Hey man ...

Do you overpronate? And if so, are your shoes motion controlled?

As for other basic info on treating shin splints ...

Rest. The sooner you rest the sooner it will heal.

Apply ice in the early stages when it is very painful.

It should never be applied directly to the skin but in a wet tea towel to prevent ice burns. Apply the ice for about 15 minutes every 2 hours. This can be reduced gradually over the next 24 hours.

Wear shock absorbing insoles in shoes.

Maintain fitness with other non weight bearing exercises.

Apply heat and use a heat retainer after the initial acute stage, particularly before training.

A calf support or heat retainer provides protection and support. It retains the heat produced by the body in a specific area and so aids healing. Heat encourages blood vessels to dilate and so allows more blood to the injured area. The more blood that gets to the injured area, the more nutrients it will get and the faster it will heal.Use it for helping to get better but do not rely on it indefinitely. If you find you need to wear it for more than a week then you really need professional help.

Injury specific sports massage.

Effleurage

Object - light stroking to warm up the area in preparation for deeper techniques.

1. With the hands stroke lightly but firmly upwards from the top of the ankle to the knee.

2. Always stroke upwards towards the heart as this is the direction of blood flow. The other way can damage veins.

3. Then lightly bring the hands down the outside of the leg keeping them in contact but do not apply pressure.

4. Repeat the whole movement using slow stroking techniques, trying to cover as much of the leg as possible.

5. Repeat this technique for about 5 to 10 minutes, gradually applying deeper pressure on the up strokes.

Which will set you up for ...

Stripping the muscles

With the thumb of the left hand (for a right leg) apply deep pressure to the posterior compartment muscles that can be felt at the back of the shin.

Do not rub directly onto the bone. This may only increase pain and inflammation. Aim to massage the muscle, not the attachments to the bone.

Apply 10 to 20 stripping techniques and alternate between cross frictions.

Cross Frictions

Apply firm pressure accross the muscle. Start at the lower third of the shin and work upwards.

Again, stay away from the bone itself. The aim of this technique is to try and stretch the sheath that surrounds the muscle. This will reduce the pressure in the muscle compartment and in turn the stress on the lower leg.

Apply this technique for around 5 minutes, alternating with stripping the muscle.

The whole process should not last more than half an hour. Massage therapy can be applied every day if it is performed lightly however deeper techniques may result in a days recovery period to allow tissues to 'recover'.

It is important to assess the affects of sports massage both after treatment and the following day. Is there an increase in pain and or inflammation? If so, then discontinue.

Sports massage can play a very valuable roll in rehabilitation of shin splint injuries, particularly for the athlete with recurring injury. The typical story is one of rest until pain goes but on return to training pain returns. This may be due to tension in the muscles at the back of the lower leg which is not addressed. The pain will go from the the shin but return because the muscle have not been treated as well.