Impact Exercises and Shin Splints

Is your exercise routine high impact – or low impact? Are you feeling it in your shins? This is Dr. Steven Andrew Davis, Speaking of Health.

Americans are climbing steps, jumping and jogging, and in the process, sometimes coming down with shin splints. But despite the widespread use of the term, many people still aren’t sure exactly what shin splints are. If it’s any consolation to them, even the medical community doesn’t agree on a right definition of shin splints, though there is a consensus on the basic origin of the problem: inflammation between the knee and the ankle over the shin area. After that, the medical understanding of shin splints gets complex.

Those who suffer with shin splints experience one or more of several common symptoms. They get aching pain that comes on with repetitive exercise, typically running on a hard surface. Experts note that the pain of shin splints usually comes on toward the beginning of a workout, may go away after the athlete has warmed up, and can be accompanied by swelling. Treatments like cooling the area down and taking anti-inflammatory medications often help, but one real challenge is distinguishing shin splints from some other leg conditions. Some people get stress fractures of the bones in the leg; others have severe inflammation of the legs’ compartments which can be serious if not dealt with properly. Still others get infections which must be distinguished from that mechanical inflammation of muscles, tendons, and the lining of bones – known simply as shin splints. Speaking of Health, I’m Dr. Steven Andrew Davis for CBS News.