TL;DR
- Shin splints are pain along the inner shin from overuse. Most common in beginners adding mileage too fast.
- The fix is not rest alone. Reduce mileage by 50%, strengthen calves and tibialis anterior, and gradually return over 4 to 8 weeks.
- Edge builds general strength and mobility into every plan. The shin-specific exercises in this article you add yourself or work on with a physio.
You started running. The first two weeks felt great. Then a dull ache shows up along the inside of your shin bone after every run. By week four, it hurts when you walk down the stairs. You ice it. You rest for two days. You go back out and the pain is right there waiting for you.
This is shin splints. It is the single most common lower-leg injury in beginner runners and in experienced runners who added mileage too fast. The good news is it is fixable. The bad news is that resting alone will not fix it, and ignoring it can turn into a tibial stress fracture that puts you out for months.
This guide tells you what shin splints actually are, why they happen, the six exercises that genuinely help, when to escalate to a physio, and how to return to running without going straight back into the same hole.
What are shin splints
The medical name for shin splints is Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome, usually shortened to MTSS. The pain shows up along the inner edge of the tibia, which is the larger of the two bones in your lower leg. It runs from roughly the middle of the shin down toward the ankle.
What is actually happening is inflammation of the connective tissue and the lining of the bone where your calf and lower-leg muscles attach to the tibia. When you run, those muscles pull on the bone. When you run too much, too soon, on too hard a surface, in shoes that have lost their cushioning, those small pulls add up into an injury.
Shin splints are an overuse injury. They are not a sign that running is bad for you. They are a sign that the load you placed on your shins outpaced what they were ready to handle. Once you understand that, the fix becomes obvious. You reduce the load, you build the tissue up to handle more, and you return gradually.
How to know you have shin splints
There are four classic signs. Most runners with shin splints have all four.
- Pain along the inner edge of the shin. If you run your finger up and down the inside of your shin bone, you will find a line of soreness, usually around the middle third. The pain is not on the front of the shin or on the outside. It is on the inner edge where the muscle meets the bone.
- A dull ache that shows up after runs. Early on, shin splints hurt most when you stop running, not while you are running. As it gets worse, the pain starts earlier in the run, then eventually it hurts from the first step.
- Tender to touch. Press along the inner shin with your thumb. With shin splints, there is a diffuse soreness over a stretch of bone, usually four to ten centimetres long. With a stress fracture, the tenderness is concentrated on a single point.
- Eases when you stop. Pure shin splints calm down within minutes of stopping the run, and the pain is largely gone by the next morning. If pain lingers at rest, throbs at night, or wakes you up, that is a red flag for a stress fracture and you need to see a physio.
The real causes of shin splints
Shin splints are almost always caused by a combination of these five factors. Find the ones that apply to you and you will find your fix.
1. You added mileage too fast
This is the cause for most beginners. The classic rule is do not increase weekly mileage by more than 10% week on week. If you ran 10 miles last week, run 11 this week, not 15. Beginners who go from 0 to 20 miles a week in their first month are the textbook shin splints patient. The bone tissue adapts to running load, but it adapts slowly. Muscle gets stronger in weeks, bone takes months.
2. Weak calves
Your calves are the engine that absorbs impact every time your foot hits the ground. When they are weak, the shock travels straight up the tibia. Most beginner runners have never done a single-leg calf raise in their life. If you cannot do 25 single-leg calf raises on each side, your calves are a limiting factor.
3. Weak tibialis anterior
The tibialis anterior is the muscle on the front of your shin that lifts your foot up. It controls how hard your foot slaps down after heel strike. If it is weak, your foot slaps the ground, and that repetitive slap inflames the shin. Almost no one trains this muscle directly, which is why almost everyone is weak in it.
4. Hard surfaces
Concrete and tarmac are unforgiving. If every one of your runs is on pavement, you are loading the shins more than someone who runs on tow paths, grass, or treadmill. You do not need to avoid pavement entirely, but mixing surfaces helps.
5. Worn-out shoes
Running shoes lose meaningful cushioning between 400 and 600 miles. After that, the foam compresses and stops absorbing shock. If your shoes are over a year old, or have been through more than 500 miles, replace them. Shin splints in week six of a new training plan often trace back to shoes that were already worn when you started.
Shin splints vs stress fracture (read this carefully)
This is the section that matters most. Shin splints and tibial stress fractures sit on a spectrum. The same loading that causes shin splints, continued long enough, can crack the bone. A stress fracture is a serious injury that takes 6 to 12 weeks to heal and sometimes longer if missed.
