Competitive Edge

What are shin splints? There are so many things that can cause shin splints- but at the end of the day… it hurts in your shins.

This is often something that is felt when we start walking or running, get a new pair of shoes, or just find ourselves standing on a hard surface for a long period of time.

What Causes Shin Splints when Running or Walking?

There are two main causes of shin splints when walking or running, and they both come down to shock absorption. Type one, is when a muscle slowly starts pull on your shin bones. (Cringe, right?!) The other type is when the two shin bones bow apart.(Also cringe)

These are both caused by improper shock absorption!

What causes these faulty shock absorbers when you are running or walking? It’s other structures in the system that are dysfunctional. The shins are often painful because they have to do a job they shouldn’t have to do. So instead of beating on the shins, and rolling, massaging or “stripping” them time and time again with no avail, why not correct the original dysfunction and allow shins to just be shins and not super shock absorbers?

What Is The Most Common Cause of Shin Splints?

THE HIPS!

It might seem hard to believe but the hips are often the faulty parties here in this pain pattern. You see, when one side of your pelvis (or what most people call their hips) gets rotated downwards, it actually makes one leg longer than the other. This forces that leg to have to absorb extra force.

What often takes up that slack? The bones and muscles of your shins have to work overtime to support your faulty hip- especially in hip impact activities like running. The shins get quite sore and painful from this, as they are now doing something they are not designed to do.

How do I Fix Shin Splints when Running/Walking?

How do you fix this? Correct any dysfunction in your hips first, so all of the 48 muscles that attach there can work properly, then correct the dysfunction in your shins.

So why does stretching and rolling out your shins often provide temporary relief? It is because you are giving them attention. Yes, they are super tight, so stretching will often feel good. However, unless you correct the underlying compensation patterns and the overlying biomechanical deficiencies (legs the wrong length), the shins will always be tight from overworking for your hip.

… And it’s not just Shin Splints!

This exact same formula is true for many conditions. Plantar fasciitis, Achilles tendinitis, shin splints (or medial tibial stress syndrome), Sesmoiditis, the list goes on and on. . .

The pelvis is so important in so many conditions. The clients we have worked with have learned this. They know that if they ever feel something a bit sore, or not working right- our first go to should be to “check their hips”! So many times simply working through the pelvis corrects many imbalances and issues before they ever become an issue!

If you are suffering with shin splints or even if they have just been a recurring problem for you in the past… we encourage you to seek out a therapist that will treat your whole body ( hips included!) and not just your shins.

That’s why for a short time only, we are offering new clients a $47 Running Pain Analysis.  In this appointment you will learn why you are getting pain when running, where is is actually coming from and what you can do about it (without having to just rest of decrease your mileage for forever!)

We are only offering the Running Pain Analysis to 13 people so click below to claim your spot!

 
Claim Your Running Pain Analysis

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Competitive Edge