Anterior Compartment Syndrome Massage

The following sports massage guide is intended for information purposes only. We recommend seeking professional advice before attempting any self help treatment.

IMPORTANT: Before starting any massage treatment the therapist will check for contraindications (if any apply to you, then massage is not allowed).

What equipment is required?

A lubricant is needed to allow the hands to glide smoothly. A number of massage oils are available to buy. A cheap but effective alternative is simple baby oil. Do not use too much oil. Enough to allow for smooth, controlled movement is required but too much will mean a lack of control.

A firm, flat surface to lie on in order to apply pressure.


How can sports massage benefit the rehabilitation of this injury?

Sports massage can help reduce the tension in the muscles of the lower leg which in turn may reduce the strain on the tendon attachments to the bone allowing the injury to heal and preventing it from returning once training resumes.

Effleurage

• With the hands stroke lightly but firmly upwards from the top of the ankle to the knee.
• Always stroke upwards towards the heart as this is the direction of blood flow. The other way can damage veins.
• Then lightly bring the hands down the outside of the leg keeping them in contact but do not apply pressure.
• Repeat the whole movement using slow stroking techniques, trying to cover as much of the leg as possible.
• Repeat this technique for about 5 to 10 minutes, gradually applying deeper pressure on the up strokes.

Stripping the muscles

• With the thumb of the left hand (for a left leg) apply deep pressure to the full length of the tibialis anterior muscle starting at the ankle and working up to below the knee.
• Massage should be firm but not so deep that the athlete has to tighten up with pain.
• Apply 10 to 20 stripping techniques and alternate between cross frictions.

Cross frictions

• Apply firm pressure across the tibialis anterior muscle. Start at the lower third of the shin and work upwards gradually.
• The aim of this technique is to try and stretch the sheath that surrounds the muscle. This may reduce the pressure in the muscle compartment which causes the pain.
• Apply this technique for around 5 minutes, alternating with stripping the muscle.

Finishing off

The whole process should not last more than half an hour. Massage therapy can be applied every day if it is performed lightly however deeper techniques may result in a days recovery period to allow tissues to 'recover'.

It is important to assess the affects of sports massage both after treatment and the following day. Is there an increase in pain and or inflammation? If so, then discontinue. A little bit of muscle soreness that might be expected from hard training is not uncommon and not usually a problem.

Sports massage can play a very valuable roll in rehabilitation of shin injuries. However if continued treatment does not result in improvement then surgery may be an option to discuss with the atheles Doctor.