How to heal shin splints

Shin splints are miserable! Every step you take is painful. But why do they happen? 
Shin splints cause pain at the front of your lower leg by the bone that connects your knee to your ankle. 

Typically shin splints happen when you start a running or walking program. They can also start when you increase your miles or speed.

In short, that burning achy sensation is from your ankles being “overworked’. 
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This can be such a frustrating set back. I was talking to Trish the other day. She  started a walking program at the start of the lock down just to get out of the house. Then she was able to get into a good rhythm of working out at night after work. She was feeling good making positive changes: weight loss, increased energy, and feeling more calm over all. She was doing so well she decided to start a running program. Everything was going great. She found her rhythm, getting more miles without stopping. THEN BAM! She started to have pain at the front of her lower leg.

Initially she thought it was just generally workout pains and she simply needed to rest a day or two. BUT the achy burning sensation didn’t go away in fact she had to stop running AND walking all together. EVERY time she lifted her ankle up to walk the pain was too uncomfortable to do simple housework so she wasn’t going to risk going out for a walk. 

She looked up some stretches and exercises on youtube which did help her pain but didn’t get rid of it. She tried ice and heat with minimal changes. She rubbed and massaged her legs. She took a month off of walking and running but could still feel the tenderness in her shins. She was at her wits end. She was overwhelmed with worry that she had torn something and would need surgery.  That’s when she found Your Goals PT. 

When Trish came in for her evaluation we found the root cause of her shin pain. After the hands on assessment Trish’s concerns of a tear and possible needing surgery were completely taken away. She is so excited that she is starting to work on fixing what caused her shin pain and derailed her fitness goals.  She is no longer just guessing and randomly trying something that sounded good from the internet. And when she has a problem or concern she has a support system to help figure things out.  She has a plan and can see life after shin splints isn't that far away. 

If you are looking for this same type of help to overcome your shin pain then call Dr. Molly. 
Or pick the option that best fits your needs.  

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