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Shin Splints: Causes, Treatment, and Prevention
Shin splints are one of the most common injuries reported among runners, and by some estimates, 30 – 40% of beginners will experience shin pain at some point during their training. Understanding shin splints is important for preventing this injury, and everything a beginning (or veteran) runner needs to know for diagnosis and treatment is discussed below.
Causes of Shin Splints
Despite the prevalence of lower leg pain among runners, the exact cause of medial tibial stress syndrome (MTSS, the technical name for shin splints) is not entirely understood. Some sports doctors believe calf tightness is to blame, while others assert that fascial restrictions in the periosteum (the muscle that wraps around the shin bone) is the root cause. Shin splints may also be triggered by muscle imbalances, such as weak hips or a weak posterior tibial tendon.
What causes these physiological changes that result in shin pain? The most common reason is that a runner has run too many miles (or added too much intensity) too soon. Often, shin splints are common among new runners who become overeager in their training, or veteran runners who are returning from an injury or extended break. Other common reasons for the development of lower shin pain are running in shoes that are either worn out or the improper fit or doing too many runs on hard surfaces, such as indoor tracks and concrete.
Diagnosing Shin Splints
Determining whether you have shin splints is relatively easy. The best way is to stand barefoot on a hardwood or non-carpeted floor with feet firmly planted below your hips. For the leg that hurts, raise your toes off the ground with your weight resting on your heels. If this movement causes pain on the inside of your shin, then MTSS is likely to blame. However, if no pain is felt during this exercise, you may instead be dealing with a stress fracture in the tibia, which can cause similar pain to shin splints. In this case, you should see a sports doctor for a proper diagnosis.
Treating Shin Splints
The quickest way to alleviate shin splints is to take time off from running in order to allow your body to fully heal. If time off is not an option, compression gear, such as compression socks or calf sleeves, can alleviate shin pain during exercise by drawing blood flow to the affected areas for healing. Calf stretching and strengthening can also help treat shin splints, as can icing the inflamed area after exercise.
Preventing Shin Splints
Shin splints prevention is dependent on the root cause of the shin problems. For many athletes, this means practicing patience when building mileage. For instance, the 10% rule should be followed, meaning not to increase a week’s mileage by more than 10% of what was run in the previous week. Calf and shin exercises, such as calf raises, should also be incorporated into a runner’s daily routine. Finally, tracking mileage on (properly fitting) running shoes and ensuring never to wear them beyond their usable lifetime can also keep shin splints at bay.
Running Compression Socks: Fad or Essential?
What are compression socks for and is it time for you to get a pair? Learn all about the benefits of using compression socks and how it can beef up your everyday and competitive running gear.
When you start taking running seriously, it’s going to be hard not to come across compression socks. It’s mentioned a lot in running tips and you might notice your fellow runners using them. During races, it’s not unusual to see most participants sporting this type of gear.
If you ask top athletes, they’re most likely going to tell you that compression socks or sleeves have taken their running game to a whole new level. Countless runners have reported that by using compression socks, they get injured less often, they recover much quicker, and their performance has reached new heights.
But are running compression socks really worth all that hype? Is there actual research that can back up what these runners are saying? That’s what you’re going to find out in this post.
How do compression socks differ from ordinary socks?
Compression socks look a lot like normal knee-high socks. On the other hand, compression sleeves start at the ankle and end just below the knee. Both, however, are a bit snugger than ordinary socks because they are intended to compress your legs.
How can I benefit from wearing compression socks for running?
Optimizes the oxygen cycle
Make no mistake: compression socks for runners are not just socks that are a little too tight. They’re a bit more sophisticated than that. They provide graduated compression, which means that they’re looser towards the knee and tighter towards the ankle. Why were they designed this way?
This graduated compression helps combat the effects of gravity in your legs. As an effect, your blood gets funneled back to your heart much quicker. The tightness creates a specific pressure that basically squeezes up your leg fluid with every step. Because the oxygen cycle is hastened, you get more nutrients to the muscle group that needs it the most as you run.
