Has It Already Started? | Stop Shin Splints and Keep Running!

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Shin splints or MTSS (Medial tibial stress syndrome) is one of runners' most common lower leg complaints. Let coach and physio Brad go over the 3 biggest contributors to the issue and how you can manage your training so you never have to experience the shin pain that can stop you in your tracks.

[@TheRunExperience]

Have an injury? We have an answer! Download The Daily Run App: tre.onelink.me/I8YZ/3eb5fc43 and try our injured runner program to get back stronger than ever.

[@victorlussier5477]

It really sucks because i'm not even tired and i want to run more but my tibia feels like it wants to explode! i need help

[@anujdas203]

Update?

[@Mathewkortxo]

Same happens to me

[@PiaRxxxx]

same here! Did you find a way to fix it? i hope you did!

[@daniel106]

@@PiaRxxxxI run through it, and it eventually goes numb it’s all mental.

[@hector_2999]

​@@daniel106 Running thru it is how you get microfractures.

[@theyracemesohardchair]

Three years ago I died of shin splints

[@xcnis]

How did u get rid of it please help me

[@deerheart87]

Rest in shin ❤

[@davideghan3528]

So who sent this....???

[@Sindrandi]

Their ghost.

[@scentSensibility]

Did this video revive u?

[@kristenhills]

I had terrible shin splints when I first started running. It was a combo of trying to run too much too quickly and using the wrong type of shoes. I now use Brooks Ghost 14 and they are awesome!

[@GodCee360]

Brooks are the best shoes I ever had for running.

[@TheRunExperience]

Thanks for commenting Kristen

[@Simbadagreat13]

I play basketball and I get shin splints I had to miss a lot of games last season bc of it

[@grey8212]

@@Simbadagreat13 upper body ready to play but lower doesn't support. It really depress u

[@Simbadagreat13]

@@grey8212 literally I never even knew about this injury since I first got them I’m tryna get rid of them for good

[@SilverlingVirtualStudio]

Excellent video. Informative, and straight to the point. Thanks for the help!

[@TheRunExperience]

Thanks for the comment. Have a great week

[@elijahthompson9651]

I’ve been dealing with what I think was MTSS for about 4 years. Taking most of it off. Haven’t ran more than .5 miles in years and no matter how long I take off it’s still there. PT did nothing.

[@adm1ralanderson420]

Solid info. Thanks for the video!

[@TheRunExperience]

Thanks for leaving a comment. Have a great week

[@CharlesReedPi]

This is the exact answer I did not want when I searched should I run with shin splints

[@TheRunExperience]

The truth hurts and sets you free

[@CharlesReedPi]

@@TheRunExperience free to heal and recover at least!

[@TheRunExperience]

@@CharlesReedPi you also have the opportunity to come back stronger 💪🏼 You’ve got this!

[@CharlesReedPi]

@TheRunExperience hey always! 😁 Excited for my next workout right now!

[@carlidoepke5131]

😂 yes, exactly!

[@mathews0618]

I got them from jumping back into training after taking 6 weeks off from achilles tendonitis. Mine were never all that bad. I still have them lingering at about 3 weeks later. I took 5 days off and ate ibuprofen daily. All the pain was gone but i knew they weren't fully healed. I am running but i kind of baby my lower legs. No fast sprints, no hill work, rest days. Laying around doesn't work as well as active rest. I am hoping that my light load and resting when i notice them will allow them to resolve while i train. If they were real bad, i would think a month off of running would be necessary. Mine are only sore if i press on them. And probably only notice them from time to time while running because i know they are there

[@coreyhaskins7768]

Thanks, Man

[@TheRunExperience]

Thanks for watching Corey

[@Cosmic_Visitors]

I run every day pretty much (I'm in the army) but shin splints are killing it's getting worse and I don't know what to do anymore.

[@TheRunExperience]

Have you told your superior officer? You need to stop running to allow healing.

