Shin splints how long to recover

Back to Health A to Z. Shin splints is a type of shin pain, usually caused by exercise. It's not serious and there are things you can do to help get better. Shin splints usually get better within a few weeks. There are things you can do to get better quicker. A GP will ask about your symptoms and examine your leg. During this two week rest from running, consider low-impact forms of cross training such as cycling, swimming, using the elliptical trainer, or simply focusing on run-specific strength training.

At the extreme end of the scale, running with shin splints will result in painful tibial stress fractures. At the end of your two week rest from running, your shins should no longer feel tender to touch, and you should be able to hop pain-free 12 times on the affected leg. Thanks to physio Brad Beer for introducing me to this test! Repeat this process until you can complete the hop test pain free.

Use this as your simple return to running criteria. As you return to running after shin splints, it is important that you slowly and gradually rebuild both the duration of each individual run, and the weekly volume of your running.

Your shins need time to adapt to the stress of running once again. Feel free to use this free return to running plan to guide your training as you start to run again after shin splints:. Treatment for shin splints does not typically require surgery. Shin splints, as with most bone stress injuries typically respond very well to rest and subsequent load management as you return to running.

However, if your shin pain returns as soon you start running after shin splints, having taken the recommended rest, it would be sensible to consider other potential causes for your shin pain, beyond shin splints. Injuries such as tibialis posterior tendinopathy and compartment syndrome can cause shin pain in runners.

In cases where compartment syndrome is the underlying cause of shin pain with running, surgery may be required as a solution if other treatment methods fail. As previously mentioned in this article, shin splints is not an injury you can continue to run through. If you continue to run with shin splints, doing so will at best slow your recovery and prolong the shin pain. At worst, it will result in tibial stress fractures and a much longer period of rest from running.

As the peak weeks of marathon training kick-in, your shins begin to hurt…. Well, knowing that the ideal answer is to stop and rest for two weeks, the practical solution may look a little more like this:.

Ultimately, you should listen to your body. Your recovery time from shin splints is largely dependent on your ability and willingness to reduce loading on the tibia, by resting from running as the bone heals. The more you can protect your injured shin from undue loading during the rest period, the faster you will recover from shin splints, and return to running successfully. Commit to taking the two weeks rest before doing the hopping test mentioned earlier in this article, to see if your shin is ready for some light running.

Try low-impact activities , such as swimming or stationary cycling. Ice your shin. This will help ease pain and swelling. Ice your shin for minutes every three to four hours for two to three days, or until the pain is gone. Anti-inflammatory painkillers, like ibuprofen, naproxen or aspirin can also help reduce pain. Foam roll. Massage can help as well. How long will shin splints last? Here are a few ways to prevent shin splints: Take it slow.

Runners, try not to up your weekly mileage by more than 10 percent. Listen to your body and rest when you feel pain. Taking at least one or two rest days per week can reduce your risk of shin splints. Vary running surfaces. Running on hard surfaces increases the stress and impact on your muscles, joints and bones.

Try running on dirt or grass trails, or treadmill runs once or twice per week.