Orthopedic Surgeon Outlines the Science Behind Shin Bang | Causes, Treatment, Prevention

Shin bang is not sorcery, it’s science. | Photo courtesy Ski Mag

You know, shin bang—that horrid, painful sensation on your shinbone that you get from your boot after skiing hard? Yes, you do.

Although die-hard ski racers in 1 million flex alpine race boots that they can barely walk in might tell you otherwise, shin bang is a real force to reckon with on (and off) the mountain every ski season. And there’s a science behind it.

That’s why SnowBrains reached out to Orthopedic surgeon Dr. William H. Montgomery, III, MD with the Dignity Health Medical Foundation in San Francisco, Calif. to find out what the heck is going on in our ski boots that make our shins hurt so damn bad sometimes, especially after we get new boots.

• Related: The SnowBrains Podcast | Episode #3 | “Everything You Need To Know About ACL Injury, Surgery, & Recovery”

This image shows the tibia and shin in relation to where shin bang can occur. | Photo courtesy Orthoinfo

So what exactly is shin bang, and what causes it? 

According to Dr. Montgomery (who is an avid skier and has had BAD shin bang before), shin bang is a type of contusion on your tibia’s periosteum, which is “like saran wrap that wraps around your bone, and is really super sensitive,” he said in a phone interview. Most of the time, this contusion to your periosteum is caused by your shin consistently slamming against the top part of your ski boot due to the very small gap that often exists between your shin and your boot liner.

And it freaking hurts. 

After sharing his personal experiences with shin bang and describing the medical language associated with it, Dr. Montgomery outlined potential treatments for shin bang. He said that

“prevention is the cure but the treatment is different,”

meaning that the best way to treat shin bang is to avoid it entirely by having the best possible fit for your ski boots. The solution? Going to an experienced boot fitter and purchasing custom liners.

A good boot fitter will mold custom ski boot liners to the contour of your feet and shins, eliminating any potential gap between the liner and your shin that could cause shin bang. Dr. Montgomery also said that you should put a kind of gel or cork pad—or even a piece of a foam beer koozie—in between your liner and your leg to provide a soft cushion for your already miserable shin.

If it’s too late and you are already experiencing full-on shin bang, even with a good fitting boot (which can still happen as a result of charging hard), then icing, ibuprofen, and rest are likely your best bets.

“There is absolutely nothing more miserable than having painful feet and legs when your skiing. It absolutely stinks,” Dr. Montgomery said. “You need a good boot fitter!”

Shin bang is not sorcery, it’s science. Keep your shins safe this season!

Avoid shin bang at all costs this season! | Photo courtesy globosurfer.com

A warrior dies and the forest cries

I remember vividly the night the Cochise warrior died.

The elk bugled and the coyotes howled in the forest just beyond town. They cried like I've never heard before from the quiet deck at my father's house. 

Perhaps the sorrow in the region was so powerfully felt that night that it rose into the star-studded sky above like a palpable scent, drifting with the wind and through the trees. 

Maybe even the forest creatures could smell the pain that floated in the sharp mountain air.

And in that same air, a sensation of beauty revealed itself—one that is always there but rarely seen outside of moments like these.