Here is how they differ in practice:
- Location of pain. Shin splints hurt over a stretch of bone (four to ten centimetres). Stress fractures hurt on a single point, often the size of a fingertip.
- Pain at rest. Shin splints ease quickly when you stop. Stress fractures often ache at night, throb at rest, or wake you up.
- Pain progression. Shin splints start sore after runs and slowly get worse. Stress fracture pain often jumps in severity, sometimes after a single hard session, and gets worse fast.
- Hop test. If you can hop on one foot ten times without sharp pain, a stress fracture is less likely. If hopping triggers a sharp focused pain, see a physio before you run again.
If you have any of the following, stop running and book a physio appointment:
- Pain that persists at rest or wakes you at night
- Sharp pain on a single focused point of bone
- Pain that has been getting worse despite rest
- Pain when hopping or walking
- Symptoms that have lasted over six weeks without improvement
This article gives general guidance. It is not a diagnosis. A qualified physio or sports doctor can examine the leg, send you for imaging if needed, and tell you which side of the line you are on.
The 6 exercises that fix shin splints
These are the six movements that the running and physio literature consistently recommends. They are simple. They take 12 to 15 minutes. Do them five days a week during recovery and three days a week long term as prevention.
1. Double-leg calf raises
Stand on a step with the balls of your feet on the edge and your heels hanging off. Slowly rise up onto your toes over two seconds. Pause for one second at the top. Lower back down over three seconds until your heels drop below the step. That eccentric lower is where the strength is built. Aim for 3 sets of 15.
2. Single-leg calf raises
Same movement, one foot at a time. This is the version that matters. Running is a single-leg sport, so calf strength has to be built single-leg. Most beginners cannot do more than 10 of these per side at first. Build up to 25 per side. Use a wall or banister for balance only, not for support.
3. Toe raises (heel walks)
Stand with feet flat. Lift your toes and the balls of your feet off the ground while keeping your heels planted. Hold for two seconds, lower. This trains the tibialis anterior directly. 3 sets of 20. You will feel it burn on the front of the shin within the first set. That burn is the muscle you have been ignoring.
4. Tibialis anterior raises with resistance
Sit on a chair with one ankle resting on the other knee. Loop a resistance band around your forefoot and pull the other end down so the band pulls your toes toward the floor. Now pull your foot up against the band over two seconds, lower over three seconds. 3 sets of 15 per side. This is the single best exercise for shin splints prevention.
5. Single-leg balance
Stand on one leg for 60 seconds. Repeat twice per side. When that becomes easy, do it with eyes closed, or while brushing your teeth, or standing on a folded towel. This builds the small stabilising muscles in the ankle and lower leg that control how your foot lands.
6. Glute bridges
Lie on your back, knees bent, feet flat. Drive your hips up so your body forms a straight line from knee to shoulder. Squeeze your glutes at the top for two seconds. Lower slowly. 3 sets of 15. Weak glutes are an indirect cause of shin splints because they let the knee collapse inward on landing, which loads the inner shin.
Shin Splints Risk Calculator
The acute phase (first 2 weeks)
If your shins are flaring up now, here is what to do for the next two weeks.
- Cut running mileage by 50%. Not zero. Zero running for two weeks loses too much fitness and the deconditioning often re-triggers the injury when you return. Halve the volume and run only on softer surfaces.
- Cross-train to keep fitness. Cycling, swimming, the elliptical, and rowing all load the shins lightly. Aim to replace the cut running with cross-training so total cardio stays roughly the same.
- Ice after activity. 15 minutes on the inner shin after any run or workout. Bag of frozen peas wrapped in a tea towel works fine.
- Do the 6 exercises 5 days a week. This is not optional. The exercises are what actually fix the underlying cause. The rest is symptom management.
- Replace your shoes if they are due. If you are over 500 miles or 12 months, get new ones now.
The return to running protocol
You are ready to start adding mileage back when you have had two full weeks of no shin pain during or after exercise. Not a bit better. No pain.
From there, the rule is to add one mile per week to your longest run, and keep weekly mileage increases under 10%. So if you are running 3 mile sessions, three times a week (9 miles total), the next week you do 9.5 to 10 miles, not 14.
Keep doing the 6 exercises three times a week as you ramp back up. If shin pain comes back at any point, drop back to the previous week's mileage and hold for two weeks before progressing again.