[@Alpinisto_ll]

Hey i just stumbled over your comment and wanted to share my experiences with shin splints maybe it helps you. The one thing that completely healed my shin splint is sleeping in the correct position with my feet. Before i always slept with my toes facing horizontal , just like walking on tip toes i don't know if there is an english word for this. Anyways now i force myself to let my feet and toes look upwards while sleeping. After this small correction it never came back. Oh and of course you need something to support your tibialis to hold the foot in this position like a planket otherwise your tibialis cant relax in that position.

[@Cosmic_Visitors]

@@Alpinisto_ll I keep reading your comment, but I still don't get it lol

[@Alpinisto_ll]

@@Cosmic_Visitors hm I'm thinking about an easier way to explain it. But i don't know how😂 but i can try to explain what happened with my feet and what caused the shin splints. some say you need to train calves to get rid of shin splints. But i had no balance between my front and back muscles of the shin. The calves were to strong and therefore the calves forced my feet into a certain position because the muscle always pulled and the tibialis was completely wrecked. Therefore while sleeping on my back the feet were always in the "pointed foot" position . And thats the problem i had to solve. Now i try to have a 60°-90° angle between foot and shin while sleeping. maybe now the comment from earlier makes sense

[@Cosmic_Visitors]

@@Alpinisto_ll You're the boss, thank you for explaining this, I really appreciate it.

[@LxUxNxA]

Shin splints are the bane of my Life right now!! I don’t run for a few days and it eases off I run once and I’m ok , I run for a second day in a row and it flares right back up . I only do interval running on a treadmill 2 mins run 2 mins brisk walking so I dunno how it’s possible that I’m over doing it . I’ve looked into my running form , taking care to not over stride , I don’t heel strike and I keep my striking under my hips rather than striking / landing in front of my hips - I dunno what I’m doing wrong and it’s driving me bonkers .. shoes perhaps?

[@TheRunExperience]

Hi Luna! I am sorry to hear you are struggling with this! I struggled with it as well! Most of the time, your shin muscles are tense. This COULD be because your calf muscles are tight so, in order to address this to see if this is the problem, I would roll out your calves with a foam roller 3mins/side then gently stretch the calf from a step for 2 mins/side making sure you don't collapse at the arch. Doing this from a dumbbell wearing shoes is helpful here. Then address the lower calf such as the soleus and stretch that with an ankle stretch for 2mins/side. Finally a good strength session on the calves and light stretching of the tops of feet and ankles/shins 2mins/side can help ease the pain. Hope this helps! Let us know how it goes!

[@Huttify]

Good video as a start, but there is more behind this than just those points. Make a video of which muscle is taking the stress in a heel landing. For some, it is crucial to strengthen this. MTSS is something I have had three years now. My strength has been verified to more than enough for all muscles parttaking in a stride, loading or volume does not make the pain go down (just not up), shoes has been tested by the running shops in town. Stopping MTSS isn't a walk in the park :)

[@opplez1159]

I recommend looking into "the sling method"

[@simonvance8054]

I recently started running again and felt like I was increasing my dosage slowly...I did a mountain hike 2 weeks ago and since then have had shin pain. Going up was no problem but coming down it was hard not to land on my heels even though I was walking. I feel my form when running on flat is pretty good but seem to get shin pain very easily. I don't mind working through pain but definitely don't want to do long term damage with fractures etc. I have lots of energy to run and honestly it's so hard to hold myself back. I love running, especially running fast but my body limits me. When I can run I feel free, when I can't I feel like a prisoner.. Thanks for this information...it's incredibly frustrating to have to rest but as you say it's better. Soon will be switching to Altra zero drop wide toe box shoes and Injinjis, I'm hoping they will make some difference as well.. Great video!

