Have your shins been hurting and now you are looking for some solutions to help with the problem? Well, we are going to make this much easier for you because there is no such thing as a shin splints brace. There is a shin splints sleeve though, and that is what we are going to focus on. What does a shin splint sleeve do, what else do you need to know to use them to reach your goals? By the end of this article, you will know exactly what your next move needs to be for your shin splints.
It is also important to note that throwing a sleeve or brace is not the answer to every injury. Some too many athletes buy sleeves and assume that the sleeve will fix everything wrong but this is not the case. They usually provider short-term solutions to help get you through an activity or game you have coming up.
Shin Splints Sleeve vs. Shin Splints Brace
The goal of a brace is to limit the range of motion. When you tear your ACL for example, you get a knee brace to help provide extra stability for your knee since the ligament is not able to do it as well. Shin splints are not due to hypermobility of the shin bone. There is nothing to brace for this injury, hence not need a shin splint to brace.
What Does a Shin Splints Sleeve Do?
A shin splint sleeve is for compression of the calf, tibialis anterior, tibialis posterior, and the shin bone. There are a lot of studies going both ways on whether compression works. What compression is supposed to do is hold the muscle in place and help increase blood flow. The added blood flow means quicker recovery and less fatigue.
When it comes to shin splints, they are the result of lower leg muscles becoming fatigued and being unable to stabilize the leg. Once they get tired, they dish of that responsibility to the shin bone, and that is not what bones are meant for.
When Should You Wear a Shin Splints Sleeve?
The best time to really where a shin splints sleeve is after practice for recovery. If you are going to ice your shin splints, for example, put the sleeve on and elevate your leg with some ice on it. Otherwise, shin splints sleeves do not make your shin splints better. Shin splints are due to the muscles not being able to handle the impact, so the bone has to take some of the load.
When Should You NOT Wear a Shin Splints Sleeve?
- When you suspect there is a stress fracture
- With expectations of healing your injury
- Early on in a season when things can still be corrected in other ways
Other Options for Shin Splint Sleeve
If you want those pesky shin splints to go away, you should consider some other options. As stated above, the shin splints sleeve is not going to make shin splints go away completely. They are just a form of band-aid to help you manage the problem.
Some Other Good Options Include
- Massage Therapy
- Active Release Technique
- Gait Analysis to Improve Running Form
- Acupuncture
- Dry Needling
- Nutrition Changes
- Graston
- Chiropractic
- Much More…
The above options mean finding a healthcare provider with the skills to help you. You may not know what some of these are or how we can help you. If you download 9INE POINT Health, we will help you figure out the type of provider that you should go and see.
The important thing for you to take away is that you can’t compare a shin sleeve to a sports medicine provider. The sports medicine provider will be able to evaluate all of the different avenues that can be causing the issue. Seeing a provider and then buying a shin splints sleeve makes much more sense than just buying a sleeve and hoping for the best.
What If The Sleeve or Brace is Not Helping?
You may be trying to figure out if you should go with a shin splint sleeve vs shin splints brace, but sometimes a muscle is in pain because another area is not working or because it is protecting you. With the hips, for example, your back may be hurting because your psoas is doing too much work and it is also tight. The psoas may be doing too much work because your other hip flexors are not activating correctly. The chain reaction could keep going.
Sometimes you need the help of a sports medicine provider. Sports medicine providers are used to working with athletes that need to get results quickly, to get back on the field. If you are not an athlete, I am sure that you still want quick results.
There are many different options you can go with when looking for a provider. You could get a chiropractor, massage therapist, physical therapist or many other options. The key is finding someone you trust and that you are excited to work with.
How to Find The Best Healthcare Providers When The Shin Splints Sleeve vs Shin Splints Brace Does Not Cut It
9INE POINT Health is the best place to find the health care providers you need for any injuries. It does not matter where you are hurting; a 9INE POINT Health provider will be able to get you healthy again. 9INE POINT allows you to find the best local providers and compare them quickly using the 9INE POINT Number.
If you have no idea what you need, but you know you need something, 9INE POINT Health is an injury guide, and you will get helped through the process. We make it easier for you to find the information and the person you are looking for.
Skills to Look for in a Healthcare Providers:
- Active Release Technique
- Graston Technique
- Acupuncture
- Massage
- Fascial Stretch Therapy
- Corrective exercises
- Dry Needling
- Sports Background
- Functional Movement Screen
- And more
KHO Health was acquired by was acquire by 9INE POINT in the summer of 2019 and is now referred to as 9INE POINT Health.
