Correct Your Shin Splints with Physical Therapy: Is your runner’s high being stifled by pain in your shins or legs? Do they tend to throb after your daily jogs, or ache simply after moving quickly to catch up with someone? If so, you may be experiencing shin splints.
HEALTH & WELLNESS The Newsletter About Your Health And Caring For Your Body
IS THERE A SPLINT IN YOUR RUNNER’S HIGH?
• Patient Success Spotlight • Feel Better In Minutes
• Is There A Splint In Your Runner’s High? • How Physical Therapy Can Help
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HEALTH & WELLNESS The Newsletter About Your Health And Caring For Your Body
IS THERE A SPLINT IN YOUR RUNNER’S HIGH?
Correct Your Shin Splints with Physical Therapy : Is your runner’s high being stifled by pain in your shins or legs? Do they tend to throb after your daily jogs, or ache simply after moving quickly to catch up with someone? If so, you may be experiencing shin splints. Shin splints, also medically referred to as “medial tibial stress syndrome,” occurs when there is excessive stress on your shinbone and its surrounding tissues. These tissues connect your muscles to your bones, and when they become inflamed, it can become painful. They are most common in runners, due to the stress of impact that the shins face while running; however, shin splints can present themselves in anyone whose lifestyle includes substantial physical demand. Shin splints can be painful and debilitating toward your daily life, but physical therapy can fortunately help alleviate the pain and correct the condition. To speak with someone about how physical therapy can help fix your shin splints, call our office today! There are many common causes of shin splints, including, but not limited to: • Previous injury. If you have had a foot, leg, or shin injury in the past, your risk of shin splints may be heightened.
• Sport participation. Some sports have a higher risk of shin splints than others, especially those with high levels of running and/or jumping. • Body mass. If you have a BMI greater than 20.2, your probability toward developing shin splints may be higher. • Overpronation. This is also referred to as the act of flattening the arches of one’s feet while standing, walking, or running. A flat arch creates a greater risk of shin splints. • Hip motion. This can be related to sport or general gait, in which the hips move through a greater range than what is typical. This is common in sports such as dance, gymnastics, or cheerleading, but can also be due to an abnormality in the way one walks. • Improper shoes. Wearing shoes that are ill-fitted or that don’t provide proper arch support can increase your risk of shin splints. • Lack of stretching. If you complete a run or workout without warm-up and cool-down stretches, your muscles and tissues can become irritated, increasing your risk of shin splints. • General weakness. If you have weak ankles, hips, or core muscles, you may be at a greater risk of developing shin splints. This can be corrected through strength training exercises.
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HOW PHYSICAL THERAPY CAN HELP
As noted above, the causes of shin splints are vast, but your physical therapist can help you figure out the root of the problem. He or she will complete an extensive evaluation process with you, noting your painful areas and testing the abilities of your current physical motions. This may include anything involving stretching, flexibility, gait, mobility, and range of motion. From there, your physical therapist will create a treatment plan based on your needs. Treatment plans for a specified shin splint condition may include, but are not limited to: • Manual therapy. Hands-on massage of the painful area and its surrounding areas, in order to ease stress off of the injured tissue. • Light exercise. These exercises can serve several functions. They can be used to increase the strength and/or range of motion of the hips, arches, or shins, in order to decrease overpronation and stress on the lower leg. They can also be used to stretch the muscles around the shin, in order to reduce inflammation. This may also include single-leg exercises, such as squats, reaching, or heel raises. • Modified technique. Sometimes, shin splints can be a result of poor technique with gait or sports. Your physical therapist may work with you to modify your take-off/landing techniques, or your leg and foot control while walking or running. • Taping/compression. Your physical therapist may suggest taping the affected area (arch of foot or leg muscles) to promote healing and compress the affected muscles.
• Ice. Ice healing may be prescribed, in order to decrease pain and inflammation. Depending on the severity, your physical therapist may suggest icing multiple times a day. • Rest. An important part of your physical therapy treatment will be rest, although you will also be participating in important stretching and light exercises with your physical therapist. Your physical therapist may suggest taking a short break from the activity or exercise that aggravated your shin splints until you are healed. At ExcellCare PT, we are dedicated to assisting you in your healing journey, and making it as comfortable for you as possible. If you believe you may be suffering from shin splints, give us a call today. We will help you get back on your feet in no time! Sources: https://ptandme.com/7-ways-physical-therapists-treat-shin-splints/ https://www.moveforwardpt. com/SymptomsConditionsDetail.aspx?cid=2490a5b7-f185-44ed-a6b1-5518984c902d https://www.webmd.com/ fitness-exercise/shin-splints#1
Telehealth: Connect with your physical therapist from the safety of your home.