[@TheRunExperience]

Thanks for sharing your story! Rest up then build back stronger

[@swordofhonor2]

great video

[@TheRunExperience]

Thanks

[@Thiago-nm5df]

Thank you

[@TheRunExperience]

Our pleasure

[@arandomzoomer4837]

The first two times I tried to get into running I went at a limit of my cardiovascular system that vastly exceeded what my shin could handle. I wanted to push myself and felt ashamed that I was giving up early or not going fast enough to be out of breath. (I'm a 215 lb 6'3 lifter with a good bit of muscle on my frame) Today I decided I was gonna get into running again, but pace myself, not let myself get out of breath, and do it the right way. As soon as my shin felt funny, I would stop to give the tissue time to adapt. Lo and behold, no pain. So now I'm going at the intensity that isn't gonna hurt me, and if I have to get my supplemental cardio elsewhere in a lower impact way, so be it (that's what sleds and distance farmer's carry is for) I also was engaging my core and ankle muscles a lot more and paying much better heed to my form (I think it helps that I've been taking ab oblique and erector training more seriously since last time I tried to start running) No pain! It feels good knowing I can let my body adapt at its own pace. I don't have anyone to impress after all

[@CL-dh2mf]

Great video and explanation! Been through it all, I would add foam rolling EVERY DAY! In my experience its at least as important as core routine. After I got it fixed I was able to run Ultra Marathons, what at some points seemed undoable for me. Cheers from Germany!✌️

[@TheRunExperience]

Agree. Foam rolling is a great addition to management.

[@zkhater63]

can you please tell me how did you get rid of the posterior shin splint and what was your routine and how long did it take you ?

[@CL-dh2mf]

@@zkhater63 Like I said I foam rolled every day in the Evening, especially quads and upper leg muscles. Also I stretched after every run. That said I had to stop running for at least 2 weeks while doing said treatment. There are good videos for certain stretching and foam rolling on KZbin. All the best for you und your running Journey!✌️

[@ely0335]

​@@CL-dh2mfshould i start the stretch and foamrolling even if it s still pretty acute,still hurts?

[@CL-dh2mf]

@@ely0335 Hi there! Without knowing your exact situation, I think you could start carefully. It shouldnt hurt too bad at the beginning. But rolling your quads should work, right? You dont need to foam roll your shins! Greetings!

[@sonitclef8675]

I started skipping more, walking more and running with toe first. All shinnn

[@OfficialSparkTark]

Im doing varsity track, im a freshman, and I am going to quit by next week if the pain doesn't stop. Ive been sticking around for a good month and a half and the pain has only gotten worse and worse. Imma most likely take a couple weeks off from running and then work my way back up bit by bit at my house. It really stinks. But you gotta do what you gotta do.

[@TheRunExperience]

Deload. Cross train, work on strength and come back better. You got this!

[@johnphillips3526]

Agree 100% with all of this, but there’s one more thing…at least for my body, and that is type 2 diabetes. I used to get really bad shin splints, even before being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. What was happening was that when my sugars were off what they should be, my muscles, especially my shins and calves would flex and then stay flexed. They never relaxed when I would run, or even hike. So then, as was brilliantly described here, that load would come down on a flexed muscle and it would slowly tear it away from where it should be. Once I figured that out, my issues disappeared. I also watch my form and agree with all points of this video. If you can’t seem to shake shin splints and no amount of money on shoes or anything else helps, you may be pre-diabetic and not even know it. It took me over 10 years to figure that out, so hopefully this shortens the learning curve for someone.

[@TheRunExperience]

Thanks for that important information.

[@ashwinv3750]

Thanks for the info bud

[@Popmycherryyo]

I used to have this quite regulary 6-8 years ago, and what I actually did was just change shoes. I went from more regular or "normal" jogging shoes to Vibram Fivefingers. NEVER, EVER had the problem again, even on asphalt running (which, obviously cus of the impact, used to be the worst)

[@TheRunExperience]

Thanks for sharing your experience

[@nznige]

interesting I think that my time in Vibram's actually caused this for me =(

[@rileyrichmond7321]

I hooe my 15 dollar costco shoes are what are causing this as they are beat ruined and crap and is tarted to run terrible idk but i just picked up some hoka shoes hopefully they work good

[@over40texasskater817]

Good info

[@TheRunExperience]

Thanks

[@nznige]

Kia Ora! Nice spot you have there, grew up surfing there. Can shin splints occur on the side of the shin from the inner calf down the bone and even extending down over the ankle bone? Ever since my 50k it has been super painful to the touch and on longer runs it gets stressed, I rested it for 6 months with little improvement

[@TheRunExperience]

Kia Ora Nige. Possibly- although you could have a stress reaction of the tibia. I would visit a sports therapist (who runs) in your area and get it assessed.

