Running and Shin Splints: Causes & Treatment Options

Key Highlights:

• Running and shin splints are often linked, especially for new runners and adults over 40, frequently resulting in lower leg pain during or after activity.
• A common overuse injury, contributing factors to shin splints include poor biomechanics, hard surfaces, worn-out footwear, and sudden increases in training volume.
• Recognizing early symptoms, such as tenderness, soreness, tightness, or mild swelling, can help prevent more serious injuries like stress fractures.
• Physiotherapy interventions, including gait analysis, manual therapy, and targeted rehab exercises, support safe and effective recovery.
• Preventing shin splints involves proper footwear, softer running surfaces, gradual mileage increases, and cross-training for overall muscular balance.

Running and shin splints often go hand in hand, especially if you’re over 40 and trying to stay active. This common condition, marked by lower leg pain during or after a run, can sideline your progress and increase your risk of more serious injuries like stress fractures. While running naturally places stress on your muscles and bones, poor technique, worn-out shoes, or sudden training changes can make things worse. In this article, you’ll learn what causes shin splints, how to treat them safely, and what steps you can take to keep running pain-free.

What are Shin Splints?

Shin splints refer to pain along the tibia, the large bone in your lower leg, and they’re one of the most common running injuries. The most typical form, medial tibial stress syndrome, involves inflammation of the bone’s outer lining, causing discomfort along the inner edge of the shin.

While this pain is usually bone-related, shin discomfort can also stem from muscle tightness in the lower leg. This type of muscular shin pain is less common and may require different treatment strategies. Identifying the exact cause of your pain is key to finding the right path to recovery.

Understanding Shin Pain from Running

Running places repeated stress on your shins. When your muscles, tendons, or tibia are overworked by impact or poor mechanics, you can develop shin splints. The discomfort felt can range from a mild ache to more intense pain, often worsening with continued activity. Inflammation in the muscles and tissues around the tibia is a hallmark of shin splints. This irritation can escalate if your training isn’t well-managed—especially if you’re running on hard surfaces or using worn-out footwear. These factors increase the load on your lower leg and raise your risk of further injury.

The good news? By spotting these risk factors early and making small but meaningful changes to your routine, you can reduce pain, avoid long-term damage, and stay active with confidence.

Why Adults Over 40 Are More At Risk

As you age, your risk of shin splints increases. One reason is the natural decline in bone density, which makes your tibia more vulnerable to stress injuries. Hormonal shifts and reduced calcium absorption can compound this risk, especially if your nutrition isn’t supporting your activity level. Muscles and tendons also lose elasticity and strength over time. If you’re not maintaining them with strength training, your lower limbs may not absorb impact effectively, shifting strain to your shin bone.

If you’re returning to running later in life, your body needs time to adapt. Gradually building mileage, incorporating resistance training, and working with a physiotherapist can help prevent shin splints while improving your endurance and overall performance.

Top Causes of Shin Splints from Running

Shin splints often develop when your lower leg muscles, tendons, and bones are pushed beyond their limits, especially if you’re new to running or returning after time away. The problem typically arises from medial tibial stress syndrome, which reflects an imbalance in the tissues that support your shin. Running in unsupportive shoes, logging too many kilometers too soon, or pounding hard surfaces can all increase the load on your tibia and raise your injury risk. Let’s take a closer look.

Overuse and Training Errors

Training too hard, too soon, is one of the most common causes of shin splints. When you increase your running volume or intensity without allowing your body to adapt, the muscles and bone along your lower leg can become inflamed and painful. Some of the most common training errors include:

• Increasing your weekly mileage too quickly
• Jumping into speed or hill work without a solid base
• Skipping rest days and recovery periods
• Failing to warm up properly or stretch afterward

To stay injury-free, pace your progress. A good rule of thumb is to increase mileage by no more than 10% per week. Combining this with strength training and proper rest can reduce your risk of shin splints and support long-term running success.

Poor Footwear and Hard Surfaces

Wearing shoes that don’t support your gait can place excess stress on your lower legs. Worn-out or poorly cushioned shoes fail to absorb shock, which can make every step harder on your tibia. If you have foot mechanics like overpronation, the wrong shoes can worsen alignment and increase pain. What’s more, hard surfaces like concrete intensify impact with every stride. Treadmills may feel softer, but inefficient form or the wrong shoes can still cause problems.

To protect your legs, choose running shoes that match your foot structure and gait pattern, and replace them every 500–800 km. Whenever possible, opt for softer surfaces like grass, dirt trails, or rubberized tracks to ease stress on your shins.

Biomechanical Issues and Gait Faults

If you have flat feet or tend to overpronate, you’re more likely to develop shin splints. These conditions reduce your body’s ability to absorb shock, transferring more load to the tibia and surrounding tissues.

Poor running form also plays a role. If your stride places uneven pressure on your shins, small problems can quickly lead to pain. Weak stabilizer muscles, especially in your glutes and calves, can make this worse.

A gait analysis by a physiotherapist can identify these issues. With expert guidance, you can improve your mechanics, reduce strain, and protect your shins as your training progresses.

Key Symptoms to Watch For

Recognizing early signs of shin splints is key to stopping the pain before it worsens. You might feel tenderness or soreness along the inner edge of your tibia, along with tightness in your lower leg muscles, especially after running. Discomfort may ease with rest only to return once you start moving again. Some runners also notice mild swelling or a dull ache that lingers after longer or more intense runs. By paying attention to these early signals, you can address the problem before it becomes a more serious overuse injury.

