinBack Tecar Therapy or instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization (IASTM) using tools such as myofascial cupping or myofascial scraping would be beneficial in pain reduction.
- Techniques like massage, TECAR therapy and IASTM improve flexibility and assist in transporting healing factors such as improved blood flow (oxygenation and nutrients) to the affected tissues
Promoting a proper healing and repair of the tissue would follow. We as physical therapists would use a multitude of techniques depending on the impairments we find in the evaluation. These techniques include dry needling, therapeutic exercise, joint mobilizations, stretching/strengthening to repair the tissues properly and avoid exacerbation of the injury when returning to activity.
How Does Dry Needling Help With Shin Splints?
Dry Needling can assist both in the pain modification and tissue healing of shin splints. It can assist with pain relief by decreasing pain receptor density in the area leading to decreased pain sensation. It also improves local blood flow which helps bring essential factors that assist in the healing of tissues. Dry needling can also repair tissues by realigning collagen fibers for proper muscle activation and contraction needed for improved mechanics and optimizing movement patterns during physical activity.
Exercise Treatments for Shin Splints
Stretching and Strengthening Exercises: Targeted exercises help strengthen affected muscles, improve flexibility and mobility, and reduce strain on tendons. In tibial stress syndrome cases, normally there is a problem leading to excess strain of the affected muscles. Lower extremity weakness in the gluteus medius, tibialis posterior/anterior, or quadriceps, along with tightness in the hamstrings, gastrocnemius, and soleus muscles, can cause these problems. Addressing the tight/weak muscles along with any joint restrictions is essential in management of this condition.
Movement analysis: Evaluating and modifying movement patterns to alleviate stress on the shins is equally important. If there is a certain compensation pattern occurring that is leading to additional pressure on the affected tissues, addressing the problem could help in the long term rehabilitation and management leading to reduced risk of future injury.
We here at Symmetry Physical Therapy provide a multi-factorial, comprehensive treatment plan for shin splints. Located in the heart of Downtown Miami/Brickell, we help by including proper education/activity modification, therapeutic exercise progression, manual therapy techniques, and gradual progression to allow return to sport. This helps in order to get rid of those shin splints, reducing the risk of recurrence and getting back to the activities you love to do. If you are having lower leg pain and are looking for a Physical Therapist, come see us at Symmetry Physical Therapy, located in Miami/Brickell downtown area, where we provide an in-depth assessment and treatment strategies so we can help you return to a pain free lifestyle.
Feel free to give us a call at (305) 331 2277 to schedule an appointment.