Most runners are back to full mileage in 4 to 8 weeks from the day they started this protocol. Some take longer. If you are not making progress after six weeks of doing the right things, see a physio.
When to see a physio
Book a physio appointment if any of these apply:
- Pain at rest or pain that wakes you at night
- Sharp, focused pain on a single point of bone
- Pain that has been getting worse for more than two weeks despite rest and reduced mileage
- Pain when walking or hopping on one foot
- Any swelling, bruising, or visible deformity
- Shin splints that have lasted more than six weeks without improvement
- A second flare-up within three months of recovering from the first
A good physio will examine you, may send you for imaging to rule out a stress fracture, and will give you a tailored programme. The cost of one or two sessions is far less than the cost of running on a stress fracture for another six weeks.
This article is general guidance. It is not a substitute for medical advice. If in doubt, get it looked at.
How Edge helps you avoid shin splints in the first place
Most shin splints are a load management problem. The runner did too much, too soon, with shins that were not strong enough to handle it. The fix in the long term is to build slowly and to build strength.
Edge is a running coaching app used by over 17,000 UK members. Here is what Edge does, honestly:
- An adaptive starting plan, built once when you sign up, based on your current fitness and goal. Most beginner programmes ramp mileage too fast. The Edge starting plan respects the 10% rule by default.
- General strength and mobility built into every plan. Squats, lunges, planks, posterior chain work, core, mobility flows. Strong glutes and a strong posterior chain reduce the load that lands on your shins.
- Coach video demos for the general strength and mobility moves in your plan.
- Flexi Swap to move sessions around when life gets in the way, so you do not skip and panic-cram later.
- Edge AI to adjust your plan in 30 seconds when you ask, and the option to speak to a real coach.
- Lean voice prompts during runs for interval starts, pace targets, and key time markers. Not chatty motivational coaching.
- Progress tracking on pace, strength weights, and consistency. Direct sync with Strava, Garmin, Apple Watch and Coros. Indirect sync via Strava for Polar, Suunto, Fitbit and Samsung Health.
What Edge does not do: Edge does not include shin-specific rehab demos. The calf raise, tibialis anterior, and balance exercises in this article you add yourself, or work on them with a physio. Edge has general coach video demos for the strength and mobility moves in your plan, not for shin splints rehab specifically.
If you want a plan that respects how slowly your shins actually adapt to running load, and that bakes in the general strength work that protects them, try Edge free for 7 days. No card required for the web trial. £19.99 a month or £119.99 a year after that.
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FAQ
What are shin splints?
Shin splints, medically known as Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome (MTSS), are pain and inflammation along the inner edge of the tibia (shin bone). They are caused by overuse, most commonly when runners increase mileage too fast, run in worn-out shoes, or have weak calves and tibialis anterior muscles.
How long do shin splints take to heal?
Most cases resolve in 4 to 8 weeks when treated correctly. That means reducing running mileage by 50%, doing calf and tibialis anterior strengthening 5 days a week, and gradually returning to running once pain-free for two weeks. Severe cases or stress fractures take 8 to 12 weeks or longer.
Can you keep running with shin splints?
You can run with mild shin splints if you cut mileage by 50%, switch to softer surfaces, and start strengthening immediately. Running through worsening pain risks turning shin splints into a tibial stress fracture, which takes far longer to heal. If pain gets worse week on week despite cutting back, stop and see a physio.
What's the difference between shin splints and a stress fracture?
Shin splints cause diffuse pain along a 4 to 10 cm stretch of the inner shin and ease quickly when you stop activity. A tibial stress fracture causes sharp, focused pain on a single point, often hurts at rest or at night, and gets worse fast. If hopping on one foot triggers sharp pain, or pain wakes you at night, see a physio for imaging.
What are the best exercises for shin splints?
The six most effective exercises are double-leg calf raises, single-leg calf raises, toe raises (heel walks), resistance-band tibialis anterior raises, single-leg balance work, and glute bridges. Done 5 days a week for 12 to 15 minutes each session, they target the muscles that absorb impact and control foot landing.
When should I see a doctor about shin pain?
See a physio or sports doctor if pain persists at rest, wakes you at night, is concentrated on a single point of bone, gets worse despite reduced mileage, lasts more than six weeks without improvement, or makes walking and single-leg hopping painful. These can be signs of a tibial stress fracture, which needs imaging and a structured recovery plan.
