Shin splints or Medial Tibial stress syndrome is a condition that commonly affects runners. 

What is it?
Shin Splints is characterised by pain along the inside of the shin bone. It typically presents while running and gradually increases in intensity as you run.  Pain may present itself with other physical activities, and may present after activity has ceased.  There underlying cause of shin splints is not entirely understood, past research has suggested pathology of the fascia –connective tissue surrounding bone and muscle is to blame. However more recent studies report changes in the quality in the bone of the tibia, or a poor healing response in the tibia. Regardless of the underlying tissue affected, shin splints hurts! But this won’t really affect our management.   

Why do I have shin splints?
Shin splints commonly presents itself after an increase in load, or activity levels. If you’re a runner ask yourself these questions:

• Have I significantly increased my running frequency or intensity?

• Have I recently returned to running after an extended time off?

• Have I recently sustained a different lower limb injury?

• Have I changed the surface I run on – from road to footpath? 

Diagnosis
A physiotherapist can diagnose shin splints. Primarily, just from listening to your story we can get most of the information we need! However, there are a few other conditions that present in a similar fashion that would be important to rule out: tibial stress fractures and chronic exertional compartment syndrome being the main two. These conditions require different management plans, so it is a good idea to have a thorough investigation with a health professional if you are getting shin pain. 

Management
I have been diagnosed with shin splints, do I have to stop running? No!

Management for shin splints usually does require some modification to your running or activity load though. Reducing some aspects of your running for a period of time, is usually the first point of call for management. Building strength in the calves is also important for absorbing forces while running, helping to offload the stress on your bones.

If you have shin pain with activity or think you might have shin splints and are struggling with your running, make an appointment with one of our dedicated physiotherapist to have your pain assessed and treated by calling (07) 3211 8775 or click here to book online.

​