[@JacobSucksAtCode]

a KIWI! This is what I needed

[@TheRunExperience]

Kia ora mate!

[@welkarma]

i run every morning excluding sundays. it’s only a 2 mile run, but i believe it compounded with XC practice and now i’m DYING the day of our first meet😂

[@quochuynh2908]

I wore crocs why running on treadmills and keep wondering why I got this. Now I know why

[@Lfiddler4life]

I have a lot of trouble with shin and ankle pain. Sometimes I can't even do a 1 mile jog 2 days in a row because I'm sore. Granted, I'm a pretty new runner. But I'm only 25 and otherwise in good shape. Am I just not built to run?

[@TheRunExperience]

I believe we are all built to run in some capacity. Just try running 2 x a week and build consistency first before mileage.

[@Lfiddler4life]

I added strength training specifically calves and worked on my running form. Now the only thing stopping me is getting winded. But no pain

[@fisfisarenskanal]

Mine came out of nowhere. Never had pain in my shins before. Now im 4 months in and only had a modest improvement. No running, doing rehab exercises. Well long walks and the turning of walking at home seems to be enough to trigger it 🥲🥲 Good luck to all. And good advise. Have you heard of compression socks?

[@angeloselarja]

Could foot pronation contribute to developing shin splints? I ordered Altra paradigm 6 (stability, foot shaped with zero drop) and waiting to test them..

[@TheRunExperience]

Absolutely. The arch collapsing will cause an internal rotation of the tibia creating stress

[@nznige]

I run in altra’s love the toe box but I found the zero drop inflames mine over distance

[@nznige]

@@TheRunExperience what about with excessively high arches that aren't collapsing enough?

[@victoriabarbosa6230]

Didnt have shin splints for a while. They made their comeback yesterday. I really wanna go running today, but i guesse you’ve just talked me out of this😢

[@TheRunExperience]

Deload now and get back running pain free sooner

[@jessevonk2836]

I have them for almost a year right now. Took weeks and months off from running but whenever I start again it hits me right into the shin. I've iced them, streched, stregthen, warming ups/cooling downs, slow running, short running, running on sand etc. I used to cycle a lot so my stamina is very good. I've ran half a marathon without lack of breath but these shins man. Nothing seems to work :(

[@TheRunExperience]

Sorry to hear. Have you tried a walk/jog plan 2 x week? I would start with 30sec jog 30sec walk x 4, 2 x week.

[@jessevonk2836]

@@TheRunExperience Haven't tried that one out yet, I will give it a shot. Thanks for the help!

[@jessevonk2836]

@Leon 22 I did indeed. I also went to a therapist who got the 'perfect' shoe for me. They are the Brooks Adrenaline 20

[@mandeep2531]

Bro I'm also suffering from the same 😔 And I am appearing in Army physical test on 11 October in which I have to run 1600m .It was all good a week before but it all changed within a week and worst thing is that I don't have time to rest .

[@jessevonk2836]

@@mandeep2531 Yeah good luck with that. So annoying that shins can stop your whole running process

[@diddydodat2482]

I'm not a runner but I played kickball 1-2 times a week last summer/fall and each time I played the shin pain got progressively worse. I ended up missing out on the last few games of the season because of it. Realized from watching this video that my issue is all frequency, core, and over striding. Thanks, now I know what to do for this next season.

