Shin splints are a prevalent issue among athletes, caused by repetitive pressure and stress on the tibialis and the tibialis anterior tendons. This often happens when increasing the intensity of your training or if you have just begun training. Medically referred to as “medial tibial stress syndrome,” shin splints can cause symptoms like soreness, tenderness, and pain. These symptoms can mostly be treated with ice and lowering your training intensity, and trying to build up to where you want to be. However, if these symptoms are left unchecked, it can cause a stress reaction, which is a defense mechanism the body does under intense stress either physical or mental, and stress fracture in the foot, tibia, or even hip. The reason it can occur in the hip is the same reason a building will collapse if part of the support is taken out. With a weak base (the tibula in this case), then the whole structure will be weak. The hip will start compensating and having to much strain on it, causing micro fractures. These micro-fractures will often cause significantly more pain and rarely get treated due to the pain being not intense enough to go see a medical professional.
With your body undergoing your new style of training, it causes issues in your tendons and muscles but how does one fix this? Oftentimes times, the simplest treatment is the most effective for treating shin splints with ice and decreased intensity however, if your symptoms get check in with your doctor to try and fix the issue. However, it will most likely cause you to stop engaging in intense physical activities for a while.
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