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Re: [RC] shin splints - Beverley H. Kane, MDThe Wikipedia entry notwithstanding, the pathophysiology (mechanism) of shin splints is controversial. When I had my sports medicine practice, I reserved the term for the classic presentation (history and physical exam) of shin pain plus history of running or jumping (I had some broad jumpers) on hard surfaces +/or rigid-soled shoes +/- excessive pronation (so, Angie, the opposite of what you describe as being on/avoiding the outside of your feet, which is supination). I myself suffered a bad case first hand one time when I had to run 10 city blocks, mostly uphill, in San Francisco in Swedish clogs and continued to walk in those same clogs 24 hrs/day in the hospital! The explanation that I buy is that the pain is from the tug of the tibial fascia (connective tissue) on the periosteum (a nerve-packed covering) of the bone. It is not the muscle--so you can't strengthen it--or the bone matrix itself. In the extreme case, the condition progresses to compartment syndrome, where the pressures go up in one or more of the 3 compartments of the lower leg and in the extreme of *that*, the blood supply/vessels get compressed (ischemia) and fibers can die (infarction and necrosis). To understand compartment syndrome, cut a grapefruit in half thru its equator and look at the sections. The fibrous bands dividing the sections are approximately the same material as fascia. They do not stretch. Imagine that if you inject fluid (inflammatory swelling/edema) into one of the segments (compartments) of the grapefruit, 2 things will happen: the fibrous tissue will be pulled (and pull on the rind ~= the bone of the leg) and the fruit (muscle) fibers in the segment will be compressed and "die." The treatment for severe compartment syndrome often requires making a pressure-releasing incision in the fascia. The treatment for shin splints is rest, ice, cross training and addressing the biomechanical causes. (Straddling a round horse w/ short legs would not be causative by my definition. And it's hard to imagine high enough impact in the stirrups from posting unless one's feet were actually lifting out of, and then smacking, the stirrups w/ each stride or unless one had too much weight in the stirrups, not using the thrust/rhythm of the horse for lift.) Beverley On 3/7/08 12:03 PM, "rides2far@xxxxxxxx" <rides2far@xxxxxxxx> wrote: [...] I don't think what we get are *real* shin splints. Aren't shin splints more of a bone thing? [...] Not letting my feet roll over to the outside seems to help. Maybe the fact that Gunner is narrow has helped...but now 7 is very Kabootish & a thick little 14.2. Wrapping short legs around a wide barrel probably isn't the best way to avoid them. Still wondering...is that muscle down the front of your shin a muscle you can train and if treadmills irritate it...does that mean they're strengthening it? =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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