15Jul 2021
SHIN SPLINTS: Fixing Your Running Pattern
Shin splints are a runner's worst nightmare, and many people think that shin splints are just bony damage from repetitive use and impact from activities such as running. However, in many cases, the shin pain people feel from running is more often than not due to an overload of a muscle running down the front of the shin bone from poor running patterns; the Tibialis Anterior muscle. There are different ways the foot strikes the ground when running, but the main differences are found between heel striking and forefoot striking. In a forefoot striking running pattern, the ball of the foot strikes the ground first, which utilises the calf muscle and elasticity of the achilles tendon to propel us forwards when running. In a heel striking pattern of running, this heel strikes the ground first, and then to prevent the forefoot from slapping down onto the ground, the Tibialis Anterior muscle very quickly eccentrically controls the front of the foot down as we rock over it in the gait cycle. As this muscle was not designed to absorb load in running quite like the calf, it can very quickly become aggravated, overloaded and cause us pain and discomfort along the front of the shin bone. In this video, we show you what a heel strike running pattern looks like compared to a forefoot strike running pattern, and demonstrate one of the most simple, yet effective, running drills we use in the clinic to help runners fix this issue!
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