Shin splints

Shin splints usually feel like an aching pain along the inside edge of the shin, during a run or the morning after.

Maybe it started when you added more kilometres, ran more on hard surfaces, or changed shoes.

Many runners know this feeling. I do too. When the calves and the tissue around the shin are tired and tight, the shin can start to complain.

Shin splints are most often caused by training load that grows faster than the body can adapt: more kilometres, hard surfaces, tight calves or a change in shoes.

Things I often see:

• Increasing distance or speed too quickly
• Lots of running on asphalt or hard trails
• Tight calves and a stiff ankle
• Worn out shoes or a big change in shoes
• Too little rest between hard sessions

Massage can help tired, tight calves and the tissue around the shin soften and recover, but it is not a treatment for a stress fracture.

Please see a doctor or physio first if the pain is in one small spot on the bone, if it hurts when you walk or at rest, if it hurts at night, or if there is swelling. Those can be signs of a stress injury that needs rest and proper care. Please see a doctor first if the pain came after a fall or accident, if it is sharp, sudden or getting worse quickly, or if you notice numbness, weakness, fever or anything that simply feels wrong. I am happy to support you, and I will always tell you honestly when massage is not the first thing you need.

With shin splints I never press hard on the painful bone. I work around it, on the calves, the deep calf, the foot and the hips.

I ask about your training, your shoes and where exactly it hurts. If something sounds like a bone problem, I'll tell you honestly to get it checked first.

When it is about tight tissue, I work with deep tissue and Zen Shiatsu, carefully. I stay detailed, with a steady connection.

Areas I usually focus on:

• Gastrocnemius and soleus (the calves)
• Tibialis posterior and the deep calf, from the side
• Tibialis anterior on the front of the shin, gently
• The foot and the ankle
• Hips and glutes, because how the leg lands starts higher up

Shin splints usually settle with less load: build up kilometres slowly, run on softer ground, strengthen the calves and rest when the pain changes how you run.

• Build up kilometres slowly, and plan easier weeks
• Mix in softer surfaces when you can
• Calf raises and simple ankle work for strength
• Gentle self massage of the calves with your hands or a ball (not on the painful bone)
• Rest when the pain changes how you run

While the shins are complaining, a few sessions closer together can help, as long as a stress injury is ruled out. During a build, every two to three weeks keeps the calves soft.

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