Category: Health

Hamstring Injury

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Better Healing in Less Time

The hamstrings are a group of three tendons that run down the back of the thigh to attach the thigh muscle to the bone and help you bend your leg at the knee. 

They are very strong bands of tissue, so injuries to this area can be painful enough to not only halt your athletic training but also make standing, walking, and straightening the leg uncomfortable and difficult.  This type of injury is very common among athletes of all types and generally occurs when running, jumping, or performing explosive activities that require bending the knee. And once you’ve done it, it’s more likely to happen again. 

Sudden starts and stops, sprinting and lunging can overstretch or otherwise damage tissues leading to injuries that range in severity from a pull or strain to a partial or complete tear.

There are a number of reasons a person might suffer from a hamstring strain including failure to warm up properly before activity and poor overall flexibility.  Regularly stretching and strengthening muscles before and after training, and even on rest days, reduces the risk of this type of injury. 

Muscle imbalances are another common factor contributing to the likelihood of hamstring injuries. To work most efficiently, the hamstrings must work in partnership with the quadricep and glute muscles. When quad and glute strength don’t match what’s going on in the back of the leg, hamstrings can become overloaded and fail under the stress. 

Worse still, after an injury to this area, the hamstrings tend to protectively constrict, becoming tighter and furthering inhibiting movement, making active recovery difficult to do on your own. 

Sports chiropractic care can help in both the prevention and rehabilitation of hamstring injuries. Through specific strengthening and stretching exercises, the hamstrings can be better prepared for the regular stress of training. In addition, sports massage can break up constrictions in inflamed tissues so they are more pliable and have better mobility. Flexibility and range of motion are both enhanced after myofascial release and other soft tissue work because the muscles are more relaxed and blood flow to the area is increased. 

At Dynamic Sports Medicine we can evaluate your body mechanics for full functionality in movement and ensure balance in major muscle groups. If your quads are too strong or your glutes too weak in relation to the condition of your hamstrings, we can offer specific strength work to balance you out. 

Don’t let a hamstring injury keep you out of your game. Sports chiropractic care during rehab can lead to better and faster recovery outcomes. 

Contact Dynamic Sports Medicine today.

Quad Strain? Dynamic Sports Medicine Can Help!

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The quadriceps are a large group of four muscles on the top of the thigh that are heavily called upon to perform almost any athletic activity, from running and cycling to team sports. A quad strain or other injury to the area can seriously interfere with your training program, especially if not rehabbed properly because it can lengthen healing time and increase your risk for re-injury.

While recovery modalities will vary depending on the type and severity of the injury, sports chiropractic care can be a key component of a quad strain rehab program leading to more complete healing and better overall function post-injury.  

Ice/Rest 

Whether you have pain, bruising and localized swelling from a hit or other impact to the muscle, or an acute strain that occurred during activity, ice is always the first line of treatment.  A cold compress/ice applied to damaged tissues reduces inflammation in the area and helps numb the pain. Ice should be applied off and on for the first 24-48 hours. 

Stretch

After this initial resting/icing phase, it’s important to return regular motion to the quadricep muscles through gentle stretching and use. Otherwise, scar tissue will begin to form around the injury and muscle fibers can shrink.  When you go to stretch them at a later date, the now-shortened muscles have a greater risk of re-injury.

A good way to stretch the quads is to stand on the uninjured leg facing a wall, chair, or railing and use the same-side hand for support.  Grab the foot on the injured leg from behind and gently pull it back against the hamstring until you feel a slight stretch in the quadriceps.  

Don’t overstretch the strain, especially at first. The goal is to maintain length in the muscle while not further damaging tissues. Hold this position for several seconds and then gently release.  Repeat throughout the day. 

This stretch can also be done lying on the stomach if preferred. If you can’t easily access the foot for some reason, a friend or training partner can gently push the foot inward toward the glutes. 

