Runners Shin Splints: Causes, Treatment, Recovery and Prevention

Approximately 50% of runners have had the unpleasant experience of dealing with shin pain. It often starts as a dull, aching sensation in the front of the lower leg that exacerbates with activity and dissipates with rest. It’s a problem that can sideline you for a significant amount of time. But you’re in luck, because today we’re going to teach you how to avoid shin splints when running.

Often used interchangeably with Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome (MTSS), the term shin splints is broadly used to define pain in, around, or alongside the tibia (shin bone). Shin splints pain tends to be caused by overuse of different muscles, while MTSS is better characterized by microtrauma to the tibia’s periosteum (outermost layer of bone). 

However, despite these differences and others, because of their similar symptoms and causes, we will encapsulate them both in the term shin splints for the remainder of the article. By following the advice we are about to give, you are likely to experience relief and benefits regardless of the condition you are dealing with, which very well could be a combination of the two.

“Shin splints” is a condition broadly defined as pain in, around, or alongside the shin bone and/or surrounding muscles. (Image credit: Jo Panuwat D/Adobe Stock)

Causes of Shin Splints From Running

Getting to the root cause of your shin splints can be a tricky feat. There are likely multiple factors that are contributing to the problem. Let’s take a look at some of the most common and see if any of them resonate with your particular situation:

Starting Too Aggressively

This could also be rephrased as, “Being unprepared for the amount of running that you’re doing”. Shin splints is a condition prevalent among beginner runners because of their tendency to overdo the amount of mileage their body is capable of. This leads to the bones and soft tissue of a person's lower leg to become overworked, irritated, and possibly injured.

Improper Running Form

While everyone’s running form is different, there are certain things that are sure to inhibit you no matter what way you strike the ground. One of those is how high you’re running as opposed to how forward you are running. Beginners will often launch themselves much more upwards than necessary, increasing already significant impact forces every time they land.

General Weakness

This is a component of “Starting Too Aggressively”, but can be a cause all on its own, even in experienced runners. Especially if your form is faulty (a complex topic), you may develop muscle imbalances that lead to weakness or dysfunction in other tissues. Important muscles in the lower leg (ex. tibialis anterior) might also be weak and unprepared for the forces of running.

Lower Bone Density

Shin splints is a common condition amongst military personnel. One study showed that almost the same number of men and women were referred to medical with symptoms representative of shin splints despite the men having four times as many recruits. This could be due to the females having a lesser relative bone density, but still being subjected to the same arduous workloads.

Treatment of Shin Splints for Runners

When you’re dealing with an injury that flares and resides with activity and rest, you need to walk the tightrope between pushing things too hard and not pushing them hard enough. This delicate balance will ultimately be the responsibility of the individual, and it will involve removing any ego or pride around distances you were used to running in the past. 

(Image credit: Microgen/Adobe Stock)

Massage & Self-Myofascial Release

Muscles like your soleus (deep calf muscle), gastrocnemius (superficial calf muscle), and tibialis anterior (front shin muscle) are all prone to irritation and being overworked as a runner. They sustain huge forces, multiple times your bodyweight depending on the muscle and running conditions. A good way to reduce tenderness and help them relax is through massage therapy.

A skilled massage therapist will be familiar with shin splints and able to offer an effective treatment plan to target the muscles involved. You can also do self-myofascial release in the comfort of your own home with things like a foam roller, lacrosse ball, or tennis ball. We have a whole section over at Dynamic Runner showing you how to do these kinds of exercises.

Avoid Taking NSAIDs

Try to avoid NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) if at all possible for pain relief. There is some evidence that NSAIDs, such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), slow injury recovery due to their ability to reduce inflammation. Inflammatory markers are important signals for healing, so taking these drugs can be a confusing thing for the body.

Another issue is that your perception of pain is going to be skewed after taking these drugs. For a condition like shin splints, this is troublesome because you might be convinced that you’re good to go out for a run when in fact you’re at a high risk for making the condition worse. All that said, if you can manage the pain, try to do so naturally without the use of drugs.

Stretching

Stretching can provide some temporary, short-term alleviation of shin splints symptoms. While it’s not the fix-all that many people think it is, some light stretching can send a signal to aggravated tissues that it’s okay to relax and release some of the tension that they’re holding. Try gently stretching out your calves, feet, and the front of your shins for some quick relief.

It is important to remember that the muscles around your shin are becoming painful and tense for a reason, so we don’t want to overdo the stretching and ignore why those symptoms started to arise in the first place. This will be addressed in the next section where we talk about preventing shin splints from happening.

How to Prevent Shin Splints From Running

Learning how to avoid shin splints from running is the best way to ensure you don’t suffer from this condition in the future. You’ll notice that the following points are opposite of the causes section we talked about earlier. Here are the keys on how to prevent and get rid of shin splints from running:

Start SLOW

Your mileage should not increase more than 10% per week. That means if you ran 10 total kilometers last week, your new goal is 11 total kilometers. It’s always better to be conservative, especially when starting out. If you feel any kind of symptoms creeping up, slow down, stick to the same mileage, and even back off a bit. Give your body the time it needs to adapt.

Running Gait Analysis

Find a running coach or sports performance clinic in your area that has experience analyzing a person's running form. They’ll be able to show you what kind of forces your body is absorbing due to the way you land and propel yourself while running. They should also be able to offer you advice on footwear and programming to get you in the best running shape possible.

Strengthen Your Lower Leg

This is extremely important. Spend time in the gym prepping your body to run. Until you reach top sprinting speeds, the lower leg muscles are the most important for shock absorption and force production. Standing calf raises, seated calf raises, and tibialis anterior raises are going to be key exercises that you want to build up so your lower leg can handle the stressors of running.

Increase Bone Density

By performing heavy, compound (multi-joint) movements like squats, lunges, deadlifts, and push ups you’re going to build not only stronger muscles but stronger bones. These exercises are important for your overall constitution, and will help to prevent other significant injuries in the back, knee, hip, and shoulder in your running and other physical activities down the line.

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Written by Eric Lister – Certified Personal Trainer & Corrective Exercise Specialist