Tag Archive for: Headaches

Shin splints, blueberries and This Week’s Health News For You.

Mental Attitude: Remember Zinc. For over 50 years, scientists have known zinc plays a vital role in the brain but were not quite sure what that role is. Now, researchers from the Duke University Medical Center and MIT have discovered that zinc regulates the communication between neurons in the hippocampus, where learning and memory processes occur. Neuron, Aug 2011

Health Alert: Health Costs Rising! According to experts, healthcare spending will grow 6% each year through 2020. Researchers estimate that doctor visits, clinical services and prescription drugs will be the largest growth areas. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services

Diet: Where to Eat? As childhood obesity rises and the American diet shifts towards increasing consumption of foods eaten or prepared outside of the home, concerns about the nutritional quality and the total consumption of such foods are also increasing. Comparing measurements from 2006 to 1977, children now eat more calories every day (+179 kcal/day). This is associated with a major increase in calories eaten away from home (+255 kcal/day). The percentage of calories eaten away from home is now 33.9%. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, Aug 2011

Exercise: Strong Arm Diabetes. Building muscle can lower your insulin resistance risk, thus lowering your chance of developing Type-2 Diabetes. Scientists have known for a while that low muscle mass raises the risk of insulin resistance; however, no study had attempted to figure out whether increased muscle, regardless of obesity levels, might improve blood glucose control Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, July 2011

Chiropractic: Hall of Fame Help. During his playing career, NFL Hall of Fame Quarterback Joe Montana said, “I’ve been seeing a Chiropractor and he’s really been helping me a lot. Chiropractic’s a big part of my game.”

Wellness/Prevention: Blueberries And Cancer. Eating as little as a cup of blueberries every day may help prevent cell damage linked to cancer. University of Alabama at Birmingham, Sept 2011

Quote: “Nature, time and patience are three great physicians.” ~ H.G. Bohn

Active Release: Shin splints. Shin splints is a painful inflammation of the muscles of the shin, usually the Tibialis Anterior or Tibialis Posterior muscles. While the problem is felt in the shins, the source is usually the foot and ankle. When the feet are weak and the ankles are tight, your shin muscles are subjected to additional stress. While Active Release is great for correcting the affected muscles, the foot and ankle must be addressed with rehab exercises. Icing after activity helps too. If you’re dealing with shin splints, call us 303.300.0424

Why my wife deserves a medal and this week’s Health News For You…from Denver Chiropractic Center

First off, I want to congratulate my friend and triathlon coach Cody Waite for finishing 39th at the Xterra Off-Road Triathlon World Championships Sunday (10/23) in Maui. Great Job Cody! Maybe next year I’ll be there (doing ART).

And speaking of congratulations, I hope you don’t mind if I congratulate my wife and myself on our 9th wedding anniversary. Hard to believe it was 9 years ago that we were saying our I-do’s on a beach in Hawaii. Next year will be #10. Maybe that is a good excuse to go to Maui.

Here’s this week’s brand new Health News For You:

Mental Attitude: Don’t Look At Me! Depressed people tend to avoid eye contact in social situations and in

experimental settings, whereas happy people actively seek eye contact. Sad people avoiding eye contact may lead to them

shunning certain social situations. Although this may reduce anxiety caused by the situation itself, it may actually increase social isolation and deepen their already depressed mood. British Journal of Psychology, Sept 2011

Health Alert: Hospital Staff Carry MRSA Superbug. 60% of doctors’ and 65% of nurses’ uniforms carry dangerous bacteria. In a 2009 report, rates of postoperative sepsis, or bloodstream infections, increased by 8%; postoperative catheter-associated urinary tract infections increased by 3.6%; and rates of selected infections due to medical care increased by 1.6%. 1 in 5 security cards carried by hospital doctors were contaminated with a variety of pathogenic bacteria, including the superbug MRSA, which kills thousands every year. Health and Human Services Department, 2009

Diet: Ginger Extract. Whole ginger extract has promising cancer-preventing activity in prostate cancer. Ginger extract had significant effects in stopping the growth of cancer cells, and inducing cell death in a spectrum of prostate cancer cells. Animal studies revealed the extract did not show significant toxicity to normal tissues, such as bone marrow. Research showed tumor regression up to 60%. Humans would have to consume about 3 1/2 ounces of whole ginger extract a day to get the benefits. British Journal of Nutrition, Aug 2011

Exercise: Good Reasons. Exercise reduces vulnerability to various cardiac dysrhythmias (abnormal heart rhythms), improves the likelihood of survival from a myocardial infarction (heart attack), and helps overcome jet lag. Surgeon General’s Report on Physical Activity and Health, 1996

Active Release: What A Headache. “Cervical migraine is the type of headache most frequently seen in general practice and also the most frequently misinterpreted. It is usually erroneously diagnosed as classical migraine, tension headache, [or] vascular headache. Such patients have usually received an inadequate treatment and have often become neurotic and drug-dependent.” Ragnar Frykholm, Neurosurgeon, 1972 (Note: Active Release, in our experience over the last 13 years, is very effective in patients with neck-related headaches.)

