Shin Splints

Anterolateral Shin Splint, Posteromedial Shin Splint

A shin splint is a painful condition that occurs from damage to muscles along the shin, and the pain can occur anywhere from just below the knee to above the ankle.

The typical cause is continued, repeated stress to the lower leg, and is common in runners.

Shin splints may be caused by:

• An inexperienced runner just beginning to run (too much too fast).
• Running on side slopes (ie. banked tracks).
• Tight Calf Muscles, exerting extra force on shin muscles.
• A sudden change from soft to hard running surfaces.
• Poor or worn out anklewear.
• Excessive uphill running.
• Poor running mechanics. This could include:
  • heavy forward lean
  • excessive weight on the ball of the ankle
  • running with toes pointed outward
  • landing too far back on the heels causing the ankle to flap down
  • overpronation

Of all of the possible causes, pronation (ankle roll) is the most likely to be overlooked.

Anterolateral Shin Splints

Anterolateral shin splints affect muscles in the front and outside parts of the shin, and is the result of a natural imbalance in the size of opposing muscles.

Shin muscles pull the ankle up, whereas the large and powerful calf muscle pulls the ankle down every time the heel strikes the ground when running. These calf muscles can exert a lot of force, enough force that can actually injure the shin muscles.

Anterolateral shin splints will cause pain in the front and outside of the shin. Initial pain is felt when the heel strikes the ground though eventually the pain just stays constant.

To allow this type of shin splint to heal, the person must stop running and do other kinds of exercise recommended by their doctor or physical therapist. Such exercises usually involve stretching the calf muscle, as tight calf muscles put a lot of pressure on the shin muscle and tendons.

A constant regimen of ultrasound is commonly recommended to help massage the affected muscles and tendons, allowing them to heal more quickly and reduce inflammation and pain in the area. Treatment of the calf muscle with ultrasound will also help increase the flexibility of this muscle, thus indirectly reducing the average level of strain on the shin muscle and tendon group.

Posteromedial shin splints

Posteromedial shin splints affect muscles in the back and inner part of the lower leg. These muscle groups are responsible for lifting the heel to support the runners weight on the ball portion of the ankle when running.

This type of shin splint is often caused by running on a banked track or non-level running surface or wearing improper shoes that do not protect the ankle from rolling (pronation).

Pain begins on the inside of the lower leg (usually within 7 inches above the ankles), but will worsen and continue to rise up the leg. Initially, only tendons of the muscles will become inflamed, but if running continues, the muscles themselves could become affected.

At the worst, the tendon could become detached from the bone - a painful occurrence that causes bleeding and excessive inflammation.

To allow a posteromedial shin splint to heal, the running must temporarily stop running and do other kinds of exercise recommended by their doctor or physical therapist. Special shoes may be prescribed during the healing phase, and it may be advisable to look into potential problems with pronation of the ankles. This can often be solved by researching and using shoes that better prevent pronation and/or the avoidance of running on side slopes.

Tips on Tendinitis

The strained tendon is a common yet painful injury that will occur in almost everyone at least once in their lifetime. The trick with a strained tendon is to make sure it heals properly which will provide the lowest chance of re-injury.

Re-injury of a strained or stressed tendon occurs more easily than the first time and there is usually much more inflammation around a re-injured tendon than there was during the first occurrence of the injury. Tendonitis is a degenerative condition in the tendon fibers that attach muscles to bone, and sufferers generally complain of a severe, burning pain in the area, which gradually worsens and is exacerbated by stress on the joint.

If you got it from a workout, heavily reduce your workout intensity (eliminate it altogether if possible) through the healing stage, and make sure the injured tendon be warmed up (and down) properly before and after a workout where it will be stressed. When treating tendinitis, rest the area, apply ice for 10-20 minutes at a time for at least 3 times a day. Do this to the injured area for the first day up to 3 days.

