Shin Pain

Shin pain is extremely common among athletes. The term ‘shin splints’ has been used to describe this pain and should be avoided. Shin pain involves one or more of three pathological processes: bone stress, inflammation and raised intracompartment pressure.

Wondering why you have shin pain?

One of the major causes of all three injuries is abnormal biomechanics. Shin pain can occur in athletes with both extremes: pes planus (flat feet) or pes cavus (rigid, high arched feet). If you have high arched feet, you can have limited shock absorption, which increases impact pressure on the bones. If you have flat feet, your leg muscles get fatigued and fail to provide proper shock absorption leading to a stress fracture or periostitis (inflammation of the periosteum lining the bone) and result in compartment syndrome. Tightness in your calf muscles can also be a contributor to shin pain.

How you can help your shin pain.

Initial treatment is to reduce inflammation by the use of rest, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (e.g. ibuprofen, naproxen) and icing. It is important to treat shin pain as soon as possible to reduce your time away from your activities and reduce your chance of future complications (e.g. stress fracture). Deep massage therapy is also an effective treatment option. Stretching your calf muscle will be helpful if they are tight. If you have flat feet or high arched feet, you may need correction with orthotics, appropriate footwear and training on shock absorbing surfaces.

What can Mount Joy Foot Clinic & Orthotic Centre do for me?

If your having difficulty with recovering from a shin splints, our Chiropodist will take a through medical history, perform a physical exam and work with you to develop a treatment plan that works best for you. We can assist you in fitting you with appropriate footwear, fabricate custom made foot orthotics, giving you daily exercises and stretches to complete, recommend topical pain relievers and begin physical therapy. When you are ready to treat your shin splints, call to book an appointment at 905-209-8000.

You may also want to learn about:

  • MedX phototherapy
  • Custom sports orthotics
  • SpiderTech™ Kinesiology Tape
  • Biofreeze topical pain relief
  • Sports Compression Stockings

Contact Us

Send Us an Email. We'll get back to you Promptly!

Our Location

5 Swan Lake Boulevard, Unit 10 Markham, Ontario L6E 0K7

Clinic Hours

Open Evenings & Weekends

Mount Joy Foot Clinic & Orthotic Centre

Monday:

9:00 am-5:00 pm

Tuesday:

9:00 am-5:00 pm

Wednesday:

9:00 am-5:00 pm

Thursday:

9:00 am-7:30 pm

Friday:

9:00 am-1:00 pm

Saturday:

By Appointment Only

Sunday:

Closed