Sports Massage

Once the initial swelling has gone down, chiropractic sports massage and soft tissue adjustments can help reduce scar tissue formation in the affected area and keep muscles pliable throughout recovery. It increases blood flow to the area which not only encourages faster healing but helps with pain relief.  With the active release technique used by sports chiropractors, we can manually break up adhesions surrounding the injured tissue to assist in full mobility. 

Strengthen

Along with guided stretching and soft tissue manipulation, it is important to begin strengthening the injured area as soon as it is ready.  Depending on the individual injury, we may recommend strengthening and stability exercises like squats, modified lunges, and stationary cycling to fully rehab quad injuries. 

With proper post-injury care and sports chiropractic rehabilitation, your quad strain will heal more quickly and completely. 

At Dynamic Sports Medicine, we specialize in helping athletes of all kinds fully recover from injury and safely return to training. 

Chiropractic Care for Back-to-School Stress

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Back-to-school season is bound to be stressful for many. Normal school-related stressors like having and making friends, handling coursework, and functioning on, what is often not enough sleep, is only compounded when added to Covid-related anxieties like wearing masks, social distancing from classmates, and the threat of quarantine. 

Add all of that to the physical stress of carrying heavy backpacks, sitting in non-ergonomic chairs for hours at a time, and before/after-school sports activities, and you have a perfect, stressful storm. Over time, this stress can actually lower the immune response, making you more susceptible to illness and disease including Covid 19. 

Chiropractic care can address both mental and physical stress associated with the start of a new school year. Not only can chiropractic treatments relieve uncomfortable physical symptoms like muscle tension and tightness and lower back and neck pain, it can induce feelings of relaxation and calm.

Fight or Flight

When stressed, the body initiates a protective physiological reaction known as the fight-or-flight response in which a rush of hormones and emotions flood the body in an effort to prepare it for necessary action. Some people are hypersensitive to this response and maintain high levels even after the actual triggering event has passed. This sustained state of heightened awareness can leave students and teachers alike not only with the physical manifestations of stress, such as stomach issues and headaches but also with a tendency to focus on the negative nature of the event. 

In addition, these stressful situations result in muscles tensing and contracting, often to the point of constriction, and that can create enough pressure on bones, nerves, and organs to cause misalignments. 

Chiropractic care is great at soothing the nervous system and reducing the effects of the fight-or-flight response. Massage therapy and other relaxation-related chiropractic treatments relieve muscle tension and activate the parasympathetic nervous system — the rest-and-repair response — to calm the mind and body. 

When done regularly, these treatments can provide a mental reset. 

Postural Stress

Heavy backpacks and constantly looking down at phones and other devices takes a toll on posture, as evidenced by all the students we see with rounded shoulders and heads jutting forward. Carrying stress in the neck and shoulder area, which is common, exacerbates this hunched-over posture resulting in the body being thrown off balance. The skeletal system compensates for lack of balance by adding pressure on the lower back. Over time, this unnatural postural position compresses the rib cage, which not only decreases the amount of oxygen going in and out but leads to skeletal misalignment. 

For students involved in athletic training, the physical toll on alignment is even worse.

Chiropractic rib and spinal adjustments can relieve pressure, tension, and compression that impairs functionality and mobility. By making body and limb movements more natural, everything from daily activities to athletic performance is more comfortable. Ensuring proper alignment drastically improves nerve communication for better overall body function, including an increased immune response.  

Chiropractic Care for Stress

Incorporating chiropractic care into your back-to-school routine can help you manage both mental and physical stress. Through proper body alignment, relaxation techniques, and foundational nutrition and supplementation support, optimal body functionality can be achieved for a healthier, more energetic, and less stressful school experience. 

Call Dynamic Sports Medicine today to see how we can help you manage back-to-school stress. 

That Pain In Your Neck Could Be Tech Neck

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Chiropractic Exercises that Help

While chiropractic is an age-old medical practice, it is an ideal solution for a painful, modern day problem: tech neck.

