Softball Shin Splints

As you head outdoors and get back on the field, are those shin splints rearing their ugly head again? Here's the nitty-gritty on what to do about them.

#1. Make sure they are shin splints.

It's easy to confuse anterior tibialis tendinitis for shin splints. Why does that matter? Because you treat a shin splint very differently than you treat tendinitis. Shin splints deal with the bone, while tendinitis deals with the muscle. How do you know which it is? Take a moment to check your shin. Is your pain right on the bone or on the tissue next to the bone? If it's on the tissue next to the bone, then it's tendinitis. This picture will help you understand the difference between the tissue and bone.

#2. It is shin splints. Now what?

Now that you have determined that you have shin splints, what do you do about it? The most common reason for shin splints is the ground reaction force going up through the shin when you run or do impact. Heel strikers are a lot more prone to have shin splints than midfoot or forefoot strikers due to the ground reaction force that goes right up through the tibia, as pictured below.

Our ankle and knee mechanics can affect the way our body loads and lands, so don't forget to check to make sure you have adequate motion.

How do you know when you need a little movement fine-tuning?

How do you know if you are doing something wrong but can't feel it? Well, the telltale sign is that we can see it. Big red flags that you have movement deficiencies that need to be addressed are visual abnormalities, pain or discomfort, not feeling the exercises in the right places, consistent and constant soreness, and of course, injuries.

The athlete on the right has a much better opportunity to run farther and faster because she moves in a way that is more efficient. Sometimes we can see our movement deficiencies, sometimes we can feel them, and sometimes we can discover them over time.