Rib pain or medial tibial stress syndrome often weakens the lower leg because the shinbone and/or surrounding muscles are painful and inflamed. Rib pain is usually caused by overusing the lower leg muscles during sports, such as running, climbing mountains, jumping rope, or dancing. Because shin pain is triggered by muscle tension due to repetitive movements, this complaint can be prevented or overcome by changing daily habits and doing home therapy. If you are a professional athlete, consult a healthcare professional to treat and/or prevent shin pain.
Step
Method 1 of 3: Using Home Therapy as a Preventive Effort
Step 1. Change your exercise schedule or rest first
If your shins are sore from exercising too much (jogging, dancing, or some other exercise), make adjustments during your workout by reducing the reps, using lighter weights, or shortening the distance you run. For example, don't run in hilly areas or on hard terrain, don't do leg presses for a while while observing the condition of your feet or consult a fitness trainer if necessary. If the pain is triggered by activities at work, explain your problem to your boss and ask about the possibility of working while sitting for a few days to give your leg muscles time to rest and not hurt.
- Treat the injury as early as possible and set aside time to rest until the muscle is completely healed so that the acute injury doesn't get worse or become chronic (prolonged).
- Foresters, field technicians, firefighters, soldiers, referees for certain sports (e.g. football or basketball), workers who frequently climb or make certain types of construction are more at risk for shin pain.
Step 2. Change to work shoes or sports shoes
Shoes without foot support and/or relatively heavy shoes increase the risk of shin pain. The sole of the shoe without the support for the curve of the foot makes the foot rest on the inside so that the shin and knee are under pressure. Very heavy shoes put a strain on the muscles on the front side of the shinbone, which lifts the foot when walking or running. In order to avoid shin pain, wear shoes that are light, the right size, make sure there is good support for the indentation of the foot, and the sole of the shoe is flexible.
- Don't wear shoes or sandals that put the heel lower than the ball of the foot because the muscles around the shin will be very tense. Instead, wear shoes or sandals with heels 1-2 cm.
- If you like running, change your shoes after every 600-800 km or every 3 months, whichever comes first.
Step 3. Stretch the muscles around the shins
The pain or tension does not get worse if the lower leg muscles are stretched, especially if the complaint is addressed as early as possible. While breathing deeply, stretch in a slow, flowing motion. To stretch the muscles on the front side of your shin, you should contract the sole of your foot by pointing your toes down. Then, do a lunge by stepping back the leg you want to stretch and placing the back of your foot on the floor. Press the back of your foot into the floor to stretch the muscles around your shin.
- Hold for 20-30 seconds. Do this movement 5-10 times every day until the pain is resolved.
- Stretching after the muscles are compressed with a warm towel will be more beneficial because the muscles are already flexible.
Step 4. Use an elastic bandage
If the muscles around your shins feel tight or sore during exercise, reduce the intensity of the exercise. Also, wrap the leg with an elastic bandage (Tensor or Ace) or wear a neoprene muscle wrap from below the knee to the ankle. Elastic bandages and muscle wraps help to support and warm the muscles around the shins and compress the tendons against the shins so they don't experience pressure and tension.
- Wear a bandage or muscle wrap until the pain goes away. This therapy usually takes 3-6 weeks.
- Tensor or Ace bandages and neoprene muscle wraps are relatively inexpensive. Bandages can be purchased at the pharmacy.
Step 5. Compress the sore muscle with a cold object, such as an ice cube or frozen gel
Compressing the injured muscle is an effective way of dealing with pain, including shin pain because it is useful for reducing inflammation and relieving pain. If the muscles around the shins are very sore after exercising, apply ice packs 15-20 minutes every 2-3 hours until there is no pain and no swelling. To make inflammation go away faster, use an elastic bandage or muscle wrap to compress the muscle with ice.
- Wrap ice cubes or frozen gel packs in a thin towel to prevent scalding of the skin.
- If you don't have ice cubes or frozen gel, use a plastic bag filled with chilled peas or corn.
Step 6. Soak the feet in water sprinkled with Epsom salt
This step is useful for reducing pain and swelling in the legs because the muscle tension is not severe. The magnesium content in Epsom salt relaxes muscles and restores inflamed muscle tissue.
- If you can't soak your feet, compress your shins with a warm towel or a bag filled with herbs that have been microwaved and sprinkled with muscle-relaxing essential oils.
- If the swelling in the lower leg is very severe and does not go away after soaking in salt water, continue the therapy by applying cold compresses to the feet (15-20 minutes) until the shins are painless.
Method 2 of 3: Using Professional Help
Step 1. Have the therapist massage your feet
Muscles are strained when muscle fibers are stretched excessively to the point of tearing or breaking. This condition makes the muscles feel sore, swollen, or perform protective mechanisms (eg muscle spasms to prevent the injury from getting worse). Therapy by massaging the lower leg muscle tissue more intensively is useful for reducing tension and relaxing the muscles so that they can prevent or eliminate pain. If you experience mild pain, massage therapy can treat mild inflammation. Get a massage therapy that focuses on massaging the muscles around the shins and calves. Ask the therapist to massage your foot vigorously as long as it doesn't hurt.
