You Can Avoid Leg Pain With These 5 Ways to Prevent Shin Splints

Dealing with recurring pain in your shins can be frustrating, especially when it interferes with exercise, work or your other daily activities. Shin splints are one of the most common causes of lower-leg pain among active people, but the good news is, there are effective ways to prevent shin splints and find relief, so you can get back to doing the things you love.  

In this article, we’ll take a closer look at this common overuse injury and explore prevention tips and treatment approaches that can help reduce discomfort and keep you moving. 

While shin splints are usually harmless, they can cause discomfort that disrupts your daily routines. If you’ve tried rest and self-care without success, we encourage you to reach out to us. Our expert team of orthopedic specialists can develop a personalized treatment plan to help you heal so you can return to your everyday activities. We invite you to contact us today to schedule an appointment. 

What Are Shin Splints and What Causes Them?

Shin splints, a common overuse injury also known as medial tibial stress syndrome (MTSS), are characterized by pain and inflammation along the shinbone, or tibia. 

Shin splints occur when repetitive stress places strain on the muscles, tendons and connective tissues attached to the shinbone. 

While anyone can develop shin splints, they are most common among runners, dancers, military trainees, and those who participate in high-impact activities that involve lots of jumping, sprinting or sudden changes in direction. 

Factors that may contribute to shin splints include:
Starting an overly strenuous new exercise routine 

• Increasing workout intensity, frequency or duration too quickly
• Running on hills, uneven terrain or hard surfaces like concrete
• Wearing unsupportive or worn-out shoes
• Frequent high-impact workouts without sufficient recovery time
• Structural factors like flat feet, high arches or muscle weakness in the calves, hips or core

How Can You Prevent Shin Splints? 

Fortunately, there are a few simple changes you can make to help reduce stress on your lower legs and protect your shins. 

5 ways to help prevent shin splints:

1. Increase activity levels gradually. Your muscles and bones need time to adjust to new demands. An increase of about 10% each week can help reduce the risk of overuse injuries.
2. Wear supportive footwear. Your athletic shoes should be designed for your specific activity, provide adequate shock absorption and support and be replaced regularly.  
3. Use arch supports or shock-absorbing insoles. If you have flat feet or high arches, which can place additional strain on the shins, arch supports and insoles can provide structural stability and help reduce impact.
4. Add strength training and stretching to your exercise routine. Strengthening your calves, ankles, hips and core muscles can help improve stability and minimize strain on the lower legs. Stretching the calves before and after activity can help alleviate lower leg muscle tightness that places stress on the shins and surrounding connective tissue.
5. Cross-train with lower-impact exercises. This helps you maintain your fitness level while allowing your body to recover. Swimming, cycling and walking are good low-impact activities to mix into your regular routine.

What Are the Symptoms of Shin Splints?

Symptoms of shin splints typically begin gradually and become worse if you remain active. 

Common shin splint symptoms may include:

• Tenderness along the shinbone
• Tightness in the calf muscles 
• Mild swelling in the lower leg area
• Dull ache or throbbing pain in the lower leg
• Pain on the front, side or inner part of the shin 
• Exercise-related pain that worsens with continued activity

While most mild and moderate shin splints heal with rest and self-care, continuing to exercise despite the pain can cause the condition to worsen. 

It’s important not to ignore symptoms. You may need to seek medical evaluation if:

• Pain persists despite rest
• Pain or other symptoms worsen over time
• You experience pain while walking or at rest

These signs may indicate a stress fracture or other complications that require medical attention. 

How Can You Treat Shin Splints?

Most mild and moderate cases of shin splints respond well to conservative treatment such as rest and self-care. 

Because shin splints are an overuse injury caused by repetitive stress, the most effective first step is to temporarily pause or limit high-impact activities and allow the damaged tissues time to heal. 

In addition to resting and limiting pain-causing activities, other self-care strategies include:

• Icing the area. Apply ice to the affected area for 15–20 minutes several times a day to help alleviate pain and inflammation. 
• Over-the-counter pain relief. Ibuprofen, naproxen or acetaminophen may help with discomfort. Be sure to follow dosing instructions and consider checking in with your healthcare provider first. 
• Stretching and strengthening exercises. As your symptoms improve, incorporating gentle stretching and strengthening practices can help restore flexibility and support recovery. In some cases, we may recommend physical therapy to address movement issues.
• Slowly returning to activity. It’s important to gradually re-introduce physical activity to give your body time to adapt and to lower the risk of reinjury. 

Diagnostic imaging is typically not necessary to identify shin splints. In most cases, we’ll consider your exercise intensity and training schedule and perform a physical exam to make a diagnosis.

We may recommend imaging if we suspect a stress fracture or need to rule out other more serious issues. 

Is Shin Pain Slowing You Down? Our Orthopedic Experts at the Bone and Joint Surgery Clinic Can Help You Find Relief 

Shin splints are a common overuse injury that in most cases can be improved with rest, ice and a gradual return to activity. However, if your pain persists despite conservative at-home care, we encourage you to have your condition evaluated to rule out a stress fracture or other underlying injury. 

Our orthopedic specialists can identify the cause of your symptoms and recommend an effective, personalized treatment plan to help you find relief and get back to doing the things you love.

We invite you to schedule an appointment today.