Wellness/Prevention: Fish Oil For A Healthy Mind. Researchers found positive associations between fish oil supplements and cognitive function, as well as differences in brain structure between users and non-users of fish oil supplements. The findings suggest possible benefits of fish oil supplements on brain health and aging.

International Conference on Alzheimer’s Disease

Quote: “A pessimist is one who makes difficulties of his opportunities and an optimist is one who makes opportunities of his difficulties.” ~ Harry S. Truman

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and Ergonomics

The word, “Ergonomics” is thrown around a lot when it comes to Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS). The term ergonomics comes from the Greek ergon, meaning “work”, and nomos, meaning “natural laws.” By definition, ergonomics means, “…the study of efficiency in working environments.” Wikipedia describes it as, “…the study of designing equipment and devices that fit the human body, and its cognitive abilities.” The International Ergonomics Association offers this definition: “Ergonomics (or human factors) is the scientific discipline concerned with the understanding of interactions among humans and other elements of a system, and the profession that applies theory, principles, data and methods to design in order to optimize human well-being and overall system performance.”

The study of ergonomics is not new as it dates back to Ancient Greece with substantial evidence that, in the 5th century BC, ergonomic principles were applied to tool design, jobs and workplaces. Examples include Hippocrates giving surgeons recommendations on how to arrange their table and tools during surgery.

Some ergonomic concepts you can employ on a daily basis include:

  1. Take frequent breaks, every half-hour if possible, but at least every 60 to 90 minutes. Get up, stretch and walk around. If nothing else, perform stretches while sitting in your work chair.
  2. Maintain “good posture” (tuck in the chin and hold the retracted position).
  3. Evaluate your workstation: proper sitting position, how you hold the phone, keyboard/monitor positions, type & position of the mouse, reaching requirements, avoid twist/bending the wrists.
  4. When grasping/gripping, use the whole hand – not just the fingers or thumb tips alone.
  5. Keep cutting instruments sharp (scissors, knives, etc.) and maintain locks on hinged knives.
  6. Consider modifications if tools are too heavy, buttons too high, too much required force, etc.
  7. Stay in shape as obesity is a risk factor for carpal tunnel syndrome.
  8. Rotate job tasks rather than continuing with one task until finished (less repetition)!
  9. Communicate with your supervisor and HRO person about improving the workplace.

At Denver Chiropractic Center, we’ve been treating Carpal Tunnel Syndrome with Active Release Techniques since the year 2000. By releasing scar tissue in the muscles around the nerve, we can often get rid of this debilitating condition. Our success rate is around 90%, with no side effects. If you’re considering Carpal Tunnel Syndrome surgery, we urge you to give us a try.

We realize you have a choice in who you consider for your health care provision and we sincerely appreciate your trust in choosing Active Release Techniques at Denver Chiropractic Center or those needs.  If you, a friend or family member require care for CTS, please call us today at 303,300,0424

What Denver Chiropractic Center’s doctors do to workout in the winter & This week’s health news for you…

WEEKLY HEALTH UPDATE

Week of: Monday,  October 17, 2011

Courtesy of: Denver Chiropractic Center

Now that everyone on our staff is done with races for the year, it’s time to focus on winter conditioning (despite the fact that it’s 76 degrees out as I write this).

For Dr. Hyman, it’s a mix of P90X and Kettlebells. For Dr. May, it’s Kick boxing. Dr. Stripling is a Cross Fit guy and just got his Kettlebell Certification, so you can bet he’ll be swinging some Russian Iron around this winter. Who knows, you may even see us show up for some snowshoe races (really).

If you have any questions about your off-season or winter-season exercise program, we’d be happy to answer. Dr. Hyman and Dr. May are both Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialists, and as noted above Dr. Stripling is a certified kettlebell expert. So ask away!

