Shin Splints
An ache along the inner edge of the shin bone that comes with running or jumping. The bone and its lining are struggling to keep up with the load. Ease off, rebuild gradually, and watch for stress fracture signs.
Typical signs: a spread-out ache or tenderness along a stretch of the inner shin, often both legs. It starts during or after exercise and tends to ease with rest. Early on, it may warm up and fade during a run.
Why it happens: more impact than the bone can adapt to: starting running, a sudden jump in distance or speed, hard surfaces, military or sports training, flat feet, or low energy intake. Common in new runners, dancers and recruits. The proper name is medial tibial stress syndrome.
Diagnosis: from your story and an examination. A scan (usually MRI) is used if a stress fracture is suspected: pain in one small spot, pain at rest or at night, or not improving.
The shin splints ladder
Honest truth: no treatment has strong trial evidence. What reliably helps is time and smarter loading. Most people are back running within a few weeks to a few months.
- Step 1 · Self-careRelative restCut running and jumping to a level that doesn’t hurt. Keep fit with cycling, swimming or pool running.
- Works
- The standard first step; no treatment has beaten it in good-quality trials
- Cost
- Free
- How long
- Usually 2–6 weeks, until walking and hopping are pain-free
- Watch for
- Pain while walking or at night is not shin splints territory: see your GP.
Shins are not interested in your Strava streak.
- Step 2 · Self-careGraded return to runningWalk-run intervals on soft, flat surfaces, adding a little each week. Only progress if the shin is pain-free during and the day after.
- Works
- Expert advice rather than trial evidence, but it targets the cause: too much load too soon
- Cost
- Free
- How long
- 4–8 weeks to build back
- Watch for
- Pain coming back at the same point each run means hold the level or step back.
Couch-to-5K, not couch-to-marathon.
- Step 3 · Self-careCalf and leg strengtheningHeel raises, single-leg balance and hip strengthening to help muscles absorb impact.
- Works
- Not proven to treat shin splints in trials, but low-risk and widely used to help return to sport
- Cost
- Free
- How long
- Ongoing, 2–3 times a week
- Watch for
- Stop exercises that cause sharp shin pain.
Strong calves are shock absorbers you don’t have to replace.
- Step 4 · PharmacyIce, pain relief and good shoesIce for 10–15 minutes after activity, paracetamol or a short course of anti-inflammatories; replace worn-out running shoes.
- Works
- For comfort only; little evidence they speed healing
- Cost
- About $5–20; shoes extra
- How long
- Short term
- Watch for
- Don’t use painkillers to run through pain. Low energy intake or missed periods need a GP chat (bone health).
Masking pain to keep training is how shin splints become a fracture.
- Step 5 · Allied healthPhysio or podiatristTo check running technique, training load and footwear, and to plan your comeback.
- Works
- Evidence is limited; useful for repeat episodes or when return to running keeps failing
- Cost
- About $90–130 a session; Medicare rebates with a GP care plan
- How long
- A few sessions
- Watch for
- Expensive gadgets and gait analysis upsells.
A training plan beats a shopping list.
- Step 6 · Allied healthShockwave therapySound-wave pulses for stubborn shin pain lasting months.
- Works
- The most promising option in a 2013 review, but based on low-quality studies
- Cost
- About $60–120 a session
- How long
- Several sessions
- Watch for
- Rule out a stress fracture first.
Promising, not proven.
Save your money
Popular, heavily marketed or often asked about, but the evidence is weak or says no.
- Compression socks and sleevesNot proven to treat shin splints. Fine if they feel nice; not a treatment.
- Lower leg bracesNo benefit over no brace in a trial.
- Laser therapyNot shown to help.
- Custom orthotics for everyoneMay suit some people with very flat feet, but they aren’t a routine fix and cost a lot.
- Running through itShin splints that keep getting loaded can progress to a stress fracture, which means a much longer break.
What you can do
- Track your weekly running and increase it gradually, avoiding big jumps in distance, speed or hills at once.
- Mix in soft surfaces (grass, trails, tracks) and rest days.
- Replace running shoes when the cushioning is worn out.
- Eat enough to fuel your training. Under-fuelling raises bone stress injury risk, especially with missed periods.
- Use our exercise handouts for calf, hip and balance work.
See your GP if
- Pain is in one small spot you can point to, or a lump on the bone
- Pain while walking, at rest or at night
- No better after 2–3 weeks of reduced load
- Repeated bone stress injuries, missed periods or low energy intake
See a doctor the same day for severe, worsening lower leg pain with tightness, numbness, pins and needles or weakness in the foot, especially after an injury or hard exercise (possible compartment syndrome), or a swollen, red, warm calf.
Common questions
Is it shin splints or a stress fracture?
Shin splints usually cause a spread-out ache along the inner shin that eases with rest. A stress fracture tends to hurt in one small spot, hurts with walking or at rest, and keeps getting worse. If in doubt, see your GP.
How long do shin splints take to heal?
Usually a few weeks of reduced load, then a gradual return to running over another month or two. Rushing back is the commonest reason they return.
Can I keep exercising?
Yes, but swap running and jumping for cycling, swimming or pool running until walking and hopping are pain-free.
Do I need special shoes?
Comfortable running shoes that aren’t worn out are enough for most people. No shoe type has been proven to prevent shin splints.
Helpful resources
- Exercise handoutsPrintable, evidence-based home programs, including calf and balance work. Free, from us.
- Find a podiatristSearch for a podiatrist near your postcode, from the Australian Podiatry Association. Australia.
Evidence and more information
- Winters et al, Sports Medicine 2013: Treatment of medial tibial stress syndrome, a systematic review
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