There are several reasons why you may get leg pain - lower leg pain in particular may be caused by shin splints. If you are active and doing high-impact sports involving lots of running and sudden turns, the pain and inconvenience of a shin splint can be a nightmare and can become a chronic injury.

But you don't have to be a regular athlete to suffer. Doing too much exercise too soon if you have been sedentary is also a common cause - joining a running club after being inactive for many years and trying to keep up with the regular runners from day 1 is also a recipe for sore shins!

There are two types of shin splints; Anterior and Posterior. If you feel down the front of your lower leg, you will feel the edges of a bone close to the surface - it's like you have a school ruler in your leg.

This is the edge of your tibia. A shin splint is caused by inflammation of muscles close to the tibia. When they become inflamed, they pull on the connecting tissue that attaches them to the bone, and that's where the nagging ache comes from.

Anterior shin splints can be caused by activities requiring sudden stops, starts and turns at speed - football and basketball are good examples. Given that some of these footballers are big, hefty lads weighing in at around 200 lbs, the strain on those small shin muscles is immense. These guys are quite fit, however - if you are unfit and suddenly take up running 10k races without a gradual build-up, your chances of getting an anterior splint are high.

Posterior shin splints occur on the other side of the shinbone and are more likely to be caused by poor posture when running. Main culprits here are flat feet and tight calf muscles, which cause muscular imbalances. One of the first things I do when someone comes to me with this kind of shin splint is put them on a treadmill and watch their running action. I look for feet rolling out, landing flat, or knees moving in. The latter often happens with ladies, as we have a wider pelvis than men, so the angle of the thigh bone (femur) is more acute. This can also cause knee pain.

For anterior shin splints, I advise a rehabilitation program involving non-impact cardio training such as rowing or cycling to rebuild or maintain fitness, then introducing sport-specific activities gradually.

Posterior shin splints require a strengthening of core and postural muscles - I advise leg strengthening exercises and Pilates, often on a one-to-one basis, so that the imbalances that caused the splint in the first place can be addressed.

Both types of shin splint should in the acute stage be treated with rest and ice, and you should always warm up before exercise and stretch afterwards. As with most injuries, prevention is much easier than cure!

All the best,

Carol J Bartram
(Sports Therapist, Personal Trainer & Pilates Instructor)

Pain Lower Leg