Physiotherapist and PhD researcher Laura Anderson just published a paper arguing that "medial tibial stress syndrome" is a 'garbage' name that's been freaking runners out and leading to terrible treatment for decades.
Her proposed replacement? Load-Induced Medial Leg Pain (LIMP).
Yes, LIMP, pun not intended.
The Problem:
- "Tibial stress" makes everyone think bone stress injury → stress fracture → panic → rest for months
- Clinicians still aggressively massage shins until they're bruised
- People rest for months and it comes right back when they start running again
- It's one of the most common running injuries and we have almost zero quality research on it
What It Is:
- Not a bone stress injury on a fracture continuum
- Doesn't get worse if you keep running (unlike actual bone stress injuries)
- We honestly don't know exactly what tissues are involved (probably multiple)
- Imaging usually shows nothing useful
The fix? Tune in.
Key papers:
MTSS needs a new name - Laura's LIMP paper
Connect with Jared and guests:
Jared on Instagram: @shoulder_physio
Jared on X: @jaredpowell12
Laura's clinic: The Injury Clinic
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