Whatever the cause, all experts agree that you should stop your activity immediately, ice the area to reduce the inflammation and try to determine the reason you are experiencing the pain so you can start the right treatments.
If your shin splints are the result of a tight Achilles tendon it’s important to gently stretch the tendon so it creates much less stress on the shin. That area of the leg can also use some strengthening to reduce the risk that the injury will return.
While the leg is healing you can cross train in activities that don’t place stress on the lower leg. Activities like biking, swimming or running in the pool can help you maintain your cardiovascular fitness.
If your shin splints don’t heal in a reasonable amount of time, your doctor may take a bone scan or MRI looking for a stress fracture. This is a separation of the bone caused by repeated stress from the tendon. A stress fracture will require more time to heal and potentially a boot to immobilize the leg.
You can avoid this injury by not changing your exercise duration, intensity, frequency or location quickly. Replace your running shoes every 300 – 400 miles and run on softer surfaces. You might be evaluated by a podiatrist for biomechanical imbalances and consider off-the-shelf shoe inserts to help prevent overpronation.
You should also include cross training as a matter of prevention and not just during rehabilitation for an injury.
Resources:
MayoClinic: Shin Splints
http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/shin-splints/basics/definition/con-20023428
SportsInjuryClinic: Shin Splints
http://www.sportsinjuryclinic.net/sport-injuries/ankle-achilles-shin-pain/shin-splints
Core Performance: Everything You need to know About shin splints
http://www.coreperformance.com/knowledge/injury-pain/shin-splints.html
Runners World: Shin Splints
http://www.runnersworld.com/tag/shin-splints
American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons: Shin Splints
http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=a00407
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