Shin splints or Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome (MTSS) is a common injury among runners. It is usually the result of overuse of tibia muscles, especially the tibial anterior. When the muscle undergoes heavy stress, it swells, but the fascias around the muscle it is not able to stretch fast enough to provide space for muscle to grow, and it starts to cause pain and inflammation. In shin splints, the pain is directed at the internal parts of the thigh, sometimes to the external parts. Pain appear usually at the beginning of the run, it may disappear during the run, but the more advanced shin splints cause pain throughout the running. There are several theories how shin splints develop, many of which are related to running, such as a sudden increase in amount of exercise, running on a hard surface, running technique, or certain muscle weakness.
If the foot does not align straight during take-off phase, it will create a stress on the inside of the calf. The muscles of the calf are often proportional to the muscles of the shin if the muscles of the calf are weak they are unable to work as good as they should be and receive the strikes during the running.
Stiffness of the joints, high leg arch or flat foot and locks increases the risk get the shin splints. It can be prevented by regular stretching and by strengthening the muscles of the feet. Especially in the calves, and foot, adductors, buttocks and thigh muscle strengthening will help.
The best treatment for shin splint is rest, muscles need to be given time to recover and inflammation to heal, cold massage, for example using ice cube, and massage can help speed up the process. Cold-hot treatment boosts the metabolism, which in turn promotes recovery, cold relieves possible inflammatory symptoms and relieves pain. The masseuse, on the other hand, can open the contracted muscles. If shin splints feel renewable often, it would be good to draw attention to the shoes and the running technique if it can be ruled out the sudden rise in training amount.