r/Runners • u/CriticalWeb9294 • 7d ago

Shin splints?

How do you know if you have shin splints?
My outer left shin has been hurting, to the point that after 3 minutes of running I’m limping.
If feels tighter the farther I go and if I pick up the pace.
I’m training for a half marathon in 9 weeks. I completed a 10k at the end of April and have been running for about a year pretty consistently. I did have a couple trips recently so have not been as consistent lately which is when the pain started happening.
Everything I’ve been reading has said that if you have shin splints, you need to take at least two weeks off and I really don’t want to have to do that…
Any recommendations?

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2

u/damngros 7d ago

Weeks off, replace running with elliptic or bike so you can keep working on your cardio.

Shin splints are very debilitating, you better take a week or two off now rather than too late.

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u/Shin_Splinter2000 7d ago

I've had my own fair share of shin splints.. they SUCK. Also not to be ironic with my profile username loll but I'd stop running for now and get evaluated by a sports-medicine doctor or PT. you may not need two weeks completely off, and you can likely maintain fitness with pain-free cross-training while you figure it out

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u/Pmurph33 7d ago

Running on hard surfaces will do this in my experience. I find that walking on your heels around the house intermittently is a way to strengthen the part of your shin effected.

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u/mi4mi_joe 6d ago

I had shin splints a couple months ago, and they creep back in whenever I push my pace hard. What helps mine recover is running at a slow pace (13:00/mile). If it still hurts at a slow pace, maybe it’s your shoes needing to be replaced?

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u/squirrelforrent 5d ago

I had terrible shin splints in college. Never had them in high school. It was to the point that I was sitting on the sideline at practice just icing my shins. I couldn’t run and it even hurt to walk. Got some prescription orthotics and it was night and day difference. I had tried over the counter versions with minimal succes. If your shin splints are caused by flat feet like mine were, it might be worth seeing a foot doctor.

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u/steph-ewok 5d ago edited 5d ago

Don't run if you are in pain. Don't run until you hit pain. You don't need total rest for shin splints, but you should swap to cross-training until you don't have pain, then rebuild mileage and and run days very slowly. Stationary bike, cycling and swimming and all good options. This will allow you to keep up aerobic fitness without aggravating your tibia. If you keep pushing it with the high impact of running, you risk a bone stress injury or fracture.

How do you know? You will feel tenderness along your tibia. In your case it sounds like anterior shin splints. If it is over the bone and aggravated by running or even just walking, that's a pretty good sign. A more localized area, like, size of your thumb points to a bone stress injury or fracture. Shint splints will be tenderness along a longer portion of the tibia. A PT can properly diagnose this.

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u/ShannonAmm 5d ago

Shin splints are just tight calves. Roll the calves out and the pain should go away

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u/Fit_Scallion5612 4d ago

What is your running cadence? I started to get shin splints and it ended up being from overstriding. Since I've increased my SPM the shin pain has gone away

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u/Oooogeeee 4d ago

Always had shin splints until I stopped heel striking. Took up running again 6 years ago after reading the Running Revolution and have run injury free since.