Without further delay, here’s this week’s Health News For You…

Mental Attitude: Don’t Worry Be Happy. The more you stay positive and happy in life, the better chance you have of avoiding a stroke. Optimistic people have a healthier immune system, faster wound healing, and a lower risk of heart disease. So don’t worry, be happy. Journal of The American Stroke Association and The Mayo Clinic, Aug 2011

Diet: Prune Power? In the US, 8 million women have osteoporosis because of the sudden cessation of ovarian hormone production at the onset of menopause. In the first 5-7 postmenopausal years, women are at risk of losing bone at a rate of 3-5% per year. In a study, the group of women who consumed dried plums had significantly higher bone mineral density in comparison with the group of women who ate dried apples. This was due, in part, to the ability of dried plums to suppress the rate of bone resorption, or the breakdown of bone, which tends to exceed the rate of new bone growth as people age. British Journal of Nutrition, Aug 2011

Exercise: Good Reasons. Exercise reduces your anxiety level, helps control blood pressure in people with hypertension, and protects against “creeping obesity” (the slow, but steady weight gain that occurs as you age). Surgeon General’s Report on Physical Activity and Health, 1996

Chiropractic: Happy Patients! In this study, the average intake pain rating of patients cared for by Doctors of Chiropractic was 6.2 of 10, and the average discharge score was 1.9 of 10. 95% of the patients rated their care as “excellent.” Journal of Manipulative Physiological Therapeutics, Feb 2011

Wellness/Prevention: Ancient Bugs. When they were developed less than a century ago, scientists were surprised at how fast bacteria developed resistance to antibiotic drugs. Recently, researchers discovered antibiotic resistant genes in bacteria recovered from 30,000-year-old permafrost. This shows antibiotic resistance is a natural phenomenon predating the modern clinical antibiotic use. Nature, Sept 2011

Quote: “Anything that won’t sell, I don’t want to invent. Its sale is proof of utility, and utility is success.”

~ Thomas A. Edison

Active Release Techniques: Pain Between the Shoulder Blades. One of the most common complaint that new patients bring to Denver Chiropractic Center is pain between the shoulder blades. This is almost always caused by poor posture. Chronically tight muscles start to build scar tissue and become painful. Using Active Release, adjusting , and corrective exercises we can break up the scar tissue and help you correct your posture. If you have pain between your shoulder blades, give us a call at 303.300.0424.

Yes, Denver Chiropractic Center treats whiplash cases with Active Release Techniques- when getting better faster matters to you…

Whiplash Facts

In whiplash research, many articles have been published that conflict or contradict each other. The goal of this blog post is to report the “facts” about whiplash.

  • It is more common to have a delay in the onset of whiplash symptoms. Symptoms may start about two hours after the initial injury or it may take days, weeks, or months before you feel anything.
  • For whiplash caused by car accidents, the severity depends on the force of the impact, the way you were seated in your car, and if you were properly restrained using a shoulder and seat belt.
  • Tests show the soft tissues in your neck sustain injury at a threshold of 5 mph. That means if you’re rear-ended at 5 mph or slower, you have a lower chance of getting whiplash. However, most rear-end car accidents happen at speeds of 6-12 mph.
  • If you’ve been in a car accident, it’s a good idea to be evaluated even if your car didn’t get damaged and you don’t feel any pain.
  • Although whiplash is most often associated with car accidents, you can also get whiplash from sports such as snowboarding, boxing, football and gymnastics.
  • The concept of “no car damage = no injury” is COMPLETELY false. Most cars can withstand collisions of up to 10 MPH and as pointed out above, only in collisions < 5 MPH are you less likely to be injured. Collisions that occur between 6-12 MPH cause the highest percentage of whiplash injuries (which is below the threshold of car damage in most cases). Also, the energy of the impact is transferred to the contents inside the car when there is no vehicular damage (that means you).
  • Mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI) can occur in motor vehicle collisions even if the head does not hit an object inside the car, although it’s more common when there is a head strike. The symptoms associated with MTBI are often referred to as “Post Concussive Syndrome.”
  • Approximately 10% of whiplash injured patients become totally disabled.
  • Of the studies published since 1995, over 60% of whiplash patients required long-term medical care.
  • Risk factors for long-term symptoms associated with WAD include: rear impacts, loss of the cervical lordosis curve, pre-existing degenerative arthritis, use of seat belts & shoulder harness (low speed impacts only), poor head restraint position or shape, non-awareness of the impending collision, female (especially long slender neck), head rotation at impact.