This is the name for the uniquely compromised posture that results from being hunched over some kind of screen or smart device all day. The combination of the chin jutting down and forward and the shoulders rounding over when using computers, tablets, and smart phones adds an extra 50 pounds of pressure to the bones and muscles of the neck and shoulders! That’s a lot of weight for a structure only designed to support 10-12 pounds.  Understandably, this leads to neck and spine misalignments that cause pain, strain and other problems. 

Signs that you may be suffering from tech neck include pain, tenderness, tingling and/or numbness in the neck, shoulders and upper back area. Muscle stiffness and more frequent headaches are other symptoms that interfere with everyday activities like working, socializing and athletic training. 

Sports chiropractic can be used to address tech neck and other painful conditions that result from — and lead to — incorrect posture. Through gentle and regular adjustments, a sports chiropractor can ensure proper alignment to help correct posture and relieve muscle tension. 

When the spine, neck and head are all in alignment the entire body is properly supported and better able to perform optimally. 

In addition, there are things you can take to relieve the tension placed on your neck when using smart devices. By holding the phone up more in line with your face/eyes and placing your laptop on a table or other similar height surface (instead of your lap) you avoid the uncomfortable, downward angle of your chin that leads to hunching over.  Through chiropractic you can learn how to self adjust your posture when necessary, as well as learn and perform certain exercises designed to reduce the tension that leads to muscular constrictions and further misalignments. Doing them throughout the day can offer long-term relief from neck pain. 

The following yoga-based exercises are safe and easy to do at home. 

Floor Cobra

Lay down on your stomach facing the floor with your legs stretched out behind you and your hands positioned under your shoulders. Keeping your neck in line with your spine, chin only slightly tucked, slowly lift up your arms and torso off the ground, while squeezing your shoulder blades together and keeping the palms even with the shoulders. Slowly lower back down. Repeat 10 times. If possible, lift your legs at the same time for an all-over spinal strengthening stretch.

Floor Cobra with Arms Outstretched

The set up and function of this stretching exercise is similar to the first, only the arms are outstretched behind you at a slight angle from the body with the palms facing the floor. 

Keeping your chin slightly tucked, lift your legs and torso off the ground. Glutes should be engaged and shoulder blades squeezed together. Repeat 10 times. 

Side Neck Stretch

Sit straight up with legs criss-crossed in front of you (criss cross applesauce for those of you with small children!)

Gently aim your right ear towards the right shoulder until you feel a stretch. Take your right hand across your head to your left ear and ever so slightly pull to elongate the neck muscles. To further enhance the stretch, raise your left arm about six inches off the ground and flex your fingers toward the sky. Hold 10-15 seconds and repeat on the other side. 

Shoulder Rolls

Sitting up straight in the same criss-crossed position place your hands on  your knees and shrug your shoulders up close to your ears. Follow by lowering shoulders to the point that you feel the elongation in the neck. Repeat the exercise by rolling shoulders forward when you shrug them them, and back ward when you lower them. Repeat as many times as feels good 

Cat/Cow

Cat and Cow can be done on hands and knees or in the criss-crossed position about with hands on the knees. Roll shoulders all the way forward and tuck your chin to the chest. You should feel an opening between the shoulder blades.  Next, slowly press the chest out and forward while looking up toward the sky to provide a full expansion of the chest muscles and release tension in the neck. Repeat several times. 

At Dynamic Sports Medicine we are happy to evaluate neck and shoulder pain from tech neck or other misalignment problems. Give us a call today.  

Pain During Swimming? Chiropractic Care Can Help

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Swimming is one of the most beneficial ways to exercise because it is a full-body exercise that combines aerobics, strengthening, and conditioning in a low-impact way. 

Whether taking gentle laps in a pool or lake, or trying to beat your own (or someone else’s) personal best, swimming boosts cardiovascular health, increases flexibility, and improves strength by utilizing almost every muscle group, including those in the arms, legs, back, glutes, and core.

But just because swimming is low impact, doesn’t mean there is no risk for injury. 

