How to avoid shin splints
Most shin splints come from doing too much running too soon, so the best way to avoid them is to build your weekly running slowly, keep most runs easy, and give your legs rest days to adapt. Add simple calf and hip strength work and a slightly shorter stride, and most new runners never get them.
What shin splints are
"Shin splints" is the everyday name for medial tibial stress syndrome: an aching or tender feeling along the inner edge of the shin bone, usually in the lower half. It tends to hurt at the start of a run, sometimes eases as you warm up, and can ache afterwards.
It's an overload problem. Bone, muscle and tendon all adapt to running, but bone adapts more slowly than your heart and lungs. That's why new runners who feel fit enough to run more often get shin pain a few weeks in.
Who gets them most
- New runners, or people returning after a long break.
- Anyone who ramps up quickly: a new plan, a race on the calendar, or a big jump in runs per week.
- Runners who do every run fast, or a lot of downhill or hard-surface running at once.
- People coming back from an injury or wearing very worn-out shoes.
How to avoid shin splints: 8 tips
- Build volume slowly. Increase total weekly running time by about 10% or less, and hold steady for a week whenever your legs feel beaten up.
- Start with run-walk. Short running intervals with walking in between let your bones adapt while your fitness grows. There's no prize for running nonstop in week one.
- Keep most runs easy. Easy, conversational running is lower impact per stride than pushing pace. Running in Zone 2 is a simple way to make sure "easy" really is easy. Find yours with the Zone 2 calculator.
- Leave a day between runs at first. Three runs a week on non-consecutive days is plenty for the first month or two.
- Shorten your stride a little. Overstriding, with your foot landing far ahead of your body, increases braking forces. Taking slightly quicker, shorter steps (around 5% more steps per minute) is an easy fix that research links to lower loading.
- Strengthen calves and hips. Two short sessions a week of the moves below help your legs absorb load.
- Mix your surfaces. Trails, grass, tracks and treadmills spread the stress around. Ease into hills, especially long downhills.
- Replace shoes when they're done. Most running shoes last roughly 300–500 miles (500–800 km). Pick a pair that feels comfortable; there's no single "anti–shin splint" shoe.
A 10-minute strength routine
Do this twice a week, on a rest day or after an easy run.
| Exercise | Sets × reps | Why it helps |
|---|---|---|
| Calf raises (straight knee) | 3 × 15, progress to single-leg | Stronger calves take load off the shin |
| Bent-knee calf raises | 3 × 15 | Targets the deeper soleus muscle |
| Toe raises (heels down) | 2 × 20 | Works the muscles at the front of the shin |
| Glute bridges | 3 × 12 | Hip strength helps control each landing |
| Single-leg balance | 3 × 30 sec each side | Better foot and ankle control |
What to do if your shins start to hurt
Catching it early usually means a short break instead of a long one.
- Cut back, don't push through. Reduce how far and how often you run for a week or two, or swap some runs for cycling, swimming or walking.
- Use a simple rule: mild discomfort that fades during an easy run and is gone by the next morning is usually OK. Pain that builds during a run, makes you limp, or is worse the next day means stop and rest.
- Ice and rest can ease soreness. When it's pain-free, return gradually with run-walk.
When it might be something else
Pain in one small spot on the bone that hurts to press, hurts when you hop, or aches at night or at rest can be a stress fracture. Numbness, tingling or tight, swollen shins during exercise can point to other problems too. If you have any of these signs, or shin pain that hasn't improved after two weeks of reduced running, see a doctor or physio before running again.
Want a broader picture of what's normal when you start? Things nobody tells you about running covers the first month, and Zone 2 running for beginners has a gentle 4-week plan.
This is general fitness information, not medical advice. Persistent or worsening pain should be checked by a doctor or physiotherapist.
Build up slowly, with a plan that keeps easy runs easy
RunZone builds your plan around Zone 2, so new runners ramp up gradually instead of all at once. Live voice cues while the app is open tell you when to slow down. Heart rate from Apple Watch via Apple Health, or pace-only with just your iPhone.
Download RunZoneFAQ
How long do shin splints take to heal?
Mild cases often settle within 2–4 weeks of reduced running. Pain that lasts longer, or that is sharp in one spot, should be checked by a doctor or physio.
Can I run with shin splints?
If the pain is mild, fades as you warm up and is gone the next day, easy run-walk is usually fine. If it gets worse during a run or the next day, stop and rest, and see a physio if it continues.
Do running shoes prevent shin splints?
No shoe prevents them on its own. Comfortable shoes that are not worn out help, but how quickly you increase your running matters far more.