Shin Splints

Few things dampen a new running habit faster than shins that ache with every stride. Shin splints (the technical name is medial tibial stress syndrome) show up as an ache along the inner edge of the shin bone, usually over a stretch of several centimetres rather than one spot, and they are most common when training ramps up faster than the body was ready for.

Why do shins complain when training jumps?

Bone is living tissue, and like muscle it adapts to load. The catch is that bone remodels on a slower schedule than enthusiasm does. When mileage, speed work, or hard surfaces increase quickly, the tissue along the shin can get irritated faster than it adapts. New runners, runners returning after a break, and anyone who changed shoes, surface, and distance all in the same month are the classic stories we hear.

How we assess and help

We take your training history, look at how you move, and check the whole lower leg, calves, feet, and hips included, because the shins often absorb what the muscles around them are not. Care usually combines settling the irritated area, a strength plan for the calves and feet through exercise and rehab, footwear advice, and a graded return to running that respects bone’s slower timeline. Where foot mechanics are part of the picture, custom orthotics are one option we might talk through. Our running injury care page covers the bigger picture for runners.

Should I run through shin splints?

Pushing through a steadily worsening shin is the one move we would talk you out of, because the difference between shin splints and a stress injury to the bone matters. That said, complete rest is rarely the plan either: adjusted training, strength work, and a sensible ramp back up usually get you there. We will help you find that line for your shins rather than guessing.

When to get it checked sooner

Get assessed promptly if the pain is pinpoint (one fingertip on one spot of bone), if it hurts at rest or at night, if it makes you limp, or if it keeps getting worse despite easing your training. Those signs raise the question of a bone stress injury, which needs a different plan, and we will refer you for the right imaging and care if your assessment points that way.

Read more from our team

• Strengthening your feet and arches
• PEACE and LOVE: first aid for sprains and strains
• You can take this to the bank: why fitness doesn’t store up