Children’s Shin Pain Treatment in Winchester and Basingstoke

What causes shin pain and how can we help?

Children’s shin pain is one of a number of conditions we treat at Eclipse Foot Clinic. Shin pain could be categorised as either growing pains or shin splints, also known as ‘Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome’ (MTSS). This is a chronic over-use injury that effects kids and teenagers of many ages and sporting disciplines. In both cases, pain can be severe along the inside of the shin and is generally associated with a sudden increase in physical activity.

Children’s shin pain symptoms include:

Pain along the inside or front border of the shin bone (tibia)
Mostly, the pain generally reduces once you warm up during your activity
In the chronic stages of MTSS, the pain progresses with activity e.g. slowly increases over the course of a run/sport. Growing pains tend to occur later in the day
MTSS rarely occurs with walking and is normally associated with impact activities, e.g. running, jumping, skipping etc.

Why did my child get shin pain?

MTSS can be caused by many factors and is generally seen in active/sporty children of all ages. Many kids presenting to Eclipse for shin pain treatment, have the following risk factors:

Sudden increase or change in activity. E.g. after the summer break of school holidays and then returning to sport
Inadequate footwear for their biomechanical needs
Pronating or flat feet
Rigid, non-flexible high arched feet
Footwear that isn’t suitable for the type of activity
Failure to warm up or lack of conditioning/training
Tight lower leg muscles

How is children’s shin pain diagnosed?

A thorough biomechanical assessment will most commonly be enough to diagnose MTSS or growing pains. Depending on the severity of symptoms, children may/may not be referred for an x-ray to see if there are any stress fractures or reactions present. For extreme cases who do not respond to conservative children’s shin pain treatment, an MRI or bone scan will be utilized. However, this is extremely rare.

What are the options for treating children’s shin pain?

Our children’s shin pain treatment options are largely tailored around addressing your child’s risk factors. Given this, the initial consultation will involve a thorough foot and lower limb biomechanical assessment, to determine what the contributing factors are. As with most foot problems, early intervention is best, as this will help reduce the chances of it turning into a chronic condition.

Common Treatment Options For Children’s Shin Pain

Strapping to help reduce traction of the muscles against the tibia
Ice therapy along the shins post activity
Regular calf and foot/ankle stretching protocol
Strengthening program to address any underlying weaknesses including adequate warm ups
Soft, custom insoles to help reduce pulling of the muscles against the shin bone. Or footwear alterations
Massage to help loosen off tight muscles.
Altered training load to help reduce pressure through the area for the short-term or rest from the sport for a few weeks
For severe cases of MTSS or if a stress fracture is suspected, a moon boot will be recommended for a minimum of 4-6 weeks to help rest the area

How long will it take to get better?

As mentioned above, the earlier you seek treatment, the quicker the pain will get better. A lot of people think the pain will get better on its own and keep training. This results in a lack of early intervention and symptoms quickly escalating into a chronic issue. Our clinics provide effective children’s shin pain treatment, for a range of patients. So, if you or any of your children are suffering from shin pain, contact our clinic today for a biomechanical assessment and we will get you on the road to recovery.