We realize you have a choice in where you go for your healthcare services.  If you, a friend or family member requires care for whiplash, we sincerely appreciate the trust and confidence shown by choosing us and look forward in serving you and your family presently and, in the future. We believe that our unique combination of Active Release Techniques, adjustments, and physical therapy gets accident victims out of pain and back to their lives much more quickly that the standard approach.

Active Release Technique (ART) targets the soft tissue, which are the muscles, tendons, and ligaments that bear most of the damage in whiplash injuries. Adjustments, when used properly after soft tissue work (never without it in our office) helps make sure the spinal joints don’t stiffen up – which research shows is a precursor of arthritis. And physical therapy, when used with ART and adjustments can help restore full functional ranges of motion.

If you’ve been in a car accident, or have suffered some other whiplash injury, call us at 303.300.0424 to schedule an initial exam and start your road to recovery. We  accept Med Pay and most major insurance plans.

Low Back pain and Spondylolisthesis. How we can help you at Denver Chiropractic Center

Low back pain can arise from many conditions, one of which is a mouthful: spondylolisthesis. The term was coined in 1854 from the Greek words, “spondylo” for vertebrae and “olisthesis” for slip. These “slips” most commonly occur in the low back, 90% at L5 and 9% at L4. According to www.spinehealth.com and others, the most common type of spondylolisthesis is called “isthmic spondylolisthesis,” which is a condition that includes a defect in the back part of the vertebra in an area called the pars interarticularis, which is the part of the vertebra that connects the front half (vertebral body) to the back half (the posterior arch).

This can occur on one, or both sides, with or without a slip or shift forwards, which is then called spondylolysis. In “isthmic spondylolisthesis,” the incidence rate is about 5-7% of the general population favoring men over women 3:1. Debate continues as to whether this occurs as a result genetic predisposition verses environmental or acquired at some point early in life as noted by the increased incidence in populations such as Eskimos (30-50%), where they traditionally carry their young in papooses, vertically loading their lower spine at a very young age. However, isthmic spondylolisthesis can occur at anytime in life if a significant backward bending force occurs resulting in a fracture but reportedly, occurs most frequently between ages 6 and 16 years old.

Often, traumatic isthmic spondylolisthesis occurs during the adolescent years and in fact, is the most common cause of low back pain at this stage of life. Sports most commonly resulting in spondylolisthesis include gymnastics, football (lineman), weightlifting (from squats or dead lifts) and diving (from over arching the back). Excessive backward bending is the force that overloads the back of the vertebra resulting in the fracture sometimes referred to as a stress fracture, which is a fracture that occurs as a result of repetitive overloading over time, usually weeks to months.

If the spondylolisthesis lesions do not heal either by cartilage or by bone replacement, the front half of the vertebra can slip or slide forwards and become unstable. Fortunately, most of these heal and become stable and don’t progress. The diagnosis is a simple x-ray, but to determine the degree of stability, “stress x-rays” or x-rays taken at endpoints of bending over and backwards are needed. Sometimes, a bone scan is needed to determine if it’s a new injury verses an old isthmic spondylolisthesis.

Another very common type is called degenerative spondylolisthesis and occurs in 30% of Caucasian and 60% of African-American woman (3:1 women to men). This usually occurs at L4 and is more prevalent in aging females. It is sometimes referred to as “pseudospondylolisthesis” as it does not include defects in the posterior arch but rather, results from a degeneration of the disk and facet joints. As the disk space narrows, the vertebra slides forwards.

The problem here is that the spinal canal, where the spinal cord travels, gets crimped or distorted by the forward sliding vertebra and causes compression of the spinal nerve root(s), resulting pain and/or numbness in one or both legs. The good news about spondylolisthesis is that non-surgical approaches, like Active Release Techniques, spinal manipulation and core strengthening exercises work very well to manage sondylolisthesis. We use all three at Denver Chiropractic Center.

We realize you have a choice in who you see for your healthcare services.  If you, a friend or family member requires care for low back pain, we are here to help you. Just call us at 303.300.0424 to set up your New Patient Appointment. Or have us call you by filling out the very brief form on our website: http://www.denverback.com/contact.html

Denver Chiropractic Center’s weekly health news for you 9/26/2011- what makes us fat and active release for car accidents…

Here’s this week’s Health News For You, a weekly email newsletter from Denver Chiropractic Center. If you’d like to get these fun & interesting weekly newsletters sent to your email address, just sign up on our home page. You can unsubscribe at any time and your email will never be sold or shared.

