What should you know about preventing shin splints?

Shin splints, also called medial tibial stress syndrome, describe pain along the inner edge of the shin linked with repeated loading. A sudden change in running distance, speed, hills, jumping, or training surface can give the tissues less time to adapt. Flat feet or a foot and ankle movement pattern that increases strain may also contribute.

Shin pain is not always shin splints. Pain in one precise spot, pain at rest, marked swelling, numbness, weakness, or pain that keeps worsening needs assessment because other bone, muscle, or circulation problems can look similar.

Build activity in small stages and include easier sessions between demanding ones. Warm up with gentle movement, then use calf, ankle, foot, and hip strengthening suited to your current ability. Replace worn footwear and choose a surface that matches your training goals. Cross-training with lower-impact activity can maintain fitness while reducing repeated pounding.

If your feet roll inward or your gait feels inefficient, a physiotherapist can assess movement and teach gait retraining. Custom orthotics may be considered when foot mechanics require additional support, but they should fit an assessment rather than be chosen solely for shin discomfort.

Stop impact exercise and arrange assessment if pain changes your stride, becomes sharply localised, persists after rest, or returns quickly whenever activity resumes. Seek urgent care for inability to bear weight, sudden severe swelling, numbness, weakness, or a cold or unusually pale foot.

Ask whether your symptoms fit shin splints, what training change may have triggered them, and which exercises are appropriate now. Discuss foot posture, footwear, running form, return-to-sport stages, and whether physiotherapy, gait retraining, or custom orthotics would add value.