The tibia is the colloquial name for the bone called the tibia, located in the front of the lower leg. Pain along this bone extending from the knee to the ankle is defined as shinbone pain. Many reasons can cause pain on the shinbone, such as taking care of running and foot sports, using the legs intensely, and hitting the leg. In some cases, muscle and soft tissue health problems can also cause pain in the shin region. For tibia pain that occurs after a certain exercise and lasts longer than a week or for no reason, it is beneficial to apply to health institutions and undergo an examination.
What is Tibia Pain?
Starting from the ankle to the knee joint. Pain on the shin bone that reaches as far as the shin is called shin pain. These pains are mostly caused by sedentary life, jogging, intense training by athletes, jumping sports, etc., which cause a load or impact on the shinbone.
Tibia pain, known by different names such as runner's foot or tibial stress, is a common health problem in athletes due to such activities. There may be temporary pain until the damage to the bone for any reason heals itself with rest. However, if conditions such as cracks, fractures or inflammation in the bone are detected, treatment and intervention is required. Permanent bone damage may occur if pain caused by any problem in the shinbone is not treated and if activities that force the bone are continued.
For this reason, if there is no improvement in long-lasting pain with rest, a physician should be consulted. Especially in people who are involved in sports such as basketball, football, volleyball, athletics, which include sudden movements, blows to the bone, jumping and sudden stops, tibia pain may be seen from time to time.
In addition to pain due to physical activity, different health problems such as injuries and traumas, bone and joint diseases, fractures and cracks, osteomyelitis (bone inflammation) and Paget's disease may also cause pain in the shin bones.
Tibia Pain Causes
The question of why the tibia hurts, the person who has this problem It is one of the questions that almost everyone seeks answers to. The most common cause of shin pain is pressure and load on the muscles and bones of the lower leg. In individuals with a sedentary lifestyle, leg muscles are weak and leg bones do not have sufficient flexibility. For this reason, pain in the shinbone may occur due to a simple jump, running fast for a while or carrying a load, going up and down the stairs or starting exercise. Athletes who exercise constantly may experience pain after intense training and competitions. Apart from these, the causes of shin pain include:
- Intense physical activities during military service
- Exercises such as jogging and walking on sloping and uneven terrain
- Flatfoot problem
- Suddenly starting intense exercise or suddenly increasing the intensity of exercise
- Alcohol and smoking use
- Calcium and vitamin D deficiency
- Convenient for health use of unsuitable shoes
- Doing sports activities on an unsuitable floor or with bare feet
- Some pain that may occur independently of trauma or exercise processes or triggered by these processes may also indicate benign or malignant tumors in and around the tibia.
Symptoms of Tibial Bone Pain
Although tibia pain varies depending on the cause, it can bring along a number of different symptoms in addition to pain in the bone. Severe pain in cases such as a blow to the shinbone, a fall or an accident requires radiological imaging and treatment. If the pain continues during rest, swelling, redness, bruising or heat increase in the lower leg, it means that cracks or fractures may be in question. Therefore, in the presence of such symptoms, emergency services should be sought immediately. Apart from this, some symptoms accompanying shin pain can be listed as follows:
- Muscle pain in the legs
- Pain in the anterior part of the lower leg
- Pain that begins or worsens during intense exercise
- Tenderness in the inner and outer parts of the lower legs
- Swelling and numbness in the lower leg
- Weakness
How is Tibia Pain Treated?
People who experience tibia pain while walking, playing sports or running should take this symptom seriously and undergo a doctor's checkup. For shin ache or pain, a health check can be passed by applying to the orthopedics and traumatology outpatient clinics of hospitals.
During this examination, a physical examination of the lower leg is performed by the physician, followed by a radiological imaging such as an x-ray. In this way, it can be understood whether there is a problem such as a bone injury, crack and/or fracture, or any tumoral condition in the bone. If any health problems are detected in bone, muscle or soft tissues, treatment should be applied for them.
In the treatment process, it may be necessary to put the leg in a splint or plaster for a while, and the patient may need to use crutches for a while. Conservative practices such as bed rest, rest at home or medication may be recommended. Some situations may not be resolved with conservative treatment solutions. Such situations may require surgical solutions. For example, surgical operations can be applied in cases of cracks, fractures or trauma-induced damages, bone and soft tissue masses, tibial stress and excessively increased muscle compartment pressure in the leg such as runner's leg.
In some cases, lower leg pain due to different causes such as nerve damage due to peripheral neuropathy due to causes such as diabetes or soft tissue infections may feel like shin pain. In such cases, after the problem is fully determined, the patient is directed to the relevant medical unit and the treatment procedure is determined. If any surgical operation or inpatient treatment is not required, the examination and controls to be made by the physician Then, the patient can go home after being informed about the issues to be considered during the resting period.
For the treatment of shinbone pain, it is expected that the pain will decrease over time with the use of medications prescribed by the physician and rest. In cases of tibia pain that develops after intense and strenuous physical activities or training, it can be followed whether the pain has decreased for a few days with the help of some measures that can be taken at home. In any case, it is useful to get an opinion by going through a doctor's control.
If the bone is not damaged, usually with rest, the pain decreases within a few days and disappears within a week or two at the latest. For recovery, training should be interrupted, rest for a while and movements that will put pressure on the lower leg should be avoided. If it does not aggravate the pain, activities such as swimming that will not create a significant load on the shinbone can be continued.
If there is tibia pain while walking, it is useful to avoid walking for a while. Some of the home practices that can answer the question of how the shin pain is relieved during the resting period include the following:
- Resting the legs by stretching them to a high place
- Applying ice compresses if there are swellings
- Using painkillers prescribed by a physician
- Gently massaging the lower leg, such as moving a cylindrical flat object over the bone
It would be beneficial for you to go through an examination by consulting and to have your tests done to find out the cause of the pain. If any muscle, bone or nerve-related problem is detected, you can start your treatment process and get rid of your pain and regain your health. You can use the contact form on our website to reach us.
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