Shin splints

Treating shin splints at home

Shin splints can usually be treated at home. The followingmay help relieve the pain and allow your legs toheal:

rest stop the activity that causes your shin splints for at least two to three weeks; you can then start gradually returning to your normal activities
ice hold an ice pack against your shins (a bag of frozen peas wrapped in a tea towel works, too) for around 10 minutes every few hours for the first few days; this helps with pain and swelling
pain relief take over-the-counter painkillers, such as paracetamol and ibuprofen , to help relieve the pain if you needto
switch tolow-impact activities using a cross-trainer, cycling , swimming and yoga are good waysto keep fit without putting toomuch pressure on your shinswhile they heal

You can start to return to your usual activities over the following few weeks once the pain has gone. Take care to increase your activity level gradually, building up the time you spend running or doing sports.

Make sure you follow the steps to prevent shin splints outlined below to reduce the risk of the pain coming back.

Medically Reviewed by a doctor on 21 Dec 2018

Articles for shin splints

Introduction

Find out what shin splints are, how they happen, and what you can do about them.

Symptoms of shin splints

The main symptom of shin splints is pain inthe shin bones, which run down the front of yourlower legs. The pain tends to: begin soon after starting exercise gradually improve when resting sometime

Causes of shin splints

It's not always clear what causes shin splints. They're usually brought on by running or repetitive weight bearing on the legs. It's thought this leads to swelling (inflammation) of the tissue around

Treating shin splints at home

Shin splints can usually be treated at home. The followingmay help relieve the pain and allow your legs toheal: rest stop the activity that causes your shin splints for at least two to three weeks;

When to see your GP

It's a good idea to see your GP if your pain doesn't improve despite the treatments mentioned above. Your GP may: ask about your symptoms and examine your legs to try to work out what's causing you

Preventing shin splints

The following measuresmay help reduceyour chances of gettingshin splints: wear trainers with appropriate cushioning and supportit may help tospeak to an expert ata specialist running shop for advice

Other causes of lower leg pain

Pain in the lower legs and shins can also be caused by: stress fractures (tinycracks in the bone) the pain often affects one leg, but can affect both,and is usually focused in a small area; there ma

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