What Causes Shin Splints?

The muscles and connective tissues around the shin help absorb force. A rapid change in distance, speed, hills, frequency or training surface can give these tissues less time to adapt. Worn or unsuitable footwear and poor recovery may add to the load. Flat feet can change how the foot rolls and how force travels up the leg, making shin splints more likely in some people. Pain is often spread along the inner shin and linked to exercise, rather than limited to one small point.

Reduce or stop painful impact activity for now, then use comfortable low-impact exercise if it does not reproduce symptoms. A gradual return works better than alternating complete rest with a sudden return to the previous workload. Check footwear condition and review recent training changes. Physiotherapy can assess calf strength, ankle movement, foot mechanics and running form, then build a staged loading plan. Do not use pain as the target for increasing exercise.

Arrange an assessment if pain is sharply focused, occurs at rest or night, persists after reducing impact, or worsens with ordinary walking. Urgent review is needed for severe swelling, numbness, weakness, a cold or pale foot, or sudden intense pain after an injury, because these patterns may reflect a different problem.

Does my pain pattern fit shin splints or bone stress? Could flat feet or limited ankle movement be increasing the load? When can I restart impact activity, and how should I progress it?