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"Shin Splints"
General Considerations
- Catch-all term used to describe almost any pain in tibia
- The most common cause of shin splints is medial tibial stress syndrome
- Seen in military personnel and amongst athletes
- Exercise induced pain and tenderness along posterior-medial border of tibia
- Usually seen in athletes who increase their training
Clinical Findings
- Dull, aching pain on posterior and medial aspect of calf
- Frequently occurs at beginning of a sports season
Imaging Findings
- Conventional radiographs are normal
- Nuclear medicine bone scans
- Blood pool images are normal
- Long, longitudinally-oriented uptake on delayed images in posterior tibia
- Tracer uptake varied along length of lesion
- Must obtain both lateral and medial views
- Findings differentiate shin splints from stress fractures
Differential Diagnosis
- Stress fracture
- Chronic compartment syndrome
- DVT
- Muscle strain
Treatment
- Rest
- Ice
- Compression
- Elevation
![shin splints](../../new/caseofweek/caseoftheweekpix2010 401-/cow401-1arr.jpg) ![shin splints](../../new/caseofweek/caseoftheweekpix2010 401-/cow401-2arr.jpg)
"Shin Splints." White arrows point to linear region of increased uptake in tibia on delayed radionuclide"Triple phase" bone scan images consistent with so-called shin splints in this young athlete. The blood
flow study shows equal flow in both calves (red circle)
.
For more information, click on the link if you see this icon ![](../../new/graphics/blueballoonlefttrans.png)
For these same photos without the annotations, click here and here
The Specific Scintigraphic Pattern of Shin Splints in the Lower Leg: Concise Communication. Lawrence E. Holderand and Roger H. Michael. J Nuci Med 25: 865-869, 1984
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