Shin splints is a term that is often used to describe a form of pain on the inside or the posterior medial aspect of your shin bone or your tibia. In truth, the term shin splints is not used as much anymore, specifically because we've changed the terminology to medial tibial stress syndrome or MTSS for short. Essentially what it means is that we're not entirely sure what the causative problem of it is.

There are two main theories that likely go hand in hand. Firstly, it's like an inflammatory like problem that you get along the inside of that shin bone. Secondly, and probably what is likely to cause it, is some form of traction like phenomena that occurs to the posterior part of the shin bone or the tibia. The muscles that are likely culprits of the traction problem are the ones in the posterior compartments.

To improve foot health and address any issues related to foot function, it is recommended to switch to natural footwear that allows the foot to function as it should. Additionally, identifying the root cause of the problem can be helpful. This involves determining which of the four muscles (tibialis posterior, flexor hallucis longus, flexor digitorum longus, or soleus) is likely causing the issue or if multiple muscles are involved. Checking how well the foot communicates with the hip is also important and ensuring the hip muscles control hip, internal, and external rotation. Additionally, it is recommended to evaluate walking, running, or jumping techniques to see how the whole leg, particularly the lower leg, is being loaded. Adjustments such as increasing cadence or reducing speed, as well as avoiding hills, can help reduce demand on the affected tissues. Finally, exposing the foot to a variety of surfaces and distributing load throughout the entire leg, instead of just the posterior muscles, can help improve overall foot health.