Reduces muscle soreness
The culprit of muscle soreness is lactic acid. Your body could produce more amounts of this waste product when you overwork your muscles. Because of poor or unaided blood circulation, you increase your chances of building up lactic acid in your leg muscles, which is why you feel like you can barely stand the day after a long running session.
As mentioned above, compression socks constrict your veins. Now, think of a pipe with water running through it. What would happen if you make that pipe narrower? The velocity of the water increases. The very same principle can be applied to your veins.
When your veins are constricted, the faster the oxygenated blood and lactic acid leaves your legs and makes their way to your heart. When these elements don’t linger in your legs for too long, you’re not going to get as sore after you run.
Decreases swelling and cramping
When your leg muscles are tightly contained, you minimize excess movement in them. What does this mean for a runner? Running takes considerable effort. When you wear compression socks, you’re not going to have to exert as much effort and you won’t have to tire your legs out more than necessary. This means that you’re not going to be using as much muscle, which greatly eases the feeling of fatigue. A lot of athletes swear that compression socks help them go on longer runs because they don’t tire out as easily.
Swelling is another thing that runners are very familiar with. If you run regularly, your feet, ankles, and legs could get swollen because of fluid buildup. Compression socks essentially minimizes the room for this excess liquid, which causes the swelling.
Are there studies that prove the efficacy of compression socks for runners?
Yes, there are studies that show how athletes who wear compression socks for 48 hours after running a marathon recovered much quicker than those who didn't. Another study indicates that in fact, wearing compression socks has positive effects on blood flow and volume.
How to choose compression socks. What size should I get?
People who haven’t tried compression socks are mostly worried about sizing, which makes sense. You don’t want to wear socks that are too tight because it might cause bruising. Before you shop for your first pair, make sure you get your tape measure out and measure your calves and ankles to find the right fit.
Will I be a better runner if I wear running compression socks?
Pulling on a pair of running compression socks isn’t automatically going to make you a better runner. However, having them handy will help you recover from a particularly difficult run and power through the last leg of a long race. At the end of the day, compression socks are a great running accessory. You will still need to practice healthy running habits and consult with a medical professional to deal with recurring leg pain.
How Do Compression Socks Work?
By now, most people know that compression socks are beneficial for a number of reasons, such as improved blood flow to constricted areas and reduced swelling. But how do they work? Compression technology and the way these highly engineered socks function to provide comfort and utility are described below.
Human Circulatory System
In order to understand how compression socks work, it is first important to have a general understanding of how the circulatory system functions (i.e., the system responsible for transporting blood throughout the body). Blood is pumped through the body via arteries, thanks to the constant pumping of our heart. Oxygen within the blood is transported to muscles and organs, where cells use this vital element to carry out processes to sustain everyday life, such as muscle contractions or energy consumption. The waste products from these processes, as well as the deoxygenated blood, are then transported back to the heart via veins for re-oxygenation.
Compression Technology
Compression socks have what is referred to as graduated compression. Here, the sock is tighter and has more compression towards the lower leg, and gradually loosens towards the knee. The purpose of this design is to work against gravity by increasing delivery of deoxygenated blood to the heart, instead of allowing the waste products and inflammation to pool in the lower legs.
Arterial Blood Flow
When compression is consistently applied to the legs, artery walls dilate, which increases the flow of blood from the heart. Therefore, deoxygenated blood can be removed from muscles more quickly, allowing oxygenated blood to take its place.
Muscle Soreness and Recovery
The accumulation of metabolic waste products in the lower legs is the leading cause of muscle soreness. During recovery, compression socks help improve arterial blood flow, which decreases the amount of deoxygenated blood in the lower legs, to speed up your recovery time.
Athletic Performance
When wearing socks for athletic performance, such as during marathons, the improved flow of arterial blood is important for reducing muscle cramps. Wearing compression socks during any endurance activity will reduce lactic acid build up and ensuring proper blood flow at all times.
Blood Clot Prevention
The pooling of blood in the lower legs is a risk factor for developing deep vein thrombosis and a pulmonary embolism. The graduated compression of these socks helps prevent blood clots from occurring by improving circulation throughout the body.
Running After an Injury
Photo by Heather Gardner.
