Experiencing shin pain during or after running? It could be shin splints or a bone stress injury. While the two conditions can feel similar, they affect different structures and require different management.
Shin splints (medial tibial stress syndrome) involve irritation and sensitivity along the inner border of the shin bone, usually due to repetitive loading. Pain is often spread over a broader area and commonly develops with running or increased training loads.
Bone stress injuries occur when repetitive loading exceeds the bone’s ability to repair itself. These injuries range in severity, from early stress reactions to stress fractures. Pain is often more localised, can worsen as activity continues and may eventually occur during everyday walking or even at rest.
How you can manage shin pain
- Manage your load: Reduce or modify aggravating activities, particularly running and jumping, while symptoms settle.
- Don’t push through pain: Continuing to train through a suspected bone stress injury can worsen the injury and delay recovery.
- Build strength: Gradually strengthen your calves, hips and lower limbs to improve your capacity to handle sporting demands.
- Return gradually: Increase running volume and intensity progressively once symptoms and injury severity allow.
When should you seek help?
If shin pain is persistent, worsening, localised to one spot or starting to affect everyday walking, it’s important to get it assessed. A physiotherapist can help identify the likely cause, guide appropriate load management and determine whether further investigation or medical review is needed.
Don’t ignore shin pain and hope it disappears. Our physio team can help identify what’s going on and guide your return to running safely. Book now!
