Shin splints refer to any kind of pain felt around the shin area. The shin is the front part of the leg positioned below the knee and above the ankle. When you have sharp pains around the area, you’re said to be suffering from shin splints. Actually, shin splints are not really acute injuries. They are simply normal pains that can easily be handled.

The Causes
Shin splints are basically caused by the overtime accumulation of stress on the shin area. This is usually the case with many athletes who engage in regular athletic events and other sports. Individuals who engage in daily running and jogging may also encounter the pains. Meanwhile, most medical experts maintain that shin splints also occur when there’s an inflammation of the Posterior Peroneal Tendon and other tissues that surrounds it around the shin area.

Who are Most Prone?
Generally, shin splints occur in the lives of sports men and women who participate in regular athletic events. The pains also occur in every other individual that engage in daily running. Moreover, footballers also encounter the pains from time to time. Sport men and women who play tennis, baseball, basket ball, and volley ball are also prone to having shin splints. Every other sports person who engages in a sport that requires regular starts and stops is also prone to have the pains. Sports men and women who engage in excessive training are also prone to have shin splints.

Stretch Your Feet Regularly
To take good care of your feet, you have to stretch them regularly. You can always do that each time you sit behind a desk. You can engage in Tendon Stretch, Towel Lift, Knee Hug, Quad Stretch and other exercises.

Dealing with Shin Splints
Just like every other foot pain, shin splints can be handled. In the first place, there’s always a recovery period for the pains. This is usually the case in the lives of sports men and women who encounter the pains regularly. However, the recovery period varies from one person to the other. Age and other personal factors also come into play. Most athletes do recover from shin splints when their muscles revert back to normal position after a session of running event. Hence, one way of dealing with shin splints is by giving your body enough time to recover after getting involved in a sports activity. To minimize the risk of shin splints, it’s necessary you avoid getting involved in excessive training exercises. You need to train with caution. You should also rest at intervals while training.

In Conclusion
Finally, it’s important you put on nice athletic shoes to control shin splints. You can always manage the pains each time they show up when you’re wearing the right shoes. However, you still need to see a podiatrist if the pains continue unabated.

Other Resources:
Combat Boots - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Combat_boot