Shin splints in a 5 yr old...help

jsmjboertlein

I have never had them, but I believe my son is getting them. What's a good way to ease his pain. For background info, he has a host of immune system problems including Celiac's, fibromyalgia, Arthritis, and Immune Thrombocytopenic Purpura(in remission). I don't even know what is causing them, but he's in a ton of pain. We may go to the doctor, but he's mortified of doctors after what he's been through. So any ideas to help him at home would be great.

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jreese5226

I had them in high school something fierce. Ice them for about 20 minutes and then put on heat. If you get one of those adjustable plug-in heat pads where you can change the temperature, you can make it as warm as possible without him being uncomfortable (I recently got one for back pain at WalMart for under $25. And to help strengthen his shins, while he is sitting in a chair have him write his ABC's (or just do circles) with his foot. Good luck!

george1957

Hi,
Have you considered taking your son to see a Cranio Sacral Therapist because a good therapist should be able to help with the symptoms that you speak about.
Also a good therapist should be able to put you son at ease very quickly. Check out the CST's in your home town.

Hammie18

I'm not a doctor, but when I get shin splints I use a foam roller and roll them over my calves and shins. Seeing as how he's five years old, you should probably take him to a doctor whether he likes it or not. It might have something to do with the types of shoes he wears or how he walks. If he does have shin splints, they could lead to a fracture if not taken care of properly.

jeffrodgers1

I'm not a doctor, but I am a long distance runner and maybe that counts for something? I know a fair bit about shin splints and leg injuries. Because of his young age, I would recommend seeing a Doctor with experience in sport injuries or a podiatrist.

First thing to consider is that shin splints are typically an overuse injury. Does your son run a lot? It is extremely rare to see shin splints in a 5 year old.

How are his shoes? Are they properly fitted and comfortable for him? Shoes are definately a contributing factor to shin splints. Any shoe with over 300 miles on them should be scrapped. We place such an immense pounding on shoes as we walk and run (running provides 7- 8x the impact as that of walking) that even though they look ok, they no longer offer adequate support.

Shin splints are also usually brought on by a mechanical defect. Have your son's gait analyzed by a professional to see if he pronates or suppinates or if something else is wrong. He may just require a specific type of shoe (at their base level shoes come in neutral, stability or motion control)... he may also require orthotic inserts to stabilize his arches. Be prepared to pay a little extra. Inexpensive shoes may be compounding his problem.

Please though... don't wait. Take him to a qualified professional and have them do an evaluation.

I think what you'll find is that he doesn't have shin splints per se, but some other issue.

Hope your little guy does better soon!

jsmjboertlein

He has custom made special order shoes because of his arthritis. He isn't extremely active because of his health problems he wears down fast and hard. He did however play wrestle with his buddy for like an hour yesterday which always leads to next day pain, but I didn't want to stop him because he's a boy and he's 5 and he deserves a little fun. I do have a heating pad. I will try it. What about tylenol? He can't have too much ibuprofen becaue of the bleeding problems.

Also we had him evaluated with Easter seal for physical therapy, but they don't know how to help him and are in the process of interviewing different types of therapists to see who can help him the best?

jabbogurl

I agree, its all about the shoes. Unfortunatly, most kid shoes are made like garbage! I always have a difficult time finding shoes for my daughter that actually have arches! Most are just completely flat. Proper support and shoes will help a lot! Sketchers has pretty good shoes, thats what I buy my daughter. Just look for shoes that fit properly and have good arch support.

jeffrodgers1

Try ice massage on the shins if you can get him to do it.

If it is shin splints, heat is not usually that helpful.

freeze some water in a dixie cup and massage it slowly into the sore spots on his legs until its melted.

Do the ice massage a couple of times a day.

If he was an adult, I would suggest deep tissue massage... but for that to be effective it gets kinda painful... well ok Excrutiatingly painful.

You likely also want to have him do some basic shin splint stretches once the symptoms start to subside. The hope would be that they prevent them from reoccuring.

Tylenol should be ok, but please verify with your pediatrician and careful on dosages.

Your son has autoimmune disorders and any medical treatments should be run by his physician first.

jsmjboertlein

Ya he is OK'd for Tylenol by his doc. I just wasn't sure it would work for this kinda pain. Poor kid lives on the stuff and it breaks my heart. His shoes are custom made. They are very pricey but worth it. they also come with 3 different footbeds depending on how swollen his feet are on a particular day.

jeffrodgers1

Poor little guy. Autoimmune disorders are no picnic.

Try and make a game out of the ice massage, hopefully he'll be laughing in no time!