What Are Shin Splints?

Shin splints are a common injury that involves pain in the lower shins and in some instances, just behind the shin bone in the calves. It is an inflammation of the muscles and tendons around the tibia, which is a bone in the lower legs. Although shin splints can affect anyone, they usually occur in athletes such as runners, dancers, or any athlete that participates in any sports involving a fair amount of running or jumping. Generally, shin splints is caused by overuse of the lower legs or improper bio-mechanics. Shin splints are a painful and very stubborn injury but with proper treatment, rest, and exercise, they can be cured.

There are two main types of shin splints, medial (posterior) shin splints and anterior shin splints. The symptoms of the two are very similar but the pain occurs in different places, depending on which muscles/tendons are injured.

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Medial Shin Splints
The more common type of shin splints, medial shin splints affect the back and inside muscles of the shin. Pain usually appears during exercise, especially running, and worsens as exercise continues. After stopping, medial shin splints pain generally disappears within ten minutes, or subsides into a dull throb. It may still hurt during any physical activity that involves the legs such as walking or climbing the stairs. The most common causes of this are overuse, tight calf muscles, overpronation, or improper footwear.

Anterior Shin Splints
This type of shin splints affects the muscles in the front and outer parts of the shins. The pain caused by anterior shin splints can become constant, hurting even while resting. The most common causes of anterior shin splints are overuse, muscle imbalances, pressure in the anterior compartment, tight calf muscles, and improper footwear.


Shin splints is a confusing term because it is often used to refer to any type of pain in the shins. Often, this is not a big deal because they can be effectively treated with the same methods as those prescribed on this website. However, sometimes serious conditions can be misdiagnosed as shin splints. If you think you have acute anterior compartment syndrome or a stress fracture, it would be a good idea to seek professional help.