Medial tibial stress syndrome is the technical name for what most runners call ‘shin splints’, which is a name the medical community gave up using years ago and now considers the name of historical interest only. Medial tibial stress syndrome is relatively common in runners, but does not always get bad enough to interfere with the running.
The pain of medial tibial stress syndrome is fairly typical and primarily occurs along the inside or medial edge of the shin bone (tibia). Initially it is only painful when probed with the fingers, but later it gets painful when running.
Just exactly what medial tibial stress syndrome is, is not totally clear. Some consider it a problem with the soft tissue insertions of muscles and fascia into the bone. Others consider it as a bone stress reaction. There is some evidence supporting both.
The cause is also not totally clear and may vary from runner to runner. One of more commonly accepted risk factors is the doing too much too soon concept. Foot biomechanics have also been implicated. One of the more recent theories for medial tibial stress syndrome is that it is due to higher bending moments in the tibia.
The management of medial tibial stress syndrome should be aimed at addressing the issues above. The first approach would be to reduce running distances to tolerable levels and replacing with other activities like deep water running or cycling. The training regime to look for errors needs be addressed. Foot orthotics and wedges can be used to address the tibial bending moments.
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