First Aid for Shinsplints

Shinsplints. They're something everyone who exercises gets at one time or another and it's usually the result of just too much exercise or too much too soon. Its symptom is pretty obvious: A burning pain up and down the sides of your shins.

"So many people have this problem at any one time that I think if they all went to see a doctor that's all we'd be doing -- treating shinsplints," says H. Winter Griffith, M.D., a Phoenix, Arizona, sports medicine specialist.

The word "shinsplints" is actually a catchall phrase that encompasses a variety of aches and pains in the general area of the shin. "The important points to make here are that inflammation is what's causing the pain, not disease. And two, shinsplints are not associated with the bone itself -- the tibia -- but with the muscles and tendons around it and occasionally the membrane converting it."

Warming up before exercise, of course, and being in shape for your sport play important roles in making shinsplints part of someone else's sports history. Wearing good shoes, however, is probably the most important step you can take to prevent them.

"A shoe that cushions well will do a lot to keep shinsplints from developing, but it also helps if you run properly -- sort of flat-footed, so the entire foot takes the weight instead of just the toes," Dr. Griffith says.

As for treating shinsplints, Dr. Griffith recommends rest. Take a week off, self-treat with a mild anti-inflammatory drug like Advil - aspirin isn't as effective and acetaminophen doesn't work at all -- and massage the painful spots with ice, he says. Whirlpool baths also help, if you can find one.

"Rest is probably the single best thing you can do," Dr. Griffith says. "And if you won't do that, at least switch to a softer surface like grass or soil."