Shin Splints: How to Get Rid of Shin Pain from Running!
Nagging pain along the inside of your shin during or after running? That's most likely shin splints. Learn how to get rid of them — and how to keep them from coming back.
You've just hit your stride — fitness improving, the kilometres adding up — and then that nagging, pressing pain shows up along the inside of your shin. First only after your runs, then already during the first kilometres. Shin splints, medically known as "medial tibial stress syndrome", is the classic beginner's injury among runners, but it also strikes experienced runners, footballers and dancers. It's very treatable — provided you take it seriously and tackle the cause. In this article you'll learn exactly how: from recognising it to recovering to preventing it.
What are shin splints?
Shin splints are an overload of the bone (lining) on the inside of your shin, usually in the lower third. With every landing while running, your shinbone flexes minimally, and the deep calf muscles that attach along the inner edge of the shin pull firmly on the bone lining. If the bone doesn't get enough time to recover from that repeated load, the lining becomes irritated and a nagging pain zone of several centimetres develops along the inner edge.
Important to understand: shin splints are an overload reaction of the bone, not a muscle injury. So "just running through it" isn't an option — if you keep loading at the same level, the bone reaction can in the worst case progress to a stress fracture. The good news is the reverse also holds: if you scale the load back smartly and improve shock absorption and foot posture, you're usually rid of it within a few weeks to a couple of months.
Causes of shin splints
Shin splints develop when the load increases faster than the bone can adapt. The best-known culprits:
- Building up too fast: more kilometres, more speed or more frequent training than your body is used to — by far the biggest cause, especially in new runners.
- Overpronation and fallen arches: if your foot rolls too far inward with every landing, the deep calf muscles work overtime and the traction on the bone lining increases.
- Hard surfaces: lots of running on asphalt or pavement creates higher load peaks than trails or gravel.
- Worn-out or unsuitable shoes: a collapsed midsole no longer cushions; shoes without support let the foot sink too far.
- Stiff or weak calves: fatigued calf muscles absorb fewer shocks, so the bone takes more.
- Too little recovery: training every day without rest days gives the bone lining no repair time.
Symptoms: how to recognise them
Here's how to recognise shin splints and distinguish them from other lower-leg complaints:
- Nagging or pressing pain along the inside of the shin, over a zone of at least five centimetres (not at a single point).
- Pain at the start of training that sometimes eases temporarily after warming up and returns after the session (or the next morning).
- Tenderness when you run your fingers along the inner edge of the shinbone.
- At a later stage: pain during normal walking or climbing stairs, sometimes with slight swelling along the edge.
Two important warning signs: pain at one sharply defined point on the bone that gets worse with every step fits a stress fracture, and cramping, numbness or a hard, tight calf during exercise that disappears at rest can point to compartment syndrome. In both cases: stop loading and see a doctor.
What can you do yourself?
Treatment consists of three steps: reduce the stimulus, improve shock absorption, and then build back up smartly.
- Scale the load back immediately: pause running and jumping as soon as the pain is noticeable outside of sport too. Maintain fitness with cycling, swimming or aqua jogging — these barely load the shin.
- Improve cushioning and foot posture: sports insoles with good cushioning and arch support reduce both the landing peak and the overpronation — the two biggest drivers. Wear them in your sports and everyday shoes.
- Check your shoes: running shoes are worn out after around 800 kilometres. Combine new shoes with a gradual transition.
- Cool after activity: a cold pack on the painful zone for 10 to 15 minutes soothes the irritation.
- Build back up with the 10% rule: increase your weekly volume by no more than about ten percent per week and schedule at least one rest day between runs.
- Vary the surface: choose trails or gravel more often and save asphalt for tempo sessions.
3 exercises for shin splints
These exercises strengthen the calf and shin muscles and improve shock absorption. Start once normal walking is pain-free.
Exercise 1: calf raises with a slow lowering (strength)
- Stand upright, using a wall for support if needed, and push up onto your toes in 2 counts.
- Lower yourself slowly in 4 counts — it's precisely that slow lowering that trains the muscles that absorb the landing.
- Do 3 sets of 12 repetitions, every other day. Build up to the single-leg version.
Exercise 2: toe raises against resistance (shin muscle)
- Sit on the floor with straight legs and a resistance band around the ball of your foot, anchored to a table leg in front of you.
- Pull your foot calmly towards you against the band's resistance and let it sink back slowly.
- Do 3 sets of 15 repetitions per leg. A strong shin muscle offloads the inner edge of the bone.
Exercise 3: single-leg balance (stability and foot control)
- Stand on one leg for 30 seconds, with a slight bend in your knee and your arch actively "lifted".
- Too easy? Close your eyes or stand on a cushion.
- Do 3 repetitions per leg per day — better foot control means less overpronation with every landing.
When to see a doctor?
Contact your doctor or a sports physician if:
- the pain concentrates on one sharp point on the shinbone, or is also present at rest and at night (to rule out a stress fracture);
- your lower leg feels hard, tight, numb or tingly during exercise;
- there's no clear improvement after six weeks of adjusted loading and self-care;
- the pain started right after a fall or impact.
A sports physiotherapist can also analyse your running technique and foot roll — worthwhile if the complaints keep returning.
Our recommendations for shin splints
Because landing shocks and overpronation are the two big drivers of shin splints, good in-shoe support is the logical first step. The Bracefox® Sport Insoles – EnduSole were made for this: they cushion the impact of every landing and give your foot stability as it rolls through — exactly what an irritated shin needs to heal while you keep training responsibly.
Do your feet clearly roll inward (overpronation), or do you have fallen arches? Then consider the Bracefox® Arch Support Insoles – ErgoSole for your everyday shoes, so your foot posture is corrected outside of sport too and your shins get a rest all day long.
Bracefox® Arch Support Insoles – ErgoSole
Corrects overpronation and supports the arch, all day long.
ViewFrequently asked questions about shin splints
How long do shin splints last?
With timely action (reducing load, improving cushioning and support) the complaints usually disappear within two to six weeks. If you've been running through them for months, count on two to three months. The biggest mistake is going back to full training too soon — then it all starts over.
Can I keep running with shin splints?
With mild complaints that only appear after running, you can often keep training at a lower volume on softer surfaces. If your shin already hurts during running or while walking, continuing is unwise: you'd risk a stress fracture. Switch to cycling or swimming in that phase.
What's the difference between shin splints and a stress fracture?
Shin splints cause a nagging pain over a zone of several centimetres along the inner edge of the shin. A stress fracture hurts at one sharply defined point, gets worse with every step, and can also flare up at rest and at night. In doubt? Get it checked — a stress fracture needs proper rest.
Do insoles help against shin splints?
Yes. Research shows that shock-absorbing insoles with arch support reduce the risk of shin splints and support recovery: they lower the landing peak and curb the overpronation that pulls on the bone lining. Always combine them with a sensible training build-up.
Should I use cold or heat?
Right after activity, cooling works best: a cold pack on the inner edge of the shin for 10 to 15 minutes calms the irritated bone lining. Heat is mainly pleasant for stiff calf muscles on rest days. More important than either: adjusting the load.
How do I prevent shin splints from coming back?
Increase your training volume by no more than about ten percent per week, replace running shoes on time, keep doing the calf and shin exercises, vary your surfaces and keep the support in your shoes up to standard. Remove the causes, and shin splints rarely return.