9/26/2011 What Makes Us Fat?

After spending last Thursday through Saturday teaching for Active Release Techniques at their Lower Extremity workshop, I’m back in the office this week. For those of you wanting to get in to see me, you should know that I (Dr. Glenn Hyman) will be out next week on vacation in an undisclosed location. That’s code for ‘we haven’t really decided where yet. Nothing like leaving it to the last minute.

Dr. Jeff Stripling will be in the office to help you all next week.

Diet: What makes us fat? Excessive consumption of carbohydrates leads to excess body fat. (I used this fact to lose 17 pounds this year.) “What Makes Us Fat? And What You Can Do About It.” An extensive review of the literature from the last 100 years by Gary Taubes. Find it on amazon.com or at your local library.

Wellness/Prevention: Watch This! People who watch TV for 2 hours a day have a 20% higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes, a 15% higher risk of developing fatal or nonfatal cardiovascular disease, and a 13% greater risk of dying early from any cause. Watching TV alters energy expenditure by displacing time spent on physical activities, and is associated with unhealthy eating (more fried foods, processed meats, sugary drinks and less fruits, vegetables, whole grains). On average, Americans watch TV 5 hours a day (who the hell has time for that??? – Glenn). Journal of the American Medical Association, 2011

Health Alert: Patents About To Expire. By the end of 2012, 7 of the 20 top selling medications will lose their patent protection. $225 billions’ worth of annual global sales of drugs will go off patent by the end of 2015. FDA, August 2011 (My dad, a pharmacist, recently explained to me that drug companies increasingly are pushing to have their drugs that go off patent approved for over-the-counter sales. Remember, your health is your responsibility.)

Exercise: Good Reasons To Exercise. Exercise reduces the risk of developing hypertension (high blood pressure), increases the density and breaking strength of bones, improves your physical appearance, and increases circulating levels of HDL (good) cholesterol. Surgeon General’s Report on Physical Activity and Health, 1996

Mental Attitude: Lost And Found. A new study shows the neural networks in the brains of the middle-aged and elderly have weaker connections and fire less robustly than in the young. As people age, they tend to forget things more often, are more easily distracted and disrupted by interference, and have greater difficulty with executive functions. While these age-related deficits have been known for many years, the cellular basis for these common cognitive difficulties has not been understood. Nature, July 2011

Quote: “There has never been a better time to learn.” ~ voice on the iPad 2 commercial.

Active Release Techniques (ART): Car Accident Injuries. Did you know that treatments with Active Release Techniques can help you recover quickly from car accidents? The forces from a car accident can cause widespread injuries in your body. ART treatments help manage to the healing process by reducing scar tissue and maximizing ranges of motion. Spinal adjustments and functional rehab program adds to this healing effect. Treatment at Denver Chiropractic Center includes all of these. If you or someone you know has been in a car accident, call us today 303.300.0424, or reply to this email. In most cases insurance covers treatments in our office.

Denver Chiropractic Center presents: Health news for you, including updates on Low Back Pain and Active Release

Recent Health Research Update. Many of you told me you loved the research updates. So, here you go:

Mental Attitude: Sleep Well. People who sleep 6-9 hours per night had higher self-reported scores for quality of life and lower scores for depression severity when compared to short (<6 hours per night) and long sleepers (>9 hours per night). Researchers were surprised that both sleeping less than 6 hours and more than 9 hours was associated with a similar decrease in quality of life and increase in depressive symptoms. American Academy of Sleep Medicine, August 2011

Health Alert: Depressing Statistics. Depression can affect a person’s ability to work, their ability to form relationships, and it can also destroy their quality of life. 15% of the population from high-incomecountries (compared to 11% for low/middle-income countries) is likely to become depressed at some point in life. Women are twice as likely to suffer depression as men, and the loss of a partner, whether from death, divorce or separation, was a main contributing factor. BMC Medicine, July 2011

Diet: Breastfeed Babies. Babies fed only on breast milk up to the age of 6 months have a lower risk of developing asthma-related symptoms in early childhood. Compared to children who were breastfed for 6 months or more, children who had never received breast milk had an increased risk of wheezing, shortness of breath, dry cough and persistent phlegm in their first 4 years. European Lung Foundation, July 2011

Exercise: Muscle Mass and Type 2 Diabetes Risk. Higher muscle mass, relative to one’s body size, is closely linked to superior insulin sensitivity and a lower risk of developing pre-diabetes or full diabetes type 2. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, July 2011