- After the massage, drink enough water to cleanse the body of toxins that are formed due to inflammation. Otherwise, you run the risk of getting headaches, nausea, or dizziness.
- In addition to being massaged by a professional therapist, you can massage your leg muscles using a massager that vibrates on the soft tissues of your lower leg. Several studies have shown that the vibration of a massager can relax and strengthen muscle fibers while stimulating the nerves to reduce pain.
Step 2. Take advantage of ultrasonic therapy
Many health professionals, such as doctors, chiropractors, and physical therapists use ultrasonic therapy to treat soft tissue inflammation and stimulate muscle recovery. Ultrasonic machines emit sound waves (which are inaudible to the human ear) through special crystals to heal injured cells and body tissues. As a precaution, ultrasonic therapy makes the shin pain less prolonged once the lower leg begins to ache.
- Ultrasonic therapy is painless and usually lasts 15 minutes depending on the severity of the inflammation in the foot.
- Sometimes, mild pain can be overcome with one therapy, but there are also those that require 3-5 times of therapy to be more effective.
Step 3. Make an appointment to consult the staff at the shoe store
In order to determine the most appropriate shoes, ask the staff at the shoe store to do an evaluation. Reputable shoe companies usually recruit employees who are experienced as runners or fitness experts so that they are able to carry out assessments by determining walking or running habits, checking the shape of the client's feet, and finding out how the client sets the soles of the feet by observing the shape of the shoe soles that have been worn. Although not a doctor or physical therapist, he or she can provide advice on preventing shin pain or other problems with the legs and feet.
- You can get a solution by choosing shoes that fit the anatomy of the foot (flexible pronator or rigid supinator).
- During an assessment to find out how to keep your feet, you may be asked to run or walk on a computerized machine.
Step 4. Use an orthotic that is made according to the condition of the foot
Another way to prevent shin pain is to wear shoes that are equipped with orthotics, where the soles of the feet are slightly stiff to support the curves of the feet and improve foot position when standing, walking, and running. The orthotic acts as a cushion and shock absorber when you run, walk, and jump, reducing the risk of shin pain.
- Orthotics for shoes are made and sold by podiatrists, doctors, chiropractors, and physical therapists.
- Before inserting the orthotic into your shoe, you may need to remove the insole.
Method 3 of 3: Diagnosing the Cause of Dry Bone Pain
Step 1. Find out the cause
Pain in the shin is not a serious injury, but it makes the leg painful and unusable for walking, let alone running. The main cause is excessive tension in the leg muscles below the knee, especially the tibialis anterior muscle. This muscle is used to lift the leg when walking and running. Sometimes, shin pain is caused by inflammation of the tibial periosteum, the thin membrane that covers the shinbone. Sometimes, shin pain is triggered by a subtle crack in the shinbone or impaired blood circulation in the lower leg.
- Other causes that are at risk of triggering shin pain, such as high-intensity running, mountain climbing, poor quality footwear, flat feet, walking or stepping on the wrong foot technique.
- Soldiers, professional dancers, and athletes (football and basketball) are more at risk for shin pain.
Step 2. Know the symptoms
Rib pain is usually characterized by swelling, aches or pains along the inner side of the lower leg, mild inflammation around the shinbone, and an inability to lift the toe off the floor (dorsiflexion). The pain usually appears when you start exercising or activity and subsides after the muscle is stretched, but comes back near the end of the exercise due to the accumulation of inflammation. Rib pain is often described as achy or uncomfortable when it's not severe, but it can be excruciating if the muscle continues to be traumatized.
- Rib pain is usually more painful in the morning because the soft tissues (muscles and tendons) are not moved throughout the night. The pain also gets worse when you try to lift the sole of the foot (dorsiflexion) up.
- The location and intensity of pain can be used to accurately diagnose shin pain so there is no need to use X-rays, MRIs, or ultrasound machines to confirm it.
Step 3. Know the complications due to shin pain
If left unchecked and becomes chronic, this complaint not only makes the pain and disability of the lower leg difficult to cure, but other related joints will also be problematic. The inability to lift the leg properly when walking, running, or jumping puts the rest of the body above it (such as the knees, hips, and lower back) overworked and puts you at risk of strain or injury. Therefore, immediately deal with shin pain so that it does not get worse by changing daily habits, doing home therapies, and seeking professional advice.
- In addition to shin pain, pain in the lower leg can be triggered by a variety of other causes, such as fractures, muscle compartment syndrome, pinched popliteal artery, narrowed veins, and pinched nerves.
- Women are more at risk for severe shin pain and shin fractures due to reduced bone density and osteoporosis.
Tips
- To avoid shin pain, do not run in hilly areas or hard terrain, such as concrete or paved roads.
- If acute shin pain is allowed to worsen, it may take up to 6 months to heal completely.
- As a variation, do other sports that don't strain your shins, such as swimming, biking, or jumping on a trampoline.
- If you often jog on sloping land, do it in the opposite direction on the same land.
- When you start jogging, start the exercise with a light, slightly brisk walk, then brisk walking.