[@TheRunExperience]

Awesome. Let us know how you get on

[@pumitriii6160]

Single leg hops (along with running or jogging of course) is what causes my lower medial tibial to hurt. Anyone know if this is indicative of anything in particular and what I can do about it?

[@pumitriii6160]

Tibia*

[@Alexa-eo4tf]

I got my shin splints because of jumping,how am I going to get better by doing the same thing that screwed me up ? Smh 😒

[@TheRunExperience]

Good question- it’s all about correcting the dosage to allow for absorption of load. So once pain improves look at jumping work No more than twice a week and build up as the body allows. In the mean time work on stretching, jump and land technique, and hip stability

[@jenmc9404]

I'm simply power walking and only 39 n this started. Will it get better as I get in shape?

[@TheRunExperience]

Yes it will but deload to allow to settle

[@Chris-Rife]

I want to be able to jog for miles. My shins however don’t want to jog longer than 1 minute they’re stinging and burning.

[@TheRunExperience]

Sorry to hear. Stretch and strengthen then start slow and build

[@williammoelgaard7325]

I just started getting shin splints pretty bad to the point where I have to stop running at around 1km. I have my first half marathon in two weeks, any tips?

[@TheRunExperience]

STOP running. Replace training with cycling to maintain CV fitness. Stretch, ice, and get some soft tissue work.

[@williammoelgaard7325]

@@TheRunExperience thank you for your quick response! I’ll try that out. Although I am unsure whether or not the pain will settle down in time for my race in two weeks

[@re8618]

@@williammoelgaard7325 What ended up happening? I got shin splints from running in my hiking boots on a trail 2 months ago and now I’m 3 weeks from my half :(

[@williammoelgaard7325]

@@re8618 I took a total break from running, which was best because it only made it worse! I still went on bike rides and did other forms of cardio like assault bike. But I didn’t go on a proper run in the last two weeks of training and hoped my shins would get better. On the half marathon day, I used compression socks and used some Voltaren cream (not sure it that did anything tbh, maybe just placebo) and the run went great actually! The last long run I did was 14km, the program I was following said I was supposed to do 16km and 18km but I didn’t do that and I was still okay during the run. Hope it works out for you!

[@re8618]

@@williammoelgaard7325 Thank you for the reply. That gives me hope! I ran 5 miles today and at the end my ankle/leg started hurting again after 2 weeks off. Congrats on finishing the half marathon!

[@zexcs336]

watching this with my shin splints kicking in. 😭😭😭

[@TheRunExperience]

We have a lot of videos on shin splints specifically. This is a good one to start! Let us know if we can help and we hope you heal up quick!

[@highpchannel5215]

I have competition comin up on Tuesday it’s Sunday and my shin hurts so bad

[@TheRunExperience]

Sorry to hear. Rest up till then

[@highpchannel5215]

@@TheRunExperiencethank you I was hurting so badly after the run but it got better now. Just got one more event to go and my legs can finally rest 😂

[@alana3327]

Can I run up until the shin splints start hurting? I noticed i can run for about 30 minutes until they start to hurt.

[@TheRunExperience]

No. Please stop and allow tissue to settle completely

[@joshuachantengco1352]

Yeah I dropped out or DNS for my last 3 track meets so I never qualified for anything in CA like sectionals or masters, but my shin hurt so much I was so sure it was a stress fracture but I never checked. But I know it was because the coaching my my “distance” coach was absolute garbage cause were were running a max of 2 miles per run cause we did speed work 5 days a week and no required long distance work on the weekend. So I was running 10 miles a week max. Plus we had like only 1 workout like plyometrics or strength work 1 time a week, also I just found out this video after I’ve finally started training again after 3 weeks of no cardiovascular activity

[@joshuachantengco1352]

Plus my main running event was the 3200 cause I wanted to break 12 but I only ever ran 12:49, but I got a 2:25 800 but I only did the 800 cause coach put me on it. So 800 I was decent but 3200 I was pretty bad

[@TheRunExperience]

