Shin splints — properly, medial tibial stress syndrome — is pain along the inner border of the shin bone, caused by the bone and its covering being loaded faster than they can adapt. It is a classic training-load injury and it is a warning worth heeding: pushing through it is how it becomes a stress fracture, which costs months rather than weeks.

Does this sound like you?

Most people have several of these, not all of them.

Aching along the inner border of the shin, over a spread rather than a point
Pain at the start of a run that may ease then return afterwards
Tenderness to press along the inner shin
Symptoms progressing to hurting during walking as it worsens
Pain at one precise point on the bone — which suggests stress fracture and needs imaging

Why it happens

A rapid increase in running distance or intensity
A change to harder surfaces or worn-out footwear
Weak calf and foot muscles
Sudden addition of hills or speed work
Low bone density or nutritional deficits in some cases

What we would do about it

Roughly in this order — each step waits for the one before it.

Reducing load to a level the shin tolerates, rather than stopping entirely
Progressive calf and foot strengthening
Running technique and cadence adjustments
Footwear and surface review
A structured rebuild of running volume
Referral for imaging where a stress fracture is suspected

See a doctor first if

Your pain followed a significant injury
It is getting worse rather than settling
It comes with numbness, weakness or unexplained weight loss

This page is general information, not a diagnosis. Symptoms overlap between conditions, so the right treatment depends on an assessment.

Pushing through shin pain risks a stress fracture

Diffuse ache along the shin is manageable. One precise painful point on the bone is not, and it needs imaging. Worth knowing which you have before your next run.

Book a shin assessment Ask a question first

Or call us on 0403 907 587 — we see patients across Seaton.

Other leg conditions we treat

Hamstring Strain Calf Strain Quadriceps Strain Compartment Syndrome

Back to all leg conditions

General information only, not advice about your own problem — nothing here replaces an assessment. Source: Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome on Physiopedia.

Shin Splints