Shin pain is one of the dreaded overuse injuries in runners and athletes. It can severely limit running/walking and not go away even after resting it.
Usually shin pain comes on with a sudden increase or change in training load. This could be new shoes or running on the road instead of the oval. It has been given various names including Shin Splints or scary sounding ones like Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome.
Whatever you call it, the first rule of shin pain is don’t try and run through it. It is the kind of pain that will just get worse. Unfortunately, resting for a few weeks sometimes isn’t the answer either. Ice and rest will give you relief but may not take away the cause of the problem.
Particularly in longstanding or recurring shin pain, the problem is usually in your biomechanics, or the way you run. Thankfully this can typically be corrected with the right exercises and stretches. Small adjustments to your running technique may be needed and in some cases orthotics might be worth a try.
If you have shin pain, don’t just keep running through it. Rest and slowly build up your training again. If that doesn’t work, you may need to see a Physiotherapist.