Sorry to hear. Hope you recover soon

[@user-xi9wl2zk7b]

ياتي الالم عندما العب كره القدم او المشي لمسافه طويله اروجو حل لهذه المشكله

[@danieldunstone6128]

Ye but does riding agrivate shin splints

[@TheRunExperience]

No. Cycling is usually fine for MTSS

[@danieldunstone6128]

@@TheRunExperience thanks glad to know I havnt done damage to them by riding which makes sense they take pressure off calf's but more pressure on the shins

[@marcelbrosius841]

I bacame shin Splints before 1 1/2 weeks And i am 2 weeks out from my first Marathon… 😫 Hope i can fix it a bit that i have the strength for 42,5 km. I will compete nevertheless

[@TheRunExperience]

Don’t run until the race. Stretch and foam roll. Hope it goes well

[@nojokesyt08]

You are Australian right

[@TheRunExperience]

I’m from Aotearoa, New Zealand.

[@heathcraig336]

I played too much ping pong

[@TheRunExperience]

Gotta be careful of too much ping pong too quick. Rest up

[@maximvillarroel672]

Calf raises!

[@TheRunExperience]

Absolutely

[@Huttify]

With a bent knee. Only doing calf raises, in a standing position, makes me question anyones experience with MTSS.

[@maximvillarroel672]

@@Huttify Tried everything but it wasn`t untill I saw a phisio who told me to only focus on calf raises (Bent/Normal) that my shin splints went away. I think it is easy to overthink and overtry diffrent methods of rehab without really trying anything if it makes sense.

[@joshua07313]

I am a 16 year old who is very lean with minimal fat. I started running the other day and I ran for 1 minute. After this 1 minute run, I now have severe shin splints to the point where I am LIMPING. Are my bones malformed or something? What is going on? There are obese 40 year olds who have less severe shin splints. I can't even fucking run for longer than ONE MINUTE

[@TheRunExperience]

I feel your frustration. How much walking load had you done before you started running? After resting to let the shins settle look at cycling and walking to build fitness and loading for 6 weeks before then trying to run. Also try some stretching (especially calves) and make sure your footwear is appropriate.

[@naudzy]

try to do lots of single calf raises, around 100 a day each leg, and good stretching. It helped for me after 3 weeks

[@Da_boysback999]

One minute is crazy how fast were you running

[@Memesdotcom]

Bro was going 110%

[@letsplayz2885]

I run barefoot though

[@youngwikid1]

Video is not helpful

[@TheRunExperience]

Sorry that you didn’t find it helpful. Any particular reason?

[@youngwikid1]

@@TheRunExperience i was under the impression that the video would tell me how to prevent shin splints from happening.

[@ShooterMcGavin32]

I mean he didn’t give us the specific solution but he certainly helps you pin point the problem and ways to help prevent your body from getting shin splints. Get good shoes, Focus on strengthening your core and strengthen your shins with jump drills, and work on running correctly. My problem I believe is my form, I’m walking right now as I type this and simply running on on my toes more feels loads better. I land on my heels too often. Thanks for the video I learned a lot. Cheers.

[@Da_boysback999]

Right now I’m running 4-5 miles a day every day nonstop running and I do not want to to stop running but but my dumb shin splint is happening and I do not want to stop for even one day what should I do?

[@TheRunExperience]

Stop running. Either you choose to stop if you won’t be able to run

[@Da_boysback999]

@@TheRunExperience ok

[@ramblingimbecile2295]

Currently laid up with shin pain numbing it with cider

[@TheRunExperience]

Sorry to hear. Recover quick

[@nacemoslibres]

So stop running but start jumping crazy on one leg or squatting? K…

[@TheRunExperience]

Yes. Stop running then after it settles start to graduate loading. Hopping is part of the graduated loading process before jog/walking. The time frames will be different for each individual.

[@harrycorman8200]

⁠@@TheRunExperiencehow long should u stop running before jumping and working on strength

[@90degreenurse29]

Thank you