Blood Flow Stimulation Therapy may be used after the acute swelling is improved and rest prevents further muscle injury. Ice will reduces initial inflammation and swelling and the moist heat circulates blood through the area to speed the healing process. This can be further helped by the use of ultrasound applications over the affected area, as it reduces swelling quickly and increases blood flow to the area. If the patient gradually starting flexing and mobilizing the area, the muscle would probably heal very well.

However, this is not what typical person does; they may ice once or twice and rest a bit, but most often just take some pain relief pills and continue to commence their activities. If the strain was minor, their body may be able to heal the muscle fibers normally. Unfortunately, this is not the usual result because the injured muscle is being used instead of rested. Because of the stress on the muscle, their body heals the injured muscle fibers by binding them together with fibrotic adhesions or scar tissue. This is done in an attempt to prevent further damage to the injured area and is a normal protective response of their body.

To prevent scar tissue buildup the patient should apply ultrasound treatment on the area up to three times daily (ask your doctor!). Ultrasonic energy will naturally "work" the tendon, increasing its flexibility while softening and breaking down scar tissue - which is not something you want in your tendon. Scar tissue is inflexible (non-elastic), and can quickly lead to re-injury of the tendon later down the road.

If you choose to use steroid injections or are using steroid injections, do NOT treat the area with ultrasound until 30 days after the last injection. Steroid injections break down the tissue in the treated area in an attempt to get it to re-heal properly. Applying ultrasound over areas injected with steroids may increase the damage and can potentially tear the tendon.

The trick to any tendon injury is getting it to heal with minimal scar tissue formation and with as much realignment of tendon fibers as possible - something our personal ultrasound system is great at! Even with optimum healing there is always less elasticity in a previously injured tendon. The trick is to make sure you heal this the best you can, that way your chance of re-injury down the road is much lower than average - which is well over 50%.

Treatments

MendMeShop Therapeutic Ultrasound

Reduce Scar Tissue and Heal

Along with our Freezie Wraps, your injured tendon can be further helped with the use of ultrasound over the affected area, reducing swelling quickly and increasing blood flow to the area.

The trick to any tendon injury is getting it to heal with minimal scar tissue formation and with as much realignment of tendon fibers as possible - something the Inferno Wrap™ and Ultrasound are great at!

Even with optimum healing, there is always less elasticity in a previously injured tendon. The trick is to make sure you heal the best you can - that way your chance of re-injury is much lower than average.

Therapeutic combos from MendMeShop provide you with the tools necessary to relieve the pain of tendonitis and dramatically speed healing.

A tendonitis injury is a race against time. The faster and more efficiently you heal your tendons, the less chance there is for re-injury.

The tendons are tough dense tissues that normally receive very little blood flow. This is largely why tendon injuries take so long to heal. When using and Inferno Wrap™ or ultrasound, the energy waves stimulate blood flow, which speeds up healing and clears away the inflammation causing the pain.

Ultrasound therapy is also a helpful tool for pain prevention of an injured ankle, and having a portable ultrasound device at home can be a powerful and convenient treatment tool.

If you have symptoms or are recovering from an injured achilles tendon, using ultrasound on a regular basis before your activity or throughout the day will help relax your muscles, tendons and tissues, diminish pain and inflammation, soften scar tissue and contribute greatly to healing!

Ultrasound waves stimulate blood flow to speed healing and clear away the inflammation causing the pain. As well, our medicated gel delivers additional pain relieving and anti-inflammatory ingredients directly into the ankle, providing even more relief.

Deep Tissue Therapeutic Inferno Wraps

Innovative Blood Flow Stimulation Therapy (BFST)

During normal use, activity promotes blood flow through our body. Our body responds to the activity by sending oxygen and nutrient-rich blood to the tissue.

When we are at rest, the blood flow to your ankle is greatly reduced. But, when your ankle is injured, it really needs the blood flow to promote the healing process. Since you can't work your ankle without danger of further injury, you need to stimulate the blood flow another way.

