forcible use of the foot flexors; diagnosis should be limited to musculotendinous inflammation excluding fracture and ischemic disorders (3:199)." More recently, shin splints have been further delineated as a "syndrome of pain and tenderness localized to the medial border of the tibia, secondary to abnormal movement of the soleus muscle tendon complex with disruption of Sharpey's fibers, producing a periostitis type lesion (2:763)." These innumerable definitions do adequately delineate the disorder's diagnostic scope.
The typical patient with shin splints was once described as "an overweight, skeletally immature adolescent (2:763)." However, the fitness boom has made people of all ages and body weights vulnerable to the condition. For the most part, the shin splint diagnosis can be made by a thorough history and physical examination. The predominant clinical features are pain over the medial tibial;moreover, such pain may be more pronounced over the bone's distal half. However, it must also be noted that there is no specific anatomic site associated with shin splints pain. According to Jackson (1978), no consensus exists as to whether the pain is more common in the proximal, medial, or distal third of the tibia. In fact, researchers can't even agree on whether shin splint pain is localized to the posterior, anterior, medial, or lateral areas of the leg (1:132). Different studies have tended to concentrate on different regions. For example, Devas (1958), Nutig (1981), Puranen (1974), and Puranen and Alavaikko (1981) focused on chronic medial-sided shin pain. In contrast, Reneman (1975) investigated chronic anteriolateral pain. Finally, Orava and Puranen (1979) and Wallensten (1983) analyzed symptoms
...