Get Shin Splints? How to Recover and Reduce Recurrence

Shin splints keep showing up in my inbox. And I get it — they are one of the most common and most persistent training injuries for anyone who runs or rucks regularly.

Getting them under control starts with looking at the training load, then building back without repeating the same jump in mileage or pack weight.

I am not a doctor. Get persistent or worsening shin pain evaluated by a qualified medical professional. Stress fractures, tendinitis and compartment syndrome can also cause lower-leg pain and need different treatment.

What shin splints actually are

“Shin splints” usually means medial tibial stress syndrome: exercise-related pain along the inner edge of the shinbone. The area can be tender, and pain may show up during or after a run or ruck. The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons describes repetitive overload of the tissues around the tibia as the main problem.

Pulling your toes toward your shin and feeling pain does not diagnose it. That movement can hurt for several reasons.

Start with the training load

More miles, more hills, more running days, a heavier ruck — any of those can outrun your current capacity. Changing several at once makes it harder to tell what your legs can handle.

The first adjustment: reduce or pause the running and rucking that provoke the pain. Keep conditioning with a lower-impact option, such as cycling or swimming, if it is comfortable. Give the lower leg time to settle before building the workload back up.

When you return, start below your previous distance, intensity and frequency. Build gradually instead of making up all the sessions you missed. If the same shin pain returns, back off and reassess.

Build strength and useful mobility

Lower-body strength still belongs in the plan. Squats, lunges and step-ups develop the capacity you need for running and load carriage. Calf work belongs there too. Choose loads and ranges that you can tolerate while recovering.

This is also why the foundation of ruck training prioritizes basic lower-body strength. Use them to build general capacity alongside recovery from the current injury.

If your calves, ankles or hips are stiff enough to limit a movement, work on that limitation. Comfortable stretching, foam rolling and controlled movement can be useful tools. Choose the work that helps you move comfortably rather than forcing a fixed two-week routine.

Foot shape and movement can matter, but outward-pointing feet or an arch that moves under load do not automatically mean your glutes are weak. A review of shin-splint risk factors found several associations, including previous shin splints and measures of foot posture. Use those findings to guide an individual assessment rather than guessing the cause from foot position.

What about heel striking?

Heel striking and overstriding are different things. The first describes which part of the foot lands first; the second describes reaching too far forward with the step. Neither one lets you diagnose the cause of shin pain from a quick glance.

Running forces are shared across tissues and change with speed, technique and the runner.

A systematic review of foot-strike changes could not establish a clear injury-risk advantage. Moving toward a forefoot strike can shift more work to the ankle and calf. Forcing a new strike pattern while your lower legs already hurt is a poor shortcut.

Running mechanics are worth working on when they address a specific problem. Make changes gradually and pay attention to how they feel. The Free 5-Part Endurance Mini-Course is a starting point for working on running form and training habits.

Put it into practice

Reduce the load that is aggravating your shins. Keep useful strength and mobility work in the plan. Then return to running and rucking gradually.

The aim is to build legs that can handle the work you want to do, with enough recovery between sessions.

If you are also dealing with heel pain, the plantar fasciitis article covers another common problem where recovery and training load matter.