Our innovative Inferno Wraps give you the best Blood Flow Stimulation Therapy available. Inferno creates special energy waves that stimulate blood flow by penetrating through the outer layers of your ankle. The energy waves reach deep into your muscles, tendons and cartilage, reducing your pain as they heal the inner tissue.

The Inferno Wrap is revolutionary. It's soft flexible design molds itself to the contours of your body, providing you with a perfectly fitted, easy-to-use Blood Flow Stimulation Therapy tool.

You have to try one to appreciate the ease and comfort. The Inferno Ankle Wrap is made of durable, medical-grade neoprene. It stays in place, is flexible and contours to the shape of your foot.

The strategically placed pocket holds the Energy Web™ component around your injury and focuses the soothing and healing energy waves where you need it, at your damaged tissue.

An Inferno Ankle Wrap gives you unparalleled blood flow stimulation energy. You simply won't find a comparable product on the market. Other therapy products can not come close to offering the comfortable, contoured fit and targeted energy treatment an Inferno Wrap provides.

You will feel a soothing, deep penetrating warmth as your Inferno Wrap works to stimulate your blood flow, we guarantee it. As your ankle heals, this sensation lessens so you know it's working! You can really feel the difference as you heal.

Now you can reduce your pain and heal your ankle anywhere with the comfortable, light weight Inferno Ankle Wrap.

Inferno Wraps are perfectly safe, natural, and very effective. In fact, when there are concerns over safety that may restrict the use of ultrasound, an Inferno Wrap is often still a viable solution.

While the active Energy Web™ stimulates blood flow, the snug, formed neoprene wrap provides gentle pressure to control inflammation while supporting your injured ankle.

Your ankle feels warm and comfortable throughout the treatment. The unit is light weight and portable with a plug in adapter that you can use at home, at work, or anywhere.

Like everything we sell, our Inferno Wraps are the best quality products you will find anywhere. And like all our products, we guarantee our Inferno Wraps with our 60 day money back guarantee.

If for any reason you're not happy with any product you purchase in our shop, you can send it back for a full refund.

Remember, a common mistake is that once we start feeling a little better, we often forget that our ankle and tendons may still be injured or weak. This time in particular is when almost everyone stops going to therapy and stops nurturing their still injured ankle.

With Inferno Wraps or MendMeShop ultrasound, even after the pain is gone, you can continue to treat your achilles injury and complete the healing process.

Freezie Wrap™ Advanced Cold Compression Therapy

Control Your Pain and Swelling Naturally

When an injury occurs, applying a Freezie Wrap for advanced cold compression therapy reduces the initial inflammation, which is key to pain relief and healing.

After the initial stages of swelling have been controlled, it is beneficial to apply Blood Flow Stimulation Therapy (BFST) to the area. BFST promotes blood flow, which will flush the the cellular waste from the injured tissues, while providing nutrients to the torn tissues.

Our Freezie Wraps and Inferno Wraps are state of the art! The high quality plush neoprene design allows for a tighter and more comfortable fit for optimized compression therapy.

It is designed specifically to mold to the unique curvatures of the foot and ankle to deliver targeted relief and even energy waves or cold.

The flexible, removable gel packs in the Freezie Wraps enable you to position the cold exactly where you want it.

Unlike other wraps on the market, the stay-soft gel conforms to your achilles. When pressure is applied, this specifically formulated, non-toxic gel will not migrate away from the injured site, which is a common issue with gel packs. Put simply, when you apply the wrap to your body, the gel is forced to stay in place - over your injured area. There is nothing else available like it!

Our Freezie Wraps for Cold Compression Therapy fit properly for convenient use at home, the office or on the court or field.

Healing completely is critical to avoid re-injury. Who wants to have chronic pain? No one wants to go through surgery. So treat your tendons completely and avoid these terrible outcomes.

Or email us at service@MendMeShop.com