Can shoes cause shin splints

It’s complicated. Shoes can contribute to the pain of shin splints. However, it’s one of the many factors that you might be experiencing shin splints.

I’ve gone through a ton of bibliography for you to further understand the root causes and how you can prevent shin splints in the future.

Pain in the middle of the tibia is very common, especially in novice runners. And I must admit, I still get them, especially after a running hiatus.

The pain can be mild or severe, and it can occur when we run or even just put our weight on the affected limb.

The painful area may be larger than two inches on the inside or outside of the shin. If there is no other problem such as a stress fracture, the pain may be from tibial tenosynovitis or tibial pain (medial tibial syndrome).

It can also occur in experienced runners if they suddenly change the amount or intensity of their training, their shoes, or where they run.

It hurts especially at the beginning of the workout and right after when the body “cools down”. We often have to stop training until the symptoms go away. It is also common in the military, especially with new recruits, because they are more active and the shoes they wear are not made for it.

What are Shin splints?

The periosteum is the outermost layer of every bone in the body. It is a tough, blood-filled membrane that surrounds the entire bone, except for the part covered by articular cartilage.

It may be connected to deeper parts of the bone or to the tendons and ligaments of the bone. This membrane is characterized by the fact that it has many sensory organs and a lot of blood.

Therefore, it is sensitive to pain and prone to swelling. In our article, we will talk about a situation that makes people angry.

What causes Shin Splints?

This usually occurs because the area has been “overstressed” by vertical and rotational loads. Although the bones have the ability to adapt to external forces, they don’t keep up with this condition.

Consequently, pain and tenderness are signs that the health of the bone is in jeopardy. As mentioned earlier, sudden changes in training load, footwear, and terrain put stress on the bone, which doesn’t have time to adapt.

When these factors are compounded by increased body weight, young age at the start of training, and different biomechanical differences in joint motion (e.g., increased pronation of the sole, adduction of the thigh, etc.), the result is to be expected.

How can we avoid Shin Splints?

Once we know what the cause might be, we can take action to prevent it from happening again. We are aware that there is no guarantee that we will not get symptoms if we do not follow the basics of education, no matter how much experience we have.

For this reason, one of the most important goals is to plan the program based on our abilities and our training situation.

• Increase the total training load over time. Both the total amount and the strength of the training. The rule of 10% per week is a good rule of thumb, but it does not work in every situation. If we have time to train, we need to pay close attention to how much and how hard we train in the beginning. Since it is hard to say what is best, it is best to take a conservative approach.
• Allow enough time for recovery between workouts. Important for all sports at all levels. Our bodies tell us when it’s time to rest, but we should be prepared by paying attention to how we train.
• Recovery techniques. Cold therapy, when used after hard training and other physical therapy methods, is likely to be helpful.
• Gradually introduce new training methods and new terrain. For example, if we have been running all our miles on grass and want to switch to asphalt, it would be good to split up the distances until we get used to the new surface.
• Be careful when you change your shoes. Even though scientific studies have not found a correlation between the type of shoe and injuries, it is better not to suddenly change the type of shoe. For example, if we run all our miles in shoes with thick soles and then want to switch to shoes with thinner soles, we need to split the miles again.
• Some aspects of running behaviour can increase the likelihood of injury. Increased pronation of the foot (when the arch drops inward and the toes rotate outward), long stride length, and adduction and medial rotation of the thigh put more stress on the shin area. Although it is not easy to change your anatomy, you can improve by strengthening weak muscles (such as the tibialis anterior and gluteal muscles), using special shoe inserts, and practising your technique.

Bottom Line

Shin splint syndrome can be caused by shoes.

Pain in the middle of the tibia is common, especially in novice runners, so make sure that you gradually increase the intensity of your workout. It hurts especially at the beginning of exercise and immediately afterwards when the body “cools down.”

Although bones can change in response to external forces, this is not possible in this case. So pain and tenderness are signs that the health of the bone is deteriorating. Once we know what the cause might be, we can do something to make sure something like this does not happen again.

Gradually add new training methods and new training areas. For example, if we have been running all our miles on grass and now want to switch to asphalt, we should split the distances until we get used to the new surface.

When you change your shoes, be careful. For example, if we have been running all our miles in shoes with thick soles and then want to switch to shoes with thinner soles, we need to split the miles again.

In general, your shoes can play a role in your legs’ and feet’ overall health. Check out our article about how the choice of shoes can be the cause of Achilles tendonitis.

References

• Shin splints–a literature review. – P Bates
• The prevention of shin splints in sports: a systematic review of literature – STEPHEN B. THACKER, JULIE GILCHRIST, DONNA F. STROUP, and C. DEXTER KIMSEY
• The Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome: A Cause of Shin Splints