In sports chiropractic, we routinely see swimmers for shoulder, neck, and back pain, among others, due to skeletal misalignments, muscle imbalances, lack of flexibility, and repetitive motion. 

Swimmer’s Shoulder

The repetitive overhead arm motion of many swim strokes means that some of the most common swimming injuries are to the shoulder. 

Swimmer’s shoulder is generally the result of tissue damage that occurs over time and can present in a variety of ways, including irritation and inflammation, cartilage tears, bursitis, bicep tendonitis, and injuries to the rotator cuff. Because shoulder injuries often mean there is pain when the arm is raised, water workouts are sometimes painful or avoided altogether. 

Neck & Back Pain

A perfectly executed swim stroke is beautiful to watch, but the mechanics of the individual strokes can eventually cause significant strain to the neck and back. Keeping the head too far above water during breaststroke, or even simply twisting to breath during freestyle can result in strain, misalignments, and even disc and nerve damage.

Achieving and maintaining proper alignment is not only helpful in relieving pain, but it can also improve efficiency and speed in the water. 

Lower Body

Swimming injuries are not limited to the upper body. In fact, we often see swimmers for pain in the hips and knees, usually resulting from their breaststroke technique. The outward position of the knees and feet involved in the frog-like kick of this stroke puts a huge amount of stress on the inner knee, which can strain the ligaments of the knee and cause swelling and pain. 

Anterior hip pain can result from tight or overloaded hip flexors, which are not only involved in hip joint flexibility, but also in the movement of the lower spine and knee. When these muscles are constricted, a swimmer can experience decreased performance, as well as pain during and after swimming. 

Chiropractic Care for Swimmers

As in most other sports, swimmers can greatly benefit from chiropractic care. At Dynamic Sports Medicine we are experienced in assessing a swimmer’s body mechanics to identify poor muscle activation patterns and areas of weakness that might be affecting technique and performance. We will work with you to not only strengthen and increase flexibility in areas most prone to injuries, such as the shoulder, back, and neck, but improve stability and strength in the rest of the body as well, including hips, quadriceps, and core. 

Incorporating a variety of treatment modalities, including spinal and limb adjustments, myofascial release, and dry needling to name but a few, we will design a personalized strengthening and rehabilitative program to keep you injury-free and improve your performance and joy in the water — whether competitive or recreational. 

Here at Dynamic Sports Medicine, our very own Dr. Matt Lowe has been selected to serve as the team chiropractor for USA Swimming in this year’s Olympics. He has served in a similar role for Team USA at a variety of competitions including the 2017 and 2019 World Championships. Dr. Lowe continues to serve as the team chiropractor for the University of Texas men’s swimming and diving squad who just won their 15th NCAA national title in March. To learn more about Dr. Matt and his love for swimming, check out our In the Media page here.

Whatever the sport, when the spine is aligned, flexibility is improved, and the soft tissues are supple and unrestricted, injuries are less likely to occur. Regular chiropractic adjustments and fascial manipulation can keep you in peak physical condition to avoid many common swimming injuries.  If you’re already experiencing pain during your favorite stroke, chiropractic rehab can get you back in the water doing what you love.

Contact Dynamic Sports Medicine today!

Sports Chiropractic for Swimmer’s Shoulder

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Swimming is an extremely beneficial form of exercise because it is a full body workout with low impact to the body.

Swimming boosts cardiovascular health, increases flexibility, and improves strength by utilizing almost every available muscle group, including those in the arms, legs, back, glutes and core.

But even though swimming is a low-impact sport, there is still risk for injury. In fact, at Dynamic Sports Medicine, we routinely treat swimmer’s shoulder — a broad term for a variety of shoulder injuries that occur in swimmers.

Swimmer’s Shoulder

Over time, the repetitive overhead arm motion of many swim strokes can cause strain that results in tissue damage in and around the shoulder area.This leads to irritation and inflammation, cartilage tears, bursitis, bicep tendonitis, rotator cuff impingement and rotator cuff tears. Because shoulder injuries often mean there is pain when the arm is raised, water workouts can become too painful to continue.

