All
rest and no work ...
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Shin
splints can occur because the bones and muscles of the
legs are subjected to immense loads during running,
especially when running on hard surfaces, long distances
and down hills.
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Many
ADF members do not realise the long-awaited Christmas leave
period may be a high risk period for setting up an injury
in the New Year.
The
long-awaited rest from regular exercise can be a double-edged
sword. Fitness levels decrease within the first week of not
exercising and the physiological adaptive processes that allow
your shins to cope with the loads applied to them also begin
to diminish.
What
this means is that next year when PT comes around again, your
body, and in particular your legs, may not be prepared for
the loads applied to them. This situation can then lead to
the development of shin pain.
By
doing some regular exercise over the leave period, injury
risk in the New Year can be reduced.
What
is shin pain?
The
blanket term of "shin splints" encompasses the main
subgroups of conditions that affect the section of leg between
the knees and ankles. Common causes of shin pain include stress
fractures, compartment syndrome, chronic muscle strain, or
any irritation of the nerve or blood vessels of the lower
leg. Most of these conditions are generally avoidable through
sensible training.
Training
and overuse
The
bones and muscles of the legs are subjected to immense loads
during running, especially when running on hard surfaces,
long distances and down hills. In the normal situation the
body is able to adapt to a gradual increase in the stresses
produced by exercise. This increases muscle strength and bone
resilience.
Although
the human body has the capability to achieve the adaptations
described above, inadequate transition time may contribute
to the development of an overuse injury.
The
shins are a prime example of an area where this situation
frequently occurs. Faulty biomechanics, poorly fitting or
old footwear, increased body weight, changes in running surfaces
and rapid increases in running distances can all contribute
to an imbalance between what the shins are prepared to accept
and the stresses applied to them.
Avoiding
Injury
By
maintaining your level of fitness and exposing the body to
regular stresses you are more likely to maintain those positive
training effects and thereby minimise the risk of injury when
you return to work next year.
In
summary
The
take-home message is that you shouldn't waste all the hard
work you've put in the past year to improve your fitness and
adapt your body to physical stresses. Consider utilising cross
training to modify the normal loads of your training and keep
body weight down.
The
follow-up of maintaining your fitness over Christmas leave
should then be a graded and progressive return to exercise
in 2004. A build-up period will still be needed to return
to the fitness levels of the year, to ensure your body is
ready to accept the loads of training and reduce the risk
of developing an overuse injury.
