Shin splints

An ache along the inside edge of the shin bone that builds through a run and eases with rest. It is the classic complaint of anyone adding running volume to a training week that was previously all gym.

Read this first: This is general training information, not medical advice, and nothing here is a diagnosis. The same pain can have very different causes, and only a qualified professional who can assess you in person can tell which one is yours. If pain is severe, getting worse, or not settling, get it looked at.

Also called: Medial tibial stress syndrome, Shin pain

How it usually presents

• A spread-out ache along the inner border of the shin, several centimetres long rather than one spot.
• Sore at the start of a run, sometimes easing mid-run, then worse afterwards.
• Tender to press along the bone edge.
• Both legs are often affected, though rarely equally.

What commonly drives it

• Running volume climbing faster than the lower leg can adapt: the single most common driver by a distance.
• Coming into Hyrox-style training from a gym background where the shins have never run.
• New shoes, or a sudden switch to a much lower drop or a much firmer plate.
• A lot of new surface: treadmill to road, or road to track.
• Calf and foot strength that hasn't caught up with the mileage.

Usually provoked by

• Running intervals, especially on hard surfaces.
• Long compromised runs between stations.
• Double-unders and box jumps in volume.
• Anything repetitive on the balls of the feet.

What usually stays available

• The rower, ski erg and bike, which usually stay completely comfortable.
• All strength work including squats and deadlifts.
• Sled push and pull, which many people tolerate when running hurts.
• Running at a reduced volume, if it stays quiet during and after: total rest is rarely the fastest route.

Training swaps

• Instead of Running intervals: Rowing or ski erg intervals matched by effort and duration
• Instead of Long easy runs: Bike or pool running at the same heart rate
• Instead of Double-unders: Rowing calories or a bike sprint
• Instead of Compromised runs between stations: Ski erg between stations to keep the transition skill

What people typically rebuild

• Calf and foot strength: heel raises through full range, built up over weeks, are the backbone of most recoveries.
• A slower running progression, and one that changes only one variable at a time.
• Running cadence, if a long, heavy overstride is loading the shin on every step.
• Enough overall energy intake: persistent shin pain in athletes under-eating is a different and more serious problem.

When to stop and get it checked

• The pain narrows to one small spot on the bone rather than spreading along it.
• It hurts when you hop on that leg, or at rest and at night: a possible stress fracture.
• The calf becomes tight, swollen and numb during exercise and settles right after stopping.
• It keeps returning at the same running volume despite a sensible build.

Sweatlas is not a medical provider. Everything in the niggle index is general information about training, written for healthy adults, and it is not medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Do not use it to self-diagnose or to delay getting care. If you have pain that is severe, worsening, or not settling, or you have any of the warning signs listed on the page, see a doctor or a qualified physiotherapist.