Common
Foot Conditions
Shin Splint
A shin splint is the most common cause of exercise-induced
leg pain encountered by athletes of all levels. This condition
can also affect non-athletic people who are on their feet
all day. In the past the term shin splint has been used to
describe all forms of pain in the lower leg. Misleading terms
such as compartment syndrome and stress fractures have all
been used to describe a shin splint. However, a shin splint
is a very specific problem. It is essentially an inflammatory
reaction involving the deep tissues of the lower leg and may
involve tendons & muscles.
The
inflammatory reaction occurs at the point where the deep tissues
insert into the inside (medial) or front (anterior) aspect
of the leg bone (tibia), tenderness is usually present between
3-16 cm above the foot.
When
a patient is suffering from a medial shin splint the pain
and the tenderness will be present on the inner aspect of
the leg. In an anterior shin splint, pain and tenderness is
present on the front and outer aspect of the leg, in both
cases, running and walking may be extremely painful. In severe
cases, even light weight bearing may be painful.