How Do You Know if You Have a Stress Fracture or a Shin Splint

Shin splints and stress fractures are ii of the nigh mutual running injuries.  Unfortunately, if you are a runner dealing with lower leg pain, it can be difficult to determine which status is plaguing you lot.  Shin splints and stress fractures have many like characteristics, simply at that place are some cardinal differences between the 2 injuries.  Making the correct diagnosis is important for proper handling and future injury prevention, then permit's take an in-depth look at both conditions.

Symptoms

Stress fractures are literally tiny cracks in the bones that cause pain and tenderness.  They tin can occur in any bone, but for this article, we are most concerned with stress fractures of the lower legs since these are the fractures well-nigh oft dislocated with shin splints.  In the early stages of a stress fracture, runners normally recognize minor tenderness with activity that improves with remainder.  The tenderness is typically very localized and near runners can pinpoint the verbal spot on the limb that hurts.

Shin splints also cause pain and tenderness, but the pain tends to be more  of a radiating pain that runs along the length of the affected bone and muscles.  Some runners describe shin splint pain as a tight, achy pain, while stress fracture pain is ordinarily described as a deep, throbbing hurting.  Likewise, shin splints should non cause hurting while walking or hopping.  In fact, sometimes runners with shin splints only notice abrupt pain while running fast.  Stress fractures cause pain while running at whatever speed.  Runners with stress fractures might as well notice pain while walking and hopping.

Causes

Stress fractures are a type of overuse injury, resulting from cumulative strain on the os over time.  According to the Mayo Clinic, if your bones are subjected to repetitive forcefulness without plenty time for recovery, your body will reabsorb os cells faster than it can supplant them.  This imbalance results in weak bones that are susceptible to tiny cracks, or stress fractures.  Runners who over-train and runners who have high or low arches tend to be at an increased hazard for developing stress fractures.  Additionally, women tend to have stress fractures more often than men, probably due to nutritional deficits, inadequate caloric intake, and low estrogen levels – all factors which touch on bone health and density.

Shin splints are likewise a type of overuse injury.  The pain associated with shin splints is caused by small-scale tears and inflammation in the muscles surrounding the tibia, or shin bone.  The muscles become torn and inflamed when runners exercise too much too shortly, so the condition is very common among new runners, runners returning to training later extended pause periods, and regular runners who rapidly increase mileage and training intensity.  Loftier and low arches are also a risk factor for shin splints and wearing old shoes with insufficient support tin besides contribute to the development of the condition.

Treatment and Prevention

Stress fractures and shin splints tin can be differentiated well-nigh conspicuously by diagnostic imaging.  A bone browse is the about common exam used to brand the stardom. Scans will evidence a small, focused area of intense increased dye uptake if the patient has a stress fracture.  Shin splints, on the other hand, would demonstrate a less intense, elongated area of increased dye uptake.

In the case of a stress fracture, you must finish running completely in order to allow your body to heal.  Plan on 8-16 weeks of absolutely no running.  If you lot exercise not have the time off, or if you resume running besides speedily, more severe stress fractures can occur and the fracture might never heal properly or completely.  After taking the required time off, you tin slowly and advisedly resume running.  Information technology is important to build your mileage gradually and comprise strength training into your routine to improve muscle strength and bone support.  Also, be sure to consume an appropriate amount of calories and consume a well-balanced diet.  Good nutrition and os health go hand-in-hand.  If you have high or low arches, consider arch supports.

Shin splints are a fleck less articulate-cut when it comes to treatment.  Sometimes runners tin can go along to train at a lower level of intensity while incorporating stretching, strength training, ice, and anti-inflammatory medications.  In other cases, several weeks of residual is needed to allow the pain and tenderness to completely resolve.  You should not run through hurting, so if running (even slow running) hurts, stop and residuum.  When you practise resume running, practise so slowly and gradually.  A adept dominion of thumb is to increment your preparation by no more than 10% per week.  Arch supports and supportive running shoes are important in the prevention of shin splints, besides.

Hopefully this overview has been helpful for differentiating between shin splints and stress fractures.  If yous are a runner with lower leg pain, accept the time to understand these two weather and discern the advisable class of action for your injury.Contact usa to learn more than about shin splints, stress fractures, and other common running injuries.

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Source: https://builtinsport.com/is-it-shin-splints-or-a-stress-fracture/

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