Inside shin splints: symptoms and treatment options

Shin splints, also called medial tibial stress syndrome, involve pain and tenderness along the inner border of the shin. They may develop when the lower leg is asked to handle more impact than it has adapted to, such as after a faster increase in training, harder surfaces, or new footwear. Flat feet can alter how the foot and leg load during movement. Shin splints usually affect a broader strip rather than one sharply defined point, but symptoms can overlap with a stress fracture, so worsening or focal pain deserves assessment.

Reduce or pause the activity that brings on pain, especially running, jumping, and hills. Choose comfortable low-impact exercise while the shin settles. Check footwear condition and return to impact in small steps, changing one training factor at a time. Physiotherapy can assess calf strength, hip control, foot movement, and running technique. Gait retraining may help change loading, while custom orthotics may be considered when foot mechanics contribute to symptoms.

Arrange an assessment if symptoms keep returning, interfere with walking, or do not improve after reducing impact. Prompt care is needed for one pinpoint tender area, pain at rest or during the night, swelling, bruising, or increasing pain despite rest. Urgent evaluation is appropriate if you cannot bear weight, or the foot becomes numb, pale, cold, or unusually weak.

Ask whether the pattern fits shin splints or a stress fracture, whether flat feet or another movement pattern is contributing, and when to restart impact. You can also ask whether physiotherapy, gait retraining, or custom orthotics is appropriate for your feet and activities.