March 2015
Shin Splints
Student-athletes often complain about “shin splints” at the beginning of a sports
season. The word “shin splints” is a catch-all term. There are a variety of injuries
that can cause pain in the front of the lower leg between the knee and ankle.
However, the most common is intense bone pain along the posterior/medial aspect
of the tibia (large shin bone) caused by overtraining without properly conditioning
the bones and muscles of the lower leg.
Shin splints are a “bone” injury not a “tendon” injury as once previously thought.
When student-athletes place stress on the lower leg from running and jumping, the
body will naturally attempt to strengthen the shin bone. However, in order for the
body to make new bone (osteoblasts), it must first get rid of the old bone
(osteoclasts). But when student-athletes place too much stress, too soon, on the
lower leg, the bone strengthening cannot keep pace which then causes intense shin
bone pain.
The only real treatment for shin splints is REST! Once the pain and tenderness has
subsided, the student-athlete may then begin a gradual pain-free return to running
and jumping. Cross-training (biking and swimming) are also helpful in maintaining
conditioning without increasing pain. Ice and taking anti-inflammatory medication
will also help with the pain and inflammation. Studies show that approximately 50%
of the time, the use of orthotics (arch supports) may also be helpful in reducing
shin pain by correcting problems with the way the student-athletes’ foot strikes
the ground (pronation) while running and jumping
If the student-athletes don’t take the proper time to heal and continue to try and
run and jump through pain, the repeated stresses on the bones can result in a
“stress fracture”. Treatment for stress fractures requires even longer rest than
shin splints (usually 6-8 weeks).
March 2015