Healing Shin Splints with Massage Therapy
Shin splints
are a common injury, especially once the nicer weather brings people
outside for more activities. “Shin splints” refers to the pain felt
along the shin bone, most often caused by inflammation.
Before
getting into specifics, let’s start with some anatomy background.
Wrapped around every muscle and organ in your body is something called
connective tissue. It also wraps
around the bones in the lower leg (tibia and fibula). Here, this tough,
fibrous membrane is called the periosteum. This connective tissue is
special in that it repairs and gives nourishment to the bones, and
serves as a point of attachment for the muscles to the bones. When the
periosteum is injured, it can’t do its job. This is one of the reasons
massage of the lower legs is so important; increased circulation can
bring blood into the area to help repair any damaged tissue. Massage can
also help prevent the muscle in this area from becoming so tight that
fluid gets trapped in between the different layers of connective tissue,
which can lead to pressure and pain. Massage can not only bring blood
circulation to the area, but can subtly stretch the muscles and help
flush out any build up of fluid in the lower leg. This is caused by
tight, overworked muscles in the area, and differs from swelling in the
ankle. It’s unlikely you would see or feel the fluid; you would just
feel the symptoms of tightness and pain.
Because the shin muscle is so
closely attached to the bone, when you have a trauma or pull this muscle
– while running for example – the muscle pulls on the periosteum. This
in turn puts pressure on the bone and can cause a stress (hairline)
fracture. The body soon sends a massage to the brain that it is in
stress, and it responds by sending blood and endorphins to the affected
area.
Sometimes the shin muscle gets too tight and starts
pushing on the connective tissue that is wrapped around it, causing
ischemia, which is insufficient blood flow to the area. After a while,
the shin muscle becomes inflamed – hot, red, and puffy – an indication
that it needs to rest and recover. Before any massage can be done, the
inflammation must subside. Ice, elevation, and rest are recommended for
approximately 72 hours, then the massage therapist can begin working to
break down the scar tissue.
Another cause of shin splints is
misalignment of the foot bones. If a runner changes her gait to
compensate (for example, shifting her weight to the inside or outside of
the foot), the shin muscles become tighter or overstretched, pulling on
the muscle and connective tissues and resulting in the symptoms
described above. Although a chiropractor would realign the foot bones,
the massage therapist can work on the muscles around the foot bones to
alleviate pain.
A more advanced case of shin splints is called
anterior compartment syndrome and sometimes requires surgery to cut
through the different layers of connective tissue to relieve the pain
and pressure. However, if scar tissue forms as a result, it can obstruct
proper blood flow to the muscles (ischemia). Fortunately, massage can
help minimize the obstruction caused by the scar tissue. The therapist
can perform stretches on the leg muscles, flush out any build up of
fluids, and break down the scar tissue so the muscle can move more
freely and get the proper flow of nutrients.
Even if you are not
a runner suffering from shin splints, a massage can put a spring in your
step.