Medial tibial stress syndrome is the medical name for shin splints, which is a common overuse injury that occurs along the inside of the tibia or shin bone in runners or those who do a lot of road running. Medial tibial stress syndrome is probably the most common running injury seen in running injury clinics. The earliest symptoms of medial tibial stress syndrome are an ache during running down the inside of the shin bone. This later progresses to the stage where the medial tibial stress syndrome becomes painful enough to interfere with the running. There is some controversy as to exactly what medial tibial stress syndrome actually is, with some believing it’s a bone stress reaction, others thinking it’s a periosteal reaction, and yet others thinking is a problem with the insertion of the muscles. The cause of medial tibial stress syndrome is generally considered to be a training error such as doing too much too soon combined with faulty foot biomechanics and/or poor running shoes. Medial tibial stress syndrome treatment usually starts with some sort of activity modification such as the use of deep water running or cycling as an activity substitution. The training errors that led to medial tibial stress syndrome need to be investigated. Foot biomechanics can be improved with the use of foot orthotics and advice needs to be given for a good pair of running shoes. Rarely is medial tibial stress syndrome not fixed with these strategies.
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