Early Warning Signs

The first signs of shin splints often include mild pain during or shortly after a run. This pain usually occurs along the inner shin, but it can become more noticeable and persistent over time, particularly if you’re training on hard surfaces or increasing your distance too quickly. If the discomfort continues even at rest or starts to interfere with your regular routine, it could signal a higher risk of a stress fracture. That’s why catching these symptoms early is so important. 

When to See a Physiotherapist

If your lower leg pain doesn’t improve with rest, or if swelling, tenderness, or stiffness is affecting your ability to run, it’s time to speak with a physiotherapist. Getting a professional assessment can help determine whether your pain stems from muscle strain, bone irritation, or something more serious. A physiotherapist can also assess your running mechanics and guide you through a personalized recovery plan. Early intervention makes a big difference, not just in getting you back to running, but in keeping you pain-free for the long term.

Physiotherapy for Shin Splints

Physiotherapy is one of the most effective ways to manage shin splints, especially if you’re over 40 and trying to stay active without setbacks. It targets the root causes of pain through movement assessments, manual techniques, and a progressive rehab plan based on your body’s specific needs. Physiotherapists help correct poor biomechanics, reduce inflammation, and strengthen the muscles that support your lower legs, making it easier and safer to return to running.

Gait Analysis and Movement Assessment

A proper gait analysis and movement assessment helps uncover the habits or imbalances that may be contributing to your shin pain. Your physiotherapist will examine factors like foot alignment, stride pattern, and muscle flexibility, often identifying issues such as overpronation or muscle weakness. This comprehensive evaluation provides the foundation for your recovery plan. By addressing how your body moves, especially while you’re walking or running, your physiotherapist can recommend changes that reduce stress on your shins and prevent your injury from recurring.

Manual Therapy and Modalities

Hands-on therapy and complementary techniques are often used to reduce pain and speed up healing. Deep tissue massage helps ease tight muscles and improve circulation in the lower leg, while tools like ultrasound or electrical stimulation can calm inflammation and support tissue repair. These treatments are especially useful when your shin splints are persistent or interfering with daily activity. By reducing pain and improving mobility, they make it easier to progress with strengthening and rehab exercises.

Strengthening and Rehab Exercises

Targeted exercises are key to recovering from shin splints and staying injury-free. Your physiotherapist may guide you through movements like calf raises, toe taps, or resistance band work to build strength in the muscles that support the tibia. Balance and stability exercises, such as single-leg stands or side planks, can also improve your running form and lower your risk of reinjury. When done consistently, these exercises help reduce inflammation, improve shock absorption, and keep you moving with confidence.

Other Effective Treatment Options

Beyond physiotherapy, additional treatments can help relieve the discomfort of shin splints and support your recovery. If you have flat feet or overpronation, custom orthotics may improve alignment and reduce stress on your lower legs. Taping techniques and light bracing can stabilize the shin area during movement, helping to reduce irritation. Simple tools like a foam roller can ease muscle tightness, while over-the-counter pain relievers, such as ibuprofen, can help manage swelling when used appropriately. 

Custom Orthotics and Bracing

If your shin pain is linked to foot mechanics, like flat feet or overpronation, custom orthotics can make a big difference. These devices are designed to support your arch and distribute pressure more evenly across your foot, easing strain on the tibia and surrounding tissues. 

Bracing may also be recommended in some cases to support the lower leg during activity. By improving alignment and reducing repetitive stress, these tools help protect against reinjury and allow your body to heal more efficiently.

Taping and Supportive Techniques

Taping can reduce shin splint pain by adding light support and improving your body’s awareness of movement. Kinesiology tape, for example, provides gentle tension that can reduce muscle fatigue and improve stability during runs. Likewise, compression sleeves may offer additional support when you’re recovering or returning to activity. These supportive techniques are often most effective when combined with proper footwear, progressive exercise, and ongoing physiotherapy. Together, they help reduce strain on your lower legs and make it easier to stay active without aggravating your symptoms.

How to Prevent Shin Splints from Returning

Keeping shin splints from coming back means taking a well-rounded, proactive approach. Start with the right shoes. Make sure they offer proper support and match your foot type and running style. Increase your weekly mileage gradually to avoid overloading your lower legs and add strength training, especially for your calves and stabilizing muscles, to help build resilience. Simple exercises like side planks or calf raises go a long way. Also, cross-training activities like cycling or swimming can maintain your fitness while reducing impact on your shins.

Conclusion: Staying Active Without Pain

Running and shin splints may be a common combination but having shin splints doesn’t mean giving up running. It just means training smarter. With the right shoes, gradual mileage increases, and a focus on strength and cross training, you can reduce your risk of reinjury. Choosing softer surfaces and seeking physiotherapy support when needed adds an extra layer of protection. By listening to your body and taking proactive steps, you can stay active, minimize pain, and continue doing what you love.

If you’ve been struggling with shin splints, we can help. Contact us today and let us show you why, at Physiomed…Healthier Starts Here.

Frequently Asked Questions About Running and Shin Splints:

Should you keep running with mild shin splints?

If you experience mild shin splints, consider reducing intensity or frequency of your runs. Rest, ice, and gradual return can help prevent worsening symptoms. 

How long does recovery from shin splints take?

Most mild cases of shin splints improve within 2 to 4 weeks. Recovery depends on rest, proper footwear, and following a rehab plan tailored to your specific needs.

What exercises help prevent shin splints?

Strengthening exercises like calf raises, toe taps, and balance drills help prevent shin splints. Combining them with proper warm-ups and cooldowns further reduces your risk of injury.