The shin is a bone located in the front part of your lower leg. Shin splints commonly occur in athletes who have intensified or changed their training routines. They also show up in regular people who have changed or added activity to their routine.
The shin has a lot of responsibility during exercise, as it absorbs the shock of the steps, raises the toes, and support the arch of the foot.
A few main culprits play a part in shin splints:
- failing to stretch properly before exercising
- walking or running on hard surfaces, like pavement
- wearing the wrong type of shoes during activity
- over-exerting the body with strenuous activity
- skipping periods of rest between exercise
Individuals who perform any type of exercise should take appropriate measures to alleviate the above risk factors of shin splints. If you notice pain and soreness in the front part of your lower leg, know how to treat this injury properly.
If rest and ice aren’t doing the job and you’re still suffering pain, it’s time to see a doctor. A thorough exam and possibly an x-ray will diagnose the problem.
Chiropractic care is a powerful choice for treating shin splints and reducing their recurrence. Five significant ways chiropractic treatment benefits those suffering from shin splints are:
Reduction in pain
Chiropractic is proven to relieve the pain associated with bodily injuries and medical conditions, including shin splints. Sometimes one visit is enough to relieve the pain, other times the pain decreases over a series of appointments. Being able to diminish a high degree of pain down to a manageable level is possible for shin splint patients through chiropractic.
Full body alignment
The premise behind chiropractic is that it treats the body as a whole, and, in doing so, promotes healing and health to the injured or diseased areas. A chiropractor may work on your neck to help your calf. With shin splints, he or she may align your spine and joints to lessen the impact of activity on your shins. Again, the entire body is treated in order to create the best environment for health restoration.
Healing through adjustments
Treating shin splints is a common procedure for chiropractors. Common practice is to adjust the calf, ankle, and foot to stretch and increase blood flow to the area.
Drug free treatment option
A primary benefit of chiropractic care is it requires no over-the-counter or prescription drugs. Individuals who suffer from stomach issues, or simply prefer to avoid drugs, find chiropractic visits a productive alternative to manage pain and promote healing.
Strengthening exercises
Chiropractors don’t just treat the spine. Your Doctor of Chiropractic will set an overall plan of attack for optimal recovery when dealing with shin splints.
It’s routine for chiropractic treatment of shin splints to include a series of stretching and strengthening exercises the individual performs at home between visits. These exercises further expand on the positive effects of the chiropractic therapy.
If you are one of the many people dealing with shin splints, don’t despair! Consider chiropractic care as your main treatment option or in conjunction with other modes of treatment. Within a few visits, you will experience pain reduction, and enjoy a decreased risk of ever dealing with painful shin splints again. Give us a call at 850-654-1850 to make an appointment for a visit or a complimentary consult to get back to better health.