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So you think you've got shin splints. What are they? We address the big question of "what are shin splints?" in this article. The dull-ache or burn in your shin bone can be quite a nuisance when walking or running. And treatment can be difficult, long and arduous. In this article, I quickly run through whether or not those shin splints will ever go away. Quick Recap: What are shin splints? Shin splints are described as a dull ache on your shinbone and clinically referred to as "medial tibial stress syndrome." Quite simply, your shin bone is under too high...

How important is sleep for runners of all shapes, sizes and levels? Poor sleep quality disrupts musculoskeletal recovery and reaction times and influences mood and cognitive functions, increasing injury risk (Durmer and Dinges, 2005; Milewski et al., 2014). In addition, several studies report that lack of sleep is associated with a higher risk of sustaining sports-related injuries (Gao et al., 2019; Luke et al., 2011; Milewski et al., 2014; von Rosen et al., 2017). However, only recently researchers connected a lack of sleep and running-related injuries (RRIs) such as medial tibial stress syndrome (MTSS) and patellofemoral pain syndrome. Mousavi et al. (2021) recently completed a cross-sectional...

Pre-fabricated arch-supporting orthotics by Formthotics™ [Disclosure: not the pre-fabricated orthotics used in the prospective cohort study below] A significant amount of evidence highlights that excessive rearfoot pronation and midfoot pronation are risk factors for medial tibial stress syndrome (MTSS). Therefore, would it not seem logical that addressing those postural abnormalities with foot orthoses should be part of your treatment approach? Only three studies were conducted using this approach until recently (Bensel, CK. 1986; Schwellnus et al., 1990; Bonanno et al., 2017). The latter assessed the prevention in Naval recruits with the Formthotics prefabricated foot orthoses. A systematic review also demonstrated...

If Eliud Kipchoge wears them, shouldn't you? Not always...  Article Title: Biomechanical analysis of two runners who developed leg injuries during a six-week transition to maximal running shoes: A case series Authors: J.J. Hannigan & Christine D. Pollard Published: 01 June 2021 Maximal or minimal running shoes can be all the craze, depending on who you are talking to. In this paper, the authors are assessing maximal or "super-cushioned" shoes. But, hey, if Eliud Kipchoge wears them, shouldn't you? We know from a previous study that despite the increased cushioning and the impulsive belief that that means more cushioning, maximal...

Photo by Nicolas Hoizey    Recently, we wrote an article on Soleus muscle involvement in MTSS here. This resulted in some brilliant feedback and knowledge sharing, so thank you!  While only the second author of a recent paper, a researcher our team loves to watch is Maarten H. Moen, who operates out of the Netherlands. But, we were beaten to seeing this new paper sent to us by Doug Richie (cheers, Doug!). With previous retrospective studies looking into over-activity of the soleus muscle, with the long duration of tractional forces leading to severe strains to the distal third of the posteromedial tibial,...