There are several reasons why you may get leg pain - lower leg pain in particular may

be caused by
shin splints. If you are active and doing high-impact sports involving lots of running and sudden
turns, the pain and inconvenience of a shin splint can be a nightmare and can become a chronic
injury.
But you don't have to be a regular athlete to suffer. Doing too much exercise too soon if you have
been sedentary is also a common cause - joining a running club after being inactive for many years
and trying to keep up with the regular runners from day 1 is also a recipe for sore shins!
There are two types of shin splints; Anterior and Posterior. If you feel down the front of your lower
leg, you will feel the edges of a bone close to the surface - it's like you have a school ruler in your
leg.
This is the edge of your tibia. A shin splint is caused by inflammation of muscles close to the tibia.
When they become inflamed, they pull on the connecting tissue that attaches them to the bone, and
that's where the nagging ache comes from.
Anterior shin splints can be caused by activities requiring sudden stops, starts and turns at speed -
football and basketball are good examples. Given that some of these footballers are big, hefty lads
weighing in at around 200 lbs, the strain on those small shin muscles is immense. These guys are
quite fit, however - if you are unfit and suddenly take up running 10k races without a gradual build-
up, your chances of getting an anterior splint are high.
Posterior shin splints occur on the other side of the shinbone and are more likely to be caused by
poor posture when running. Main culprits here are flat feet and tight calf muscles, which cause
muscular imbalances. One of the first things I do when someone comes to me with this kind of shin
splint is put them on a treadmill and watch their running action. I look for feet rolling out, landing
flat, or knees moving in. The latter often happens with ladies, as we have a wider pelvis than men,
so the angle of the thigh bone (femur) is more acute. This can also cause knee pain.
For anterior shin splints, I advise a rehabilitation program involving non-impact cardio training
such as rowing or cycling to rebuild or maintain fitness, then introducing sport-specific activities
gradually.
Posterior shin splints require a strengthening of core and postural muscles - I advise leg
strengthening exercises and Pilates, often on a one-to-one basis, so that the imbalances that caused
the splint in the first place can be addressed.
Both types of shin splint should in the acute stage be treated with rest and ice, and you should
always warm up before exercise and stretch afterwards. As with most injuries, prevention is much
easier than cure!
My name is Carol J Bartram. I am a Sports Therapist and a Personal Trainer and I understand the
misery and frustration of shin splints because I have suffered from them in the past. There is
nothing worse than just getting into your running stride and then starting to feel that stomach-
churning ache in your shins that gets worse with every yard you travel.

So if you want help with the recurring misery of shin splints - if you want to get on with your
workouts and training without the constant interruptions caused by leg pain - click on this link and
start your Shin Splint Treatment today!