Chiropractic Care for Swimmers

As in most other sports, swimmers can greatly benefit from sports chiropractic care.

We incorporate a variety of treatment modalities, including spinal and limb adjustments, myofascial release, and dry needling, among others, to design a personalized strengthening and rehabilitative program to heal existing injury and prevent future occurrences.

In addition, when done regularly and properly, there are specific stretches for swimmer’s shoulder shoulder that are designed to strengthen and stabilize the shoulder joint and speed up your return to the water. Here are a few to get you started:

Thread The Needle

This calming yoga pose is great for opening the shoulders and chest and improving spinal mobility.Start on your hands and knees in a table top position.Open up your chest by reaching your right hand up toward the sky and allowing your gaze to follow.Bend your arm as you bring it back down, and guide it under your abdomen and through to the opposite side in a straight arm position. Allow your right arm, shoulder, and ear to rest on the mat. If accessible to you, stretch your left hand up overhead. Hold the position.Repeat on the other side.

Child’s Pose

Another calming yoga position involves sitting on the heels while bending forward over your knees. Heels should be together and knees apart slightly wider than hip width (unless you’re naturally flexible, then you can spread your knees wider apart.) Passive child’s pose involves letting the arms drape behind your along the sides of your legs. Active child’s pose calls for you to reach both arms out overhead, resting, but reaching, outward on the ground.This opens up the shoulder blades and tops of the arms.

Cross Arm Stretch

Part One: Stand with your feet hip width apart. (This can be done sitting as well) with your chin up and shoulders back.Reach your right arm up overhead and then bend the armbehind the head so that your fingers reach toward the left shoulder blade. Your right bicep will be by your right ear. With your opposite arm, gently reach over and tug the right elbow toward the right ear for a soft stretch. Hold.

Part Two: Release the grip of your elbow, straighten the right arm and direct it straight out in front of you. Use the left hand to gently stretch your straight right arm across the chest.Hold the position.

Repeat on the left side.

Proper stretching and conditioning, along with sports chiropractic care can keep you in peak physical condition to avoid many common swimming injuries. If you’re already experiencing pain during your favorite stroke, chiropractic rehab can get you back in the water doing what you love.

Contact Dynamic Sports Medicine today!

Runner’s Knee Stretches To Help You Heal

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Multiple bones, muscles, ligaments, and tendons join together at the knee, making it one of the largest and most complicated joints in the body. That’s why isolating the root cause of knee pain can take a little trial and error. However, sports chiropractors are uniquely qualified to determine the problem and address it. 

One of the most common causes of knee pain is what we call “Runner’s Knee,” a condition resulting from overuse or injury that damages the cartilage under the knee cap. 

Runner’s knee can present with a variety of symptoms making each case a little different. The primary symptom involves pain that occurs or worsens during activity — and not just athletic training. Climbing stairs, bending at the knee (squatting,) or sitting cross-legged can also be painful. You may also have stiffness or swelling around the knee joint, and/or experience a clicking/popping sensation when you move or bend your knee. 

Because it’s such a major joint, knee injuries generally involve at least some rest from training, but scheduling or continuing sports chiropractic care during this time can speed up the healing process and maintain your condition for your return to your normal routine.

Because symptoms of runner’s knee can vary from patient to patient, so might the sports chiropractic therapies we recommend.  Potential ways to address runner’s knee include gentle adjustments to the knee and spine, myofascial release, hot and/or cold therapy, and targeted strengthening exercises, among others. 

Runner’s knee stretches can also be helpful.  These stretches tend to focus on increasing strength and mobility in the muscles that attach to and surround the knee, including the hamstrings, glutes, quads, and hip flexors.

Hamstring Stretch

Lying on your back extend one leg straight out in front of you and the other toward the ceiling. The raised leg can be slightly bent. Gently grab behind the knee and pull the leg toward the face until you feel a stretch down the back of the leg.  Hold for several seconds and release.  Repeat. Switch legs. 

