How to Prevent Shin Splints When Running

Your shins are sore, tender, and maybe even a bit swollen. Walking around is agonizing, let alone trying to train at your usual clip. You have medial tibial stress syndrome — you know it as shin splints. 

Shin splints are one of the most common running and sports injuries, and they can bring your activities to a grinding halt. 

Injury is the enemy of all athletes, and we can relate. At Somers Orthopaedic Surgery, our team of sports medicine specialists has compiled our years of experience into a simple guide on preventing shin splints (and treating them when they occur).

Getting to the bottom of your shin splints

You know your shins hurt, but you may not understand exactly how they got that way. 

Your pain stems primarily from inflammation in the muscles and tendons in your lower legs. It’s easy to develop this painful inflammation if you:

• Run on hard or inclined surfaces
• Have poor form and/or ankle mechanics when you run
• Are new to running or high-impact sports
• Have increased the frequency, intensity, or duration of your training

Runners (especially rookie runners) are far and away the most at risk for shin splints since the activity often requires a lot of impact on the lower legs. 

The good news is that shin splints are rarely a game- or race-ender. They’re often easy to manage with rest, cold therapy, over-the-counter medication, and compression gear. 

Though they’re easy to eliminate, they still put a damper on your training, so we want to work with you to avoid them as much as possible. Here are a few easy ways to sidestep shin splints. 

Start slowly

Since shin splints are, at their core, overuse injuries, it’s important to ease into activity by increasing your mileage or intensity over time.

Listen to your body

The moment your shins (or any other area of your body, for that matter) start to hurt, we recommend you stop your activity and have a sports medicine expert evaluate you. Running and training with shin splints only exacerbates the problem and leaves you on the sideline longer. 

Err on the soft side

You might love the route through your neighborhood, but we recommend mixing in softer surfaces. Try running on grass or dirt trails, especially if you plan to run for a distance. 

Remember to rest

Whether you’re new to the activity or a veteran athlete, remember to allow your body time to rest. Give yourself a couple of days between runs to limit the amount of stress on your muscles, joints, and bones. 

Cross-train

Use the time you take off from running to train in other activities and sports. Cross-training is a great way to rest your legs while strengthening other body areas. 

Where to start with cross-training? Try low-impact exercises like swimming, biking, cross-country skiing, or aqua jogging. 

Get the right equipment

By “equipment,” we mainly mean your shoes. Worn-out shoes and those not designed to handle your specific activity are a recipe for problems like shin splints. Our team and your local shoe store experts can give you some pointers on what to look for in a proper pair of trainers. 

Don’t neglect strength training

One of the lesser-known causes of shin splints is weak or imbalanced muscles. If the muscles around your shin aren’t up to snuff, they’re more likely to succumb to intense activity. The best workouts to strengthen your leg muscles are heel and toe raises.  Strengthening the core muscles and posterior chain muscles (i.e. glutes and hamstrings) also helps to stabilize you and reduce the stress on your shins when running.

Start slowly, and add weight as you get stronger and more comfortable with the movement. 

Consider your form

An irregular foot strike or toe running can cause your lower leg to overcompensate for poor form and lead to painful shin splints. Make sure that when you run, you land on the middle of your foot, roll through, and push off your toe.  If you naturally land on your heels when you run, it will be especially important to maintain good strength and have the appropriate footwear.

You can practice proper form by running barefoot and warming up with drills emphasizing technique. 

Limber up

What’s the simplest way to keep shin splints at bay? Stretch before you start training. Tight muscles in your lower legs exacerbate the stress of your movements and can lead to an injury. 

Need more information about how to stay safe during your workouts? Looking for treatment for shin splints? We’d love to talk with you. Call or click to schedule an appointment with one of our experts today.