Returning from injury is a frustrating period of time for a runner, one where the risk of re-injury is extremely high. Often, athletes come back too fast, causing either a new injury or worsening symptoms of the old injury. A safe return to running is discussed.
10% Rule
Athletes often return too quickly to activity once they have been cleared to exercise, which often leads to setbacks and more frustration. A safe way to increase mileage is to follow the 10% rule, which states not to increase your weekly mileage by more than 10%. Although tedious, this method is a safe and effective way to ensure you do not succumb to another injury.
Body Awareness
Listening to one’s body is an important aspect of returning from injury safely. Although it can be difficult to accept, runners are often slower and more easily fatigued in the first couple of weeks post-injury. Use the body’s signals of soreness and fatigue as signs that you should be conservative when you return to running, and avoid the urge to jump right back into intense training.
Cross Training
For runners who are coming back from injury and are struggling with sticking to a decreased training load, cross training can be the solution. Supplementing running with cross training helps a runner stay fit while reducing the amount of impact to the body. A general rule of thumb is that ten minutes of cross training is equivalent to one mile of running.
Strength Training
Coming back from injury is a great time to develop good habits, such as strength training, core, and physical therapy sessions. Using the time that is not currently being devoted to additional running to create strength and core routines specifically designed for your needs is recommended. For instance, if you developed a hamstring injury, focus on a lifting routine that strengthens hips, quadriceps, and hamstrings by implementing squats, lunges, and Russian deadlifts. By the time you are back to your normal training load, you will have decreased your chance of a reoccurrence and developed good habits in the process.
Performance Wear
Another consideration when coming back from an injury is to invest in performance wear, such as compression socks that help circulation and promote recovery. If suffering from a lower leg injury, such as shin splints or a calf strain, compression socks will improve blood flow and the transport of oxygenated blood to the affected areas, thus improving recovery.
Graduated Compression Socks for Everyday Wear
In recent years, compression socks have experienced an increase in popularity among runners. Ten years ago, compression socks were only ubiquitous among grandmas and Paula Radcliffe, yet now it seems as though 75% of marathon finishers are wearing the brightly colored knee socks. Indeed, the benefits of compression socks are well known, as they reduce muscle soreness, improve recovery, and improve circulation. However, did you know there are numerous other uses for compression socks outside of running?
If you have a desk job…
People who spend their days sitting down are at an increased risk of developing a number of serious health issues due to inactivity throughout the day. In fact, many doctors now consider sitting to be the new smoking. One reason is that the body’s blood circulation is decreased, due to limited movement. Compression socks gently squeeze blood vessels, which draws blood to the constricted areas. This benefit is especially important for your feet and lower legs, which suffer the most during the work day.
If you spend long hours on your feet…
Waitresses, nurses, doctors and laborers often spend their entire shift standing, without getting a chance to sit down. At the end of the day, your feet and lower legs can be visibly swollen, which leads to pain and soreness. Wearing compression socks for work will reduce inflammation and muscle soreness by increasing circulation and lymphatic flow.
If you are pregnant…
Pregnant women often suffer from edema in their lower limbs towards the end of their pregnancy. If advised by a doctor, compression socks can provide relief, comfort and support to women who are suffering from poor circulation.
If you are a frequent air traveler…
Especially on long flights, air travelers are at an increased risk for developing deep vein thrombosis, which is a potentially fatal blood clot. Compression gear helps minimize the risk of developing a blood clot by improving circulation throughout the lower extremities and also helps to relieve the general stiffness that people develop during flights.
If you are bedridden…
Anyone who is confined to a hospital bed or couch for an extended period of time can benefit from compression socks. When lying down, blood is likely to pool in the legs, leading to improper circulation as well as swelling, inflammation and soreness. Compression socks decrease the chances of developing these issues.
If you have lower leg conditions…
Patients with disorders including varicose veins, stasis, edema, or skin changes can benefit from the improved circulation that compression wear provides. However, people with certain medical conditions are not proper candidates for compression gear. Always consult a physician before purchasing compression socks or sleeves, and find out the proper compression rating for your condition.