Quad/Hip Flexor Stretch

Lying on your back extend one leg straight out in front of you and the other bent at a 90-degree angle.  Slowly raise the straight leg up toward the ceiling and return it to the ground. Repeat 10-15 times for two to three sets. Switch legs. 

Glute/Hamstring Bridge

Lying on your back with legs bent and feet hip-width apart, push your feet into the ground as you lift your body into a bridge pose. Extend one leg straight out in front of you and raise and lower your body to the mat 10 times.  Repeat on the other side. 

Runner’s knee stretches and other physiotherapy can reduce pain and help restore full functionality to the knee. When sports chiropractic therapies are used in combination, it is possible for the knee to heal from injury stronger than it was before.

If you are experiencing knee pain or have any of the symptoms of runner’s knee, contact Dynamic Sports Medicine today for an evaluation. We can help determine the root cause of the pain, speed up the recovery process, and reduce your risk of future injury. 

Pain During Exercise: What Your Body Is Telling You

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Often in our effort to remain physically active, we get used to ignoring the pain resulting from previous exertions. We pound the pavement to jog when our muscles are already fatigued or hit the gym, barre or cycle studio to work through the soreness from classes earlier in the week.

And this isn’t always bad. If we didn’t exercise every time we didn’t really feel like it, we’d never make progress towards our fitness goals.

The idea is to push your body to its limit without going beyond it and to do that, you must listen to what it’s trying to tell you. 

The Art of Listening to Your Body

But what does listening to your body really mean? There’s a definite difference  — and often a fine line — between the pain of normal muscle soreness and that from a potential or existing sports injury.

Muscle soreness, which can be severe when first starting an exercise program, running or cycling on new terrain, or increasing the weight lifted, lessens and goes away until the limit is pushed again.  A sharp or recurring pain, especially if it’s persistent and interferes with activity, should be handled with care.

Seek Early Care for Sports Injuries

Exercising through a minor sports injury can exacerbate the issue resulting in major pain and injuries down the line. In addition, pain during activity may cause you to alter the way you exercise, putting improper stress on other areas of the body and leading to compensation injuries. What starts out as a sore ankle can lead to problems in the knee, hip, or lower back; soreness down the arm can contribute to injuries in the shoulder, upper back, and neck.

Instead of treating mild pain as a mere annoyance that must be worked through, it is wiser to seek immediate medical attention from a chiropractor specializing in the treatment of sports injuries. Early intervention can prevent your strain or sprain from leading to a tear or fracture, and improve mobility and range of motion for proper and complete healing. Seeking treatment sooner rather than later likely means your injury is more easily treatable, and that you’ll be sidelined from activity for less time. 

Seeking physical fitness is always a good thing, but continuing physical activity when you’re injured is not. Sharp, chronic, and/or persistent pain is a sign your body is trying to send you a message. Don’t ignore it.

Exercises & Stretches For Achilles Tendonitis

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Sports chiropractic therapies, including specific stretches and exercises for achilles tendonitis, can dramatically help with ankle and leg pain associated with the condition. 

Achilles tendonitis is a soft tissue injury that occurs when the tendon that runs from the calf muscles to the top of the heel becomes inflamed and restricts the range of motion. It is often the result of intense physical training, repetitive motion, or improper footwear. The tighter the tendon and more restricted the movement, the more painful the condition tends to be.

Pain is particularly noticeable when the muscles are cold, making the beginning of a workout especially uncomfortable. Performing the following exercises and stretches prior to training can help prepare tendons and muscles for exertion and reduce or prevent pain from achilles tendonitis. 

Runner’s Stretch

Stand with your feet hip-width apart facing a wall.  With your hands at eye level against a wall, step back with the affected foot and press the heel down toward the ground. Lean into the wall until you feel a good, but gentle, stretch up the back of the heel and calf.  Hold for 30 seconds and release. Repeat.  

