Schumacher Chiropractic Clinics

Last week I had a patient come to my office complaining of intense  shin pain. She had just run a marathon and could not walk without significant pain.  After a careful examination I determined that she was suffering from the effects of medial tibial stress syndrome or what is more commonly referred to as Shin Splints.  I used a computer to scan her feet and found that both of her feet were severely pronated (fallen arches) which has caused excessive stress on the muscles in her lower legs where they attach to her Tibia bone (shin). This excessive stress can cause the fibers that hold the muscle to the bone to tear or it can cause the outer covering of the bone to inflame provoking intense pain.  At this point her initial treatment is to rest (not run) for about 3 weeks. In the meantime she needs to ice / heat the area and stretch and strengthen both the front and back muscles of her lower legs. I suggested doing some cross training including swimming in order to limit stress to the area during exercise. Most importantly I prescribed Foot Leveler orthotics to correct her foot pronation which should prevent this problem from occurring again. If  you or someone you know has similar problems, have them give me a call for a free foot exam including a computerized scan of their feet.