Shin Splints

As summer camps and intensives come to a close, some dancers find themselves nursing aching bodies.  A fellow dancer returned from dance team camp complaining of terrible aching shins.  The young girl was suffering from shin splints, or medial tibial stress syndrome.  The pain is attributed to excess stress on the shin bone and the connective tissue that attach the muscle to the bone.

Shin splints can be caused from running on a slanted surface, running in worn shoes, sports that stop and start frequently, and training too fast, too hard, and too long. 

Symptoms of shin splints include soreness or pain along the inner part of the lower leg and mild swelling.  The symptoms may stop after exercise is concluded or be continuous. See your doctor if severe pain in the shins follows an accident, shins are hot and inflamed, swelling worsens, or pain persists during rest. 

While my dancing friend with aching shins waits for her doctor's appointment she can treat her symptoms with rest, ice, a compression bandage, elevation, and proper footwear.  Also, she can visit vailfoot.com and order Myo-Med Pain Relief Creamto ease the pain of her shin splints.