This is a very characteristic injury of runners and other athletes that involves running. We can say that tibial pain is the term that encompasses any type of pain located in the front part of the shin.

Cause of injury

This pain usually arises as a consequence of irritation or inflammation of the tendons that cover this anatomical area and especially at the level of their insertion into the bones. Excessive changes in the duration, frequency and/or intensity of running can cause this type of injury. In other words, this injury is usually caused by overuse or inappropriate use of the musculature (tibialis anterior muscle) and its tendon, which become inflamed and the pain appears. The impact of the leg when running is transmitted to this area triggering intense pain, which even forces the runner to stop training. On the other hand, continuous strain of the tibialis anterior muscle can also cause this injury.

Tibial Pain Syndrome Symptoms

This injury causes pain at the level of the tibia, which initially may be mild, but if correct treatment is not started quickly and some modification in training, correction of the footprint, the pain can be extreme. The pain worsens with activity, there is often tenderness to palpation in the tibia and even a swollen area.

Prevention

To maintain physical fitness, exercises such as aquarunning, swimming and cycling can be performed as they are low-impact exercises. Daily stretching of the entire lower limb is essential, but special attention should be paid to stretching the tibialis anterior. There are few cases that do not respond to rest from impact exercises and physiotherapy.

As preventive measures and assuming that we have a correct footprint, assess where we do our training (asphalt, roads, parks, etc.) as the ground we walk on is an important factor. Carry out preventive physiotherapy sessions, use creams of CBDuse collagen to regenerate connective tissue.

Treatment

Physiotherapy treatment is essential and one of the first objectives is to facilitate blood circulation at this level. In stubborn cases, surgery will be considered.

Within physiotherapy we have several techniques that can help, the basis of the treatment being the manual session. In addition, the following can be used diathermykinesiotaping, dry needlingFinally, the physiotherapist should recommend strength and stretching exercises to be carried out at home.

On the other hand, Sportsalud recommends the use of a CBD cream to be applied once the training session is over.

Dr. Alberto Sacristán