Stair Stretch

Stand with the toes of your affected foot on a stair step (or curb) with the heel hanging off.  Your other foot should be on the ground to help with balance.  Gently drop your heel below the step to angle the toes up until you feel a slight stretch in the affected area. Hold the stretched position before releasing. 

Seated/Standing Heel Raise Stretch

The stretch can be done standing or seated on the edge of a chair, bench or bed with feet hip-width apart on the ground.  Slowly lift the heels high while gently keeping toes pressed to the ground.  Hold several seconds before releasing. If standing, you may wish to hold on to a wall or stair rail for better balance. 

Resistance Band/Tube

Sitting on the floor with your legs stretched out in front of you (a slight bend is ok!) wrap a resistance band or tube around the ball of your foot under your toes.  Gently pull the band toward you to flex the toes/foot.  Hold before releasing. 

All of these stretches target the heel area where the pain from achilles tendonitis is most felt. They are designed to improve mobility by loosening up the tendon while at the same time strengthening the heel and calf muscles.  If you feel the stretch or pain somewhere else, it is possible you are performing the stretches incorrectly or you have another issue.  Proper form and gentle stretching is vital to recovery.

Sports chiropractors specialize in body mechanics and movement patterns, making us uniquely qualified to guide you through recovery stretches for achilles tendonitis and many other soft tissue injuries associated with athletic training. We can assess postural deficiencies, weight distribution, and body misalignments that may be putting undue stress on the foot and ankle, and work with you to improve necessary body mechanics.

If you are experiencing heel pain due to achilles tendonitis or other sports injury, contact Dynamic Sports Medicine to begin your recovery today.

3 Tips for Dealing with Shin Splints

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Shin splints, or medial tibial stress syndrome, are a common complaint especially among new runners, those getting back to training after a break, or those significantly upping their running mileage. The bad news is, shin splints are painful. They lead to a dull, sometimes throbbing, soreness on the inner side of your shinbone and sometimes even swelling in the lower leg. The good news is, shin splints are not hard to treat, and in most cases, they don’t require a visit to the doctor.

Shin splints are a classic overuse running injury. They are caused by the pounding as you run, impacting the muscles at the shin and the connective tissue that attaches to the shinbone. When the muscles swell, they press on the bone and cause pain. If you keep running, the muscles will continue to swell, bringing the pain with it. In extreme cases, the continued pressure on the shinbone can cause cracks and even stress fractures.

But before you get to that point, here are three ways you can treat your shin splints at home:

1. Slow down

The pounding from running is what’s causing the shin splints, so you need to reduce it and give your muscles time to recover. If you’ve just started running, consider cutting back to walking your mileage, then walk-running until your legs improve. If you are a seasoned runner, scale back any recent mileage increases and allow two or three days between each run. You can keep up your fitness during this period by cross-training on a bike or in the pool. Water running is an excellent (and surprisingly challenging) way to work your running muscles without exacerbating the shin splints. You might also check your running shoes for good, running soles.

2. Ice

Ice your lower legs, not just after runs, up to eight times a day, no more than 20 minutes at a time. After several days of this, you should feel some relief.

3. Rolling your shins

Using a foam roller can help reduce inflammation and may help to alleviate shin splint pain. It can ease your throbbing legs while also working on soothing the muscles that are causing the pain. Spend about 2 minutes slowly rolling each leg on the sides and back. Start with rolling the calf first from the knee, all the way down to the ankle, and back up several times. Next, turn to roll the inside of the inner calf and side shin. Roll the outside of your calf and side shin using the same method. Last, roll the top of the shin by placing the foam roller between the ground and your shin.

If, despite taking these measures and reducing your time running, you still are suffering from shin splints, you may want to visit Dynamic Sports Medicine for myofascial release, acoustic compression therapy, or laser therapy. The doctor can assess to make sure the shinbones aren’t damaged, which is rare. With some restraint and the above home remedies, you should be back to running without pain in no time.

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