posterior shin splints

Question
hi larry.

i have been suffering from posterior shin splints recently and i was wondering where to find some strecthes/info to help the sitution. also i was wondering how to determine if i had a stress fracture other than Xrays. i recently rested for a week and i still had moderate pain if i pressed down on the area.


thanks for your time larry.


Answer
richard,

an accurate diagnosis will require some sort of imaging....there are pros and cons to each.  x-rays are most common, but are only useful if you've had the injury for at least 2-3 weeks.....any less than that and the x-ray does not have the sensitivity to detect the injury.  mri, on the other hand, can detect a fracture as soon as 2-3 days after injury, there they are very expensive.  sorry to say that there really is no other way to diagnose accurately.

i will say that, in general, a stress fracture will result in sharp isolated pain over a specific area whereas post. shin splints often comes with vague soreness over a larger area..but again impossible to rule out w/o x-ray.

here's what I would do.....

1.  Ice the area 3-4 times a day for 20 minutes at a time for the next 3 days
2.  Try to jog slowly.....if pain still there, do step 1 again
3.  If no relief the 2nd time around, I would schedule a visit w/ a sports-minded doc for x-rays

Other things to consider if it is post. shin splints.....

1.  Overpronation is the main cause...are you wearing the right shoes for your foot type and controlling overpronation?
2.  Have there been any sudden changes in your running schedule?
3.  I would stay away from any stretches until this condition is healed.  If this is post. shin splints, you have small tears in your soleus and/or posterior tibialis that can be worsened with stretching

Hope this helps, Larry