The Real Reason Your Shins Are Hurting
If you’ve ever gone for a run, or even just a power walk in the wrong shoes and felt that throbbing ache along the front of your legs, you’ve probably felt shin splints. But what if we told you that your shins may not be to blame? If you want us at Desert Podiatric Medical Specialists to fix your shins, you have to look down first.
How Shin Splints Happen
Most shin pain is caused by the tibialis anterior or the tibialis posterior, which are two major muscles that attach to your shin bone but run all the way down into your foot. Their job is to control the arch of your foot and help your foot clear the ground when you walk.
If your feet are flat or you overpronate, those muscles have to pull extra hard to keep your foot stable. Imagine a rubber band being stretched to its absolute limit 10,000 times a day.
Eventually, the spot where that muscle attaches to the bone, in this case your shin, starts to fray and get inflamed. That’s the splint you’re feeling. Your shin is literally being pulled on by your feet.
Shin Splints and Your Ankles
Your ankles are designed to be mobile hinges, but if your joints are stiff, maybe from an old injury or just a lack of stretching, they can’t go through their full range of motion.
When the ankle can’t bend enough as you move forward, the shin muscles have to work overtime to compensate and yank the foot up. This repetitive yanking creates micro-tears along the tibia.
If you don’t have enough flex in the ankle, you’re going to have fire in the shins.
Shin Splints and Footwear
The surfaces you walk on and the shoes you wear act as your shock absorbers. If you’re wearing old sneakers where the foam has collapsed, or if you’re suddenly running on hard concrete, the shock of each step has nowhere to go. It bypasses the shoe, travels through the foot, and vibrates right up into the shin.
If your feet aren’t properly cushioned or supported, your shins become the crash pads for your entire body weight.
How to Stop Shin Splints
If you want to end the cycle of shin pain, stop icing your shins and start looking at your foundation.
- Check your arches: Do you need custom orthotics?
- Mobilize your ankles: Work on those ankle circles to take the strain off the yanking muscles.
- If your shoes have more mileage behind them than in front, consider a new pair.
If you’re experiencing foot pain, discomfort, or changes in how you walk, come see the expert team at Desert Podiatric Medical Specialists. With locations in Tucson and Oro Valley areas of Pima County, Arizona, Bradley A. Whitaker, D.P.M., FACFAS, Peter C. Merrill, D.P.M., AACFAS, and Zeno Pfau, D.P.M., are here for you. Call us at (520) 575-0800 or contact us online!