Chiropractic/Active Release: Cost Effective. A review of treatments endorsed in American Pain Society and American College of Physicians guidelines found spinal manipulation was cost-effective forsubacute and chronic low back pain. European Spine Journal, January 2011

Wellness/Prevention: Sleep Well Again. Interrupted sleep impairs memory, as a minimum amount ofcontinuous sleep is crucial for memory consolidation. Researchers found memory was unaffected if the average duration of sleep was maintained at 62-73% of normal. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, July 2011

Quote: “When we are well, we all have good advice for those who are ill.” ~ Terrence, 166 BC

Active Release Techniques– Did you know that Active Release Techniques is great for low back pain? The muscles and ligaments of the low back are almost always involved in low back pain. By releasing the scar tissue in these structures, restoring spinal mobility with adjustments, and getting you on a targeted rehab program, we can often get rid he problem in around 8 visits. While I’m not a formal researcher, I have 13 years of clinical experience that tells me that this approach works! If you’re hurting, call us today. 303.300.0424.

Denver Active Release Techniques providers- make sure you get what you pay for!

I just got done treating a new patient who was very angry with another provider.

You see, this person advertises that she is an Active Release provider. So when the patient went to see her, the provider said, “well, I’m not really certified, but I do the same things.”

This particular patient has been seeing ART providers all over the country (she travels a lot for work). She knows Active Release. And she knows that the Denver provider she saw was not a Denver Active Release Techniques provider, regardless of the advertising.

After her bad experience, she called the ART office and asked who are the most credentialed ART providers in town. There are 2 of them, myself, and my good friend Dr. Michelle Clark. In my humble opinion, the two of us are your best options. (We practice separately.)

Regardless, before you make an appointment with someone who advertises that they do Active Release, go to www.activerelease.com, click on find a provider, and enter that provider’s name in the box. If the provider’s name doesn’t come up, he or she probably isn’t certified (you can also call their toll free number to verify, it’s on the site).

You can also search by zip code. The locator will pull up certified providers. Then look for the little squares which indicate which ART certifications each provider has completed. The ones with the most squares are the ones who have done the most work to improve their ART skills. In this world of internet advertising, anyone can say anything they want. Make sure you get what you’re paying for by doing your homework up front.

Active Release is great, and we hope you find a provider who can help you.

How our Denver Active Release chiropractors treat shin splints.

By Dr. Jeff Stripling, Denver Chiropractic Center

“Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out that going to the mountains is going home: that wildness is a necessity; that mountain parks and reservations are useful not only as fountains of timber and irrigating rivers, but as fountains of life.”
– John Muir

After my  run last night, the pain in my lower leg is not feeling too bad.  I am still experiencing ‘tibial stress syndrome’ or shin splints but it is nothing to prevent climbing Mt Quandry tommorrow.  Shin Splints are most often caused by overuse, increasing intensity/duration of training, and activities that require sudden stops and starts.  Shin splints happen when muscle fibers in the muscles that stabalize and move the ankle/foot tear from their periosteal attachment.  After the initial injury, these muscles become fibrotic during the healing phase which can exacerbate the pain with increased activity.

The best thing that can be done for shin splints is Active Release Technique (ART).  ART will break up the fibrotic tissues, scar tissue, and adhesions that limit range of motion and cause pain.  Icing can also be used to relieve pain and inflammation, using a styrofoam cup filled with frozen water, tear off the top edge of cup so the ice is exposed and gripping the covered bottum, massage painful areas for 8-10 minutes.  Rest for 30 min and repeat for another 8-10 min.

Stretching and strengthening are also great ways to decrease the amount of discomfort you feel and to prevent recurring shin splints.  One stretch that I use is  get into a forward lunge position and plantar flex your back foot (so the top side of foot is on the ground), you should feel a stretch on the front side of your lower leg.  Hold for 15 sec and repeat 5 times on each leg.  There are many exercises to do prevent shin splints, one exercise is the 4 way range of motion exercise.  Move your foot/ankle into dorsiflexion (toes pointing up), plantar flexion (toes pointing down), eversion, and inversion.  Complete all 4 movements 10x each on both legs.

To prevent shin splints from overuse, it is a good idea to only increase your milage 10% each week.  This will allow the shin muscles (tibialis anterior, extensor hallicus longus, extensor digitorum longus) to strengthen without creating microtears in the tissue.  Shin splints are not something that you “just have to put up with,”  come in the office and we will get you back to living/training without pain. DONT PUT UP WITH PAIN!