Feel Better InMinutes Try this movement to relieve soremuscles.
Helps to massage your calf muscles.
Calf Foam Roll Sit on the floor and cross one ankle over the other. Using a foam roller, move your bottom calf back and forth over the roller. Repeat 20 times on each leg.
exercises copyright of
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Telehealth Still in need of therapy but don’t want to come into the clinic? We can still see you through telehealth visits! You can connect face to face with your primary therapist and go through a treatment session in our secure portal. Go to our website to schedule a virtual session. https://excellcare.net/telehealth/
Take charge of your running pain by calling us or by visiting our website at www.excellcare.net. We can help get your life back.
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RUNNING POST-PARTUM
COMMON RUNNING INJURIES
One commonly asked question by patients who have just delivered a baby is “When can I get back to running?” A good guideline is to perform low impact exercises for the first 3 months post-partum. Then, in the 3-6 month timeframe, a return to run program may begin.One important factor in return to run assessment is pelvic floor stability. The pelvic floor is a group of muscles and tissue in the lower part of the pelvis. Its function is to support the pelvic organs. After delivery, the pelvic floor is likely weak and injured, and the patient may need instruction on how to perform a proper pelvic floor contraction. It is important to properly facilitate the pelvic floor during running, as it is responsible for cushioning impact. Thus, return to run in the postnatal period will be determined on an individual basis depending on muscle strength and control. At Excellcare Physical Therapy, we look at several things to support our return to run recommendation. Some examples are: • Can you walk without any symptoms produced for 30 minutes? • Can you perform 10 single leg squats with good leg position? • Can you hop in place 10 times with good leg position? Another important factor is if there is a separation of the rectus abdominis, which can cause stability problems. Once the separation is rehabbed and functionally stable, the patient can safely return to running. One thing to be aware of is that running with a stroller leads to changes in trunk, pelvis, and hip movements, and can be considered 6-9 months post partum. A strengthening program for the hips is advised for moms who would like to take baby on their runs with them. Return to run in the post partum period should be carefully assessed. The take home is that the mom should be screened to ensure that the pelvic floor will adequately support the demands of running.
Let’s talk about how running injuries happen. A leading cause of injury to runners is training error. Large changes in running volume or speed can contribute to these injuries. A runner’s training program should be consistent, slowly building up intensity. Poor strength of legs, and lack of good coordination leads to improper form and may result in injury. Iliotibial Band Friction Syndrome Iliotibial Band Friction Syndrome is a condition seen in runners commonly, and a main cause of lateral knee pain. The main cause of ITBS is weak hip abductors, which causes abnormal hip and foot mechanics, and may lead to tightening of the iliotibial tract. Here at Excellcare Physical Therapy, we will focus on mobilizing the tight soft tissue, and properly facilitating the weak hip abductors. We will then begin a return to run program on a flat surface. Hamstring tendinopathy Another common running injury is Hamstring tendinopathy. The pain may be reported to be in the buttock or posterior thigh. Again, this injury can be a result of improper training and muscular imbalances. In order to take the strain off of the hamstring, treatment will focus on trunk and pelvic stabilization exercises. We also offer dry needling to the hamstring, which will break up adhesions in the muscle. There may also be changes recommended after a gait analysis, such as instruction to not over stride. Sacroiliac dysfunction Sacroiliac dysfunction may be reported by a patient as low back pain, but also may refer pain to gluteal region, groin, or thigh. Hip extensor and abductor weakness contributes to SI dysfunction, so treatment will focus on facilitating the weak muscles. The SI joint may be hypomobile, or “stiff”, so we can optimize mobility through muscle energy techniques. If you feel that you have an injury due to running, go to excellcare.net, or call 773.779.1111 for an evaluation.
Patient Success Spotlight
“Everyone is great and so sweet and helpful.”
“I recieved excellent care here the staff is great My hip pain is gone. I highly recomend this place. I have recieved treatments here several times. Everyone is great and so sweet and helpful.” -L.B.
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