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Postural Distortions & Massage 
Part 5 of my new series!
In this series, I will attempt to describe some of the common problems that could be helped through massage therapy. If you are afflicted with any of these, massage could be used on it's own or along with your doctor's administrations. Just be aware that some of these problems may take some time to achieve results.
Shin Splints:
I believe that I may have discussed shin splints in another series, but they warrant a repeat since they are so common. The medical description includes pain in the front of the lower leg, especially along the tibia. When the pain is only along the very front it most likely is a result of overtight anterior compartment muscles. These muscles flex the foot and toes upward. Running on downhill slopes and driving for long periods of time can cause these muscles to become overly tight.
Some shin splint pain can be found just to the inside edge of the tibia and this can be a little more complicated to determine the cause. If you have pain here and very little directly on top of the bone, you will want to get your doctor involved. The 3 possible causes of that pain are:
- Stress fracture of the tibia. Usually a runner can not "run thru" the pain if this is the cause.
- Soleus Syndrome. The Soleus is the large calf muscle on the back of the lower leg. If over tight, it's attachment points could pull at the periostium (or covering) of the tibia.
- Posterior Compartment Syndrome. Again chronic tightening of the muscles deep in the calf could pull at the periostium and cause shin splint pain.
Massage and stretching can help these issues. A word of warning - the deep muscles in the calf can be slightly tender to the touch. Stretching the lower leg before and after any exercise is crucial. Wearing lower heals will help reduce chronic tightening of the calf muscles.
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