Essay --

Lower leg pain has been a mystery, with it being named by several different terms. Shin pain that most athletes refer to as shin splints is now being termed Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome or MTSS. Some atheltes under estimate the severity of shin splints by simply having a lack of knowledge. â€Å"In 1974, Clement was among the fist to postulate that â€Å"tibial stress syndrome† was caused by a periostitis that could progress to tibial stress fracture† (Craig, 17). Inflammation of the periosteum and also the tibialis posterior lead to MTSS and ultimately a stress fracture. In order to further research about the cause of MTSS, tissue biopsy was performed on 62 patients in a study by Johnell. According to Craig, 2008, Johnell found that there was an increased tissue metabolic activity, like osteoblast proliferation. Osteoblasts are bone cells that attempt to grow new and repair damaged bone. Osteoblast are present often with inflammation, which is a bodies response to in jury. Through this study, Johnell found that 2/3 of his patients had bone damage, which explains why osteoblasts were proliferating. In a later study by Michael and Holdner they suggested that instead of the tibialis posterior, the soleus was a major cause of MTSS. â€Å"They found that 1/3 of the MTSS patients had soleus fascia inflammation and 1/3 had bony inflammation just underneath the fascial attachment into the bone† (Craig, 17). Inflammation ultimately causes pain. This explains why the soleus is a contributor to MTSS. Athletes who participate in sports like Track and Field where they are in repeated plantar flexion put a lot of pressure on the gastrocnemius and soleus. The gastrocnemius and soleus are consistantly being contracted with every stride and take off for a ... ...8). With out an arch, the soleus is being stretched for long periods of time that causes it to become fatigued and strained which can put pressure on the tibia. It can not be concluded that excessive pronation causes MTSS, but is rather a risk factor. By taping an individuals arch, the amount of pronation can be decreased as well as the amount of pain experienced. Craig also suggests pool work outs once a week to allow for bone healing. I think this is a great idea, and more coaches should implement a pool work out into their weekly routine. Swimming still allows atheltes to have a cardiovascualr work out while giving their tibia's a break. Some atheltes have an extremely high pain tolerance and will continue to practice and perform, with or without treatment. Though with preventative measures like taping and rehab, the treatment of MTSS can hopefully be achieved.