Tibial stress syndrome, also known as ‘’shin splints’’ is a common exercise-related problem often characterized by pain in the lower leg, most commonly on the front, medial edge of the shinbone (tibia).

Typically, shin splints will develop when someone is starting a new training regime or increasing the intensity of there workouts. The body needs time to adapt and repetitive sports such as running can place strain on tissues around your shin, particularly the medial (inner) muscles and tendons, if one progresses too quickly.

This results in pain and inflammation and progressively worsens over a long period of overuse and subtle repetitive strain, which causes minor tears, gradually resulting in loss of mobility, strength and proprioceptive function.

Shin splints most commonly affects runners, dancers and military officers who are spend a lot of time marching.

Often strain occurs because you are doing too much, too soon. Lack of conditioning to specific training regimes, equipment and surfaces, such as hill running, new shoes or changing from track to grass, can place strain on the body as it tries to adapt.

Over pronation (flat feet), rigid arches, decreased foot/ankle mobility and balance as well as leg muscle weakness can all predispose the tissue to compensatory strain.

Initially, the repetitive micro-trauma may not be felt as pain but if one does not rest, heal and adapt, degeneration occurs and the tissue can become 'sick'.

Over-time, a chronic syndrome develops that affects the entire lower kinematic chain from your low back to your foot and ankle. This becomes very challenging to treat and requires a management protocol that focuses not only on the area of pain but on the entire lower kinematic chain as a bio-mechanical unit.

The common anecdote of a car's wheel alignment applies well in this case. The 'imbalanced' wheel takes extra strain with use and eventually will wear out faster than the others. You can replace the wheel, but unless you fix the cause of the problem, the new wheel is still going to wear out. Over time, other parts of the car begin to compensate and take strain and eventually you are left with a complicated syndrome that requires a holistic recovery approach, focusing on the full kinematic chain from the hip to the foot.

Tibial stress syndrome, also known as ‘’shin splints’’ is a common exercise-related problem often characterized by pain in the lower leg, most commonly on the front, medial edge of the shinbone (tibia).

Typically, shin splints will develop when someone is starting a new training regime or increasing the intensity of there workouts. The body needs time to adapt and repetitive sports such as running can place strain on tissues around your shin, particularly the medial (inner) muscles and tendons, if one progresses too quickly.

This results in pain and inflammation and progressively worsens over a long period of overuse and subtle repetitive strain, which causes minor tears, gradually resulting in loss of mobility, strength and proprioceptive function.

Shin splints most commonly affects runners, dancers and military officers who are spend a lot of time marching.

Often strain occurs because you are doing too much, too soon. Lack of conditioning to specific training regimes, equipment and surfaces, such as hill running, new shoes or changing from track to grass, can place strain on the body as it tries to adapt.

Over pronation (flat feet), rigid arches, decreased foot/ankle mobility and balance as well as leg muscle weakness can all predispose the tissue to compensatory strain.

Initially, the repetitive micro-trauma may not be felt as pain but if one does not rest, heal and adapt, degeneration occurs and the tissue can become 'sick'.

Over-time, a chronic syndrome develops that affects the entire lower kinematic chain from your low back to your foot and ankle. This becomes very challenging to treat and requires a management protocol that focuses not only on the area of pain but on the entire lower kinematic chain as a bio-mechanical unit.

The common anecdote of a car's wheel alignment applies well in this case. The 'imbalanced' wheel takes extra strain with use and eventually will wear out faster than the others. You can replace the wheel, but unless you fix the cause of the problem, the new wheel is still going to wear out. Over time, other parts of the car begin to compensate and take strain and eventually you are left with a complicated syndrome that requires a holistic recovery approach, focusing on